Bois de Vincennes

Welcome to the Bwah duh Van-senn. As we arrive via the eastern outskirts of the city, crossing the busy peripheral ring road, we step into the largest green space in Paris. …

Standing before the massive stone walls of the Chateau de Vincennes, we are confronted with the stark, imposing reality of medieval military architecture. While tourists flock to downtown Paris searching for remnants of the…

Nestled within the high defensive walls of the chateau complex stands an architectural jewel of the Gothic era: the Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes. While the more famous Sainte-Chapelle is located in the heart of Paris on the Île…

Leaving the historical weight of the chateau behind, we enter the vibrant, living museum of the Parc Floral. This massive enclosure serves as one of the four official sites comprising the Botanical Gardens of Paris. …

We now step off the main, crowded pathways and into a quieter, highly structured enclave within the Parc Floral: the Jardin des Plantes Médicinales, or the Medicinal Garden. This specific section connects modern botanical science…

As we walk along the broad, tree-lined avenues that bisect the park, we must acknowledge the lingering military presence that has shaped the Bois de Vincennes for centuries. Following the French Revolution, the vast, open spaces…

We conclude our specific sector analyses at the edge of Lac Daumesnil, the most famous of the four artificial lakes within the Bois de Vincennes. This sweeping, romantic body of water is a masterpiece of nineteenth-century urban…

As we conclude our comprehensive tour of the Bwah duh Van-senn, take a final moment to breathe in the fresh, oxygen-rich air. Looking out over the shimmering surface of Lac Daumesnil toward the distant treeline, the sheer…