Parc de Sceaux near Paris
Parc de Sceaux near Paris is the largest and most pleasant pedestrian park in Grand Paris. Created in the 17th century and easily reachable by RER B metro line, it is very appreciated by Parisians. Paris gardens.
Parc de Sceaux
With 180 hectares, Parc de Sceaux is seven times larger than Luxembourg Gardens and Buttes Chaumont. It is totally pedestrian to the contrary of Bois de Boulogne and Bois de Vincennes.
Designed in the 17th century by André Lenotre, the creator of Versailles Gardens, it has a varied lanscape, a canal, cascades, fountains and lawns. The castle is a 19th century replica. Parisians come here to relax, jog and practice various sports. Download printable Parc de Sceaux map.
Sceaux 92330 France
A cascade animates Parc de Sceaux
Parc de Sceaux visit
Locate Parc de Sceaux on the map. Metro: Bourg-la-Reine or Parc de Sceaux station on RER B. Parc de Sceaux is ideal for a quiet Paris stay.
Parc de Sceaux visit is free. Parc de Sceaux hours:
November to January: 8am-5pm
February: 8am-6pm
March: 7:30am-7pm (8:30pm after daylight saving time)
October: 8am-7pm (5pm after daylight saving time)
April and August: 7am-8:30pm
May to July: 7am-9pm
September: 7:30am-8pm
The Museum in Chateau de Sceaux is a fine decorative arts museum, operated by the Département des Hauts-de-Seine.
Sceaux 92330 France
Chateau de Sceaux houses a fine museum
Parc de Sceaux history
The land was acquired in 1674 by Jean-Baptiste Colbert, minister of King Louis XIV, who appealed to the greatest artists of his time to develop the Parc de Sceaux and Château de Sceaux: André Le Nôtre, the gardener of Versailles Gardens and Tuileries Gardens, architect Claude Perrault and Charles Le Brun, the painter of the Hall of Mirrors.
At the death of Colbert, his son, the Marquis de Seignelay, extended the estate and dug the Grand Canal. The Revolution brought the destruction of a good part of the property including the Chateau. The Chateau was rebuilt in 1856 in the Louis XIII style by the Duke of Treviso. The estate was acquired in the 1920s by the state and the domain knew a certain renewal. Léon Azéma, the designer of the Trocadéro gardens, installed a waterfall. The Château de Sceaux houses the Ile-de-France Museum.
The park's decor was destroyed during the Revolution. Its surface was reduced by 20% in the late 1920s. The vast perspectives designed by Le Nôtre have been preserved. It is the best pedestrian park of Grand Paris.
Parc de Sceaux has beautiful perspectives
Hanami in Parc de Sceaux
The 264 Japanese cherry trees of Parc de Sceaux offer an unparalleled show in Grand Paris. They are like a fireworks that would last several days in spring. Each year, the Hanami, the flower festival in Japan, is celebrated. In Japanese, Hanami or o-hanami means "to look at the flowers". Everyone is invited to extend their picnic table, to attend a free show of taiko (drum) and awa odori (traditional dance). April is therefore a very good time to visit the Parc de Sceaux, the most beautiful pedestrian green space of Grand Paris.
Hanami in Parc de Sceaux is spectacular
Parc de Sceaux facts
Located 5 km southwest of Paris, straddling the cities of Sceaux and Antony, Parc de Sceaux extends on the western flank of the Bièvre valley, at the confluence of the Aulnay and Châtenay rivers. This valley relief was skilfully exploited by Le Nôtre, who relied on a ridge, hillsides and a humid bottom to create perspectives, terraces, basins, canals.
Its geographical location, its surface area (180 ha) and its history make it a major landscape reference for Grand Paris which combines three vocations:
*a historic park, Colbert estate, work of André Le Nôtre, restored by Léon Azéma in the 1930s,
*a natural space, with a strong landscape character, serving as a reservoir of biodiversity,
*a large urban park, a space for relaxation, games, sports and festivities.
Partly retaining its 17th century magic, the former Colbert property has beautiful architectural sights:
*the Château, built in the 19th century, housing since 1937 the Musée du Domaine Départemental de Sceaux. The collections of the museum come from a fund coming, in part, from Musée Carnavalet in Paris and enriched by prestigious acquisitions as well as by donations. These works now highlight the different owners of the Château de Sceaux and invite the visitor to better understand the French art of living. The museum tour dedicates one of the large rooms of the castle to each owner: Colbert, Maine, Penthièvre or even Treviso. The history of the castle is explaines in the intermediate rooms. Since September 2020, the Château has been completely renovated and each room now highlights an atmosphere in the context of an inhabited residence.
*the Pavillon de l'Aurore, an exceptional garden pavilion dating from the 17th century, decorated with a dome painted by Charles Le Brun on the theme of Dawn,
*a magnificent orangery, built at the end of the 17th century by Jules Hardouin Mansart, the architect of Les Invalides and originally designed as an art gallery, now preserving the sculptures from the gardens from Colbert's time,
*stables rehabilitated into reception and exhibition spaces.
*the small castle and the Hanover pavilion, two other jewels of the estate.