Bercy Park at a glance
Located in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, between the Gare de Lyon and the Cour Saint-Emilion neighborhood, Bercy Park consists of three distinct green spaces. It provides a welcome escape for both locals and travelers. The 35-acre site was designed in the 1990s by architects Bernard Huet, Madeleine Ferrand, Jean-Pierre Feugas and Bernard Leroy, working alongside landscape architects Ian Le Caisne and Philippe Raguin. The park sits on the former site of the Bercy wine warehouses. Historically, wine merchants blended and bottled their vintages here to avoid paying a local tax known as the octroi. Look for the original railway tracks that once serviced the tanker trucks, as well as the 200 century-old trees in the Jardin de Mémoire (Garden of Memory), which stand as living remnants of that era.
To the west, you will find a pleasant, tree-lined lawn known as the Grande prairie (Great Meadow). It features nine kiosks and a terrace with a view of the Seine that is hard to beat. Nearby, you can spot the Accor Arena, the largest indoor performance venue in France with a capacity of 18,000 spectators, as well as the building housing the Cinémathèque Française (French Cinematheque).
To the east, the Jardin romantique (Romantic Garden) centers on a canal aligned with the palais omnisport de Bercy (Bercy Arena). Connected by two footbridges, the garden follows classic landscape design with lily pad ponds home to local ducks, a waterfall, artificial caves, and the Maison du lac (Lake House), which hosts rotating exhibitions. If you have ever wanted to develop a green thumb, the Maison du jardinage (Gardening House) offers practical gardening workshops for beginners.
I really like the 5th arrondissement of Paris. And this park is one of the beautiful places you can visit there. I really enjoyed the large meadow. And then there are the big goldfish, too. Watching them is very relaxing. There is also a Japanese-style area, which is very charming as well.