Vert-Galant public garden is a real piece of paradise situated at the end of the Île-de-la-Cité. It has been built in honour of King Henri IV, nicknamed the “Vert-Galant” (French expression meaning “the old galant”) because of his liking for women. You will moreover see a statue of the king on the Pont-Neuf, impossible to miss since you have to come before it (if you do not get to the garden by the embankments) before going down the stairs taking you to the park.
Entering the “peninsula”, you will see that the Seine is very close to you. Indeed, the water level is the same as it was in the past, when the first Parisians set themselves up several centuries ago on this island.
On sunny days, Vert-Galant public garden is very pleasant. You are in the center of Paris, only a few steps from main sites of the city as Louvre Museum, Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral or Tuileries Garden, and hidden from the rest of the world thanks to the big trees (chestnuts, walnuts, maples, …) surrounding the Park. At the end of the garden, the headland offers a very romantic and quiet landscape, perfect to take great photos.
On week-ends, the peninsula is used to be converted into a picnic area. A generally nice atmosphere .
- Also see : Discover Paris from its right-bank
