Before a Paris park afternoon

Start with the entrance, not just the name on the map. A park can have several gates, and a short route to one may lead to a very different walk inside. This matters particularly on sloping ground, where the most direct approach may not be the easiest.

Check the timetable for your date. Paris parks can change their closing times through the seasons, and weekday and weekend hours are not always identical. A summer memory is a poor guide to an autumn evening.

Read current access notices, too. Buttes-Chaumont’s restoration closes its central area, including the temple; a photograph taken before the works is not a promise of access today. Leave your route flexible and follow the signs when you arrive.

The linked places below lead to the City’s practical pages. Use those for same-day changes, then put the phone away for the part you actually came for: a little time outside.