Bois de Vincennes

Lonely Planet review

The 'Vincennes Wood' encompasses some 995 hectares in the southeastern corner of Paris. Located at the wood's northern edge, the Château de Vincennes is a bona fide royal chateau with massive fortifications and a moat. Louis XIV spent his honeymoon at the mid-17th-century Pavillon du Roi, the westernmost of the two royal pavilions flanking the Cour Royale (Royal Courtyard).

The 52m-high donjon was completed in 1369 and used as a prison during the 17th and 18th centuries. You can walk around the grounds for free, but the only way to see the Gothic Chapelle Royale (Royal Chapel), built between the 14th and 16th centuries, is to take a guided tour.

The wood's main attraction, the Parc Floral de Paris (www.parcfloraldeparis.com), is south of the Château de Vincennes, and amusements for kids aged six to 14 include the Bibliothèque-Ludothèque Nature (Nature Library & Puppetry) and a lovely Jardin des Papillons (Butterfly Garden), with 40 species of butterfly. The Jardin d'Agronomie Tropicale (Garden of Tropical Agronomy), a vestige of the 1907 Exposition Coloniale, is at the park's eastern edge.

Every year a huge amusement park known as the Foire du Trône installs itself on the Pélouse de Reuilly for eight weeks in April and May at the Bois de Vincennes. The 15-hectare Parc Zoologique de Paris (Paris Zoological Park), just east of Lac Daumesnil and also known as the Zoo du Bois de Vincennes, was established in 1934. It has some 600 animals.

You can walk around the grounds for free, but the only way to see the Gothic Chapelle Royale (Royal Chapel), built between the 14th and 16th centuries, is to take a guided tour (in French; information booklet in English).

The wood's main attraction, the Parc Floral de Paris (www.parcfloraldeparis.com), is south of the Château de Vincennes, and amusements for kids aged six to 14 include the Bibliothèque-Ludothèque Nature (Nature Library & Puppetry) and a lovely Jardin des Papillons (Butterfly Garden), with 40 species of butterfly. The Jardin d'Agronomie Tropicale (Garden of Tropical Agronomy), a vestige of the 1907 Exposition Coloniale, is at the park's eastern edge.

Every year a huge amusement park known as the Foire du Trône installs itself on the Pélouse de Reuilly for eight weeks in April and May at the Bois de Vincennes. The 15-hectare Parc Zoologique de Paris (Paris Zoological Park), just east of Lac Daumesnil and also known as the Zoo du Bois de Vincennes, was established in 1934. It has some 600 animals.