About ten years ago when I visited a friend living in the 15th, he brought me to the Jardin du Luxembourg and proclaimed “This is my backyard.” I remember thinking, gee, that took us 20 minutes to get to your backyard. So I didn’t really understand what he meant. Now that I live here, I understand. Of all the parks in Paris, this is very much Paris’ backyard.
Of all the parks in Paris, this is very much Paris’ backyard. 
It is picturesque, with the Senate as its backdrop; it is calm and peaceful, with an absence of city noise. You can bring a book and grab an olive drab chair to sit around a peaceful pond or an intimate canal and just relax for hours. At the same time, it’s perfect for kids, with Paris’ best playground, a guignol, miniature sailboats to rent on the pond, and a turn-of-the-century carrousel. Guignol Quintessential France. A guignol is a marionette show (well, more specifically Guignol is the old-timey character who has always been the lead in the marionette shows and you’ll find him all over town). Seeing a marionette show in Paris is like seeing a bull fight in Spain, only cleaner—you may not entirely like it, but if you want to feel as though you’ve really experienced the local culture, you must see it. Shows are in the afternoon and can be as familiar to you as The Three Little Pigs or Puss in Boots. If you have kids, they can sit up front by themselves to take in all the action. 
Manège Another art form for kids that is not to be missed is my favorite—the carrousel (or manège in French). The carrousel here, and in a handful of other parks in Paris, is over 100 years old and is made of hand-carved animals. This one was designed in 1879 by Charles Garnier (think Palais Garnier) and it’s a thing of beauty. The animals dangle from the top of the carrousel. The riders on the outside get a metal baguette that they use to try to spear metal rings as the children go around and around. We know a little girl from New York who used to live here and even though she was only four years old, she was (and still is, in our book), the Jardin du Luxembourg Carrousel World Champion. She had patience, skill, and determination. She knew how and where to hold her baguette and kept it steady throughout the entire ride. Every time her giraffe came upon the stack of metal rings, she always got one. It was hilarious watching the man who runs the manège re-supply the rings as quickly as he could to keep up with one 4-year-old New Yorker. Next time you need to get away from the stress of city life and adult responsibilities, spending an afternoon in the Jardin du Luxembourg can help you touch base with your inner carefree childhood. 
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