Bois de Vincennes
Bois de Vincennes
Bois de Vincennes (eastern part of Paris) (Metro: Metro: Porte-Dorée ot Château de Vincennes) – like Bois de Boulogne, this park was also a former hunting ground for French royalty. Within its grounds is the Château de Vincennes – which was once the largest of its kind in Europe. Built by the 14th century, various members of French royalty once resided there, and became a prison during the 18th century.
By the middle of the 19th century, Napoleon III landscaped the park, helping to shape it in its current form. Nowadays, there is a little something for everyone. Families are drawn to the Parc Floral (a cross between a botanical garden and an amusement park) and the play areas located around the woods, cyclists enjoy the 17.5 km of tracks and explorer trails, horse riders enjoy the 19 km of tracks, and joggers enjoy the 32 km of car-free roads. There’s also a bird sanctuary (Bois des Oiseaux), a group of six theaters (La Cartoucherie), a racetrack (Hippodrome de Vincennes) and even a Buddhist temple inside the park.