Bois de Boulogne

Bois de Boulogne review

Covering 865 hectares, the Bois was once the Forêt de Rouvray hunting grounds. It was landscaped in the 1860s, when artificial grottoes and waterfalls were created around the Lac Inférieur. The Jardin de Bagatelle (route de Sèvres à Neuilly, 16th, 01.40.67.97.00) is famous for its roses, daffodils and water lilies, and contains an orangery that rings to the sound of Chopin in summer.

The Jardin d'Acclimatation is a children's amusement park, complete with a miniature train, farm, rollercoaster and boat rides. The Bois also boasts two racecourses (Longchamp and Auteuil), sports clubs and stables, and restaurants, including Le Pré Catelan (route de Suresnes, 16th, 01.44.14.41.14).

Today, there are plans to reduce the traffic and replant some of the scrubby woodland. The opening of the Fondation Louis-Vuitton in 2009 should also change the character of the area. For the time being, it attracts picnickers and dog walkers, with a boating lake and nearby cycle hire, but by night it's transformed into a parade ground for transsexuals and swingers of every stripe.