Green spaces in the 1st and 2nd arrondissements of Paris

Start at Cité Metro Station – Line 4 – Take the only exit.

(S) On leaving the metro, turn around, go right onto Rue de Lutèce, then right onto Boulevard du Palais, and turn left onto Quai de l’Horloge. Then take Rue de Harley on the left, then turn right with your back to the Palais de Justice, and you will reach the Square de la Place Dauphine.

(1) Walk along the left-hand side, continue along Rue Henri Robert, and at the end of the street, turn left. Cross the Quai des Orfèvres, then cross immediately to the right at the pedestrian crossing to reach the small square opposite, featuring an equestrian statue of Henry IV. Cross this small square, keeping the statue on your right, and go down the steps at the far end of the square. You will then enter the Square du Vert Galant.

(2) After walking around the square, take the steps on the left, cross the small square again and turn left to continue along the Pont Neuf. Cross the Quai du Louvre and, at the fork, take Rue du Pont Neuf on the right. Cross Rue de Rivoli and Rue Saint-Honoré. At the end of the street, cross a small square and enter the Jardin Nelson Mandela.

(3) Take the^second path on the left, Allée Baltard, with the Church of Saint-Eustache on your right. At the end of the path, opposite the Bourse du Commerce, turn right onto Allée Elsa Triolet. Continue straight ahead to leave the garden, pass a dog park on your left, go down a few steps and turn left onto Rue Coquillère. Walk to the end of the street and, opposite the Banque de France, turn right onto Rue Croix des Petits Champs, then left onto Rue de la Vrillière, which you follow to the end.

(4) Turn left onto Rue des Petits Champs, which marks the boundary between the^1st and^2nd arrondissements. Cross Rue Vivienne and Rue de Richelieu, then take the next street on the right, Rue Chabanais, and turn right at the end of the street into Square Louvois.

(5) Cross the square, exit onto Rue de Richelieu, follow it to the left then turn right into the small Rue Colbert. Then turn left onto Rue Vivienne, right onto Place de la Bourse, then left onto Rue Notre Dame des Victoires. Turn right into the short Rue Brongniart, cross Rue Montmartre at the pedestrian crossing on the left

(6) Continue straight ahead along Rue des Jeûneurs to the end of the street. Turn left into Rue Poissonnière, then right into Rue Beauregard.

(7) When you reach the Church of Notre-Dame de Bonne Nouvelle, turn left into the street of the same name, then right onto Rue de la Lune, and enter Square Bidault on the left.

Walk around the square, take Rue de la Lune on the right, then turn immediately right onto Rue Notre-Dame de Bonne Nouvelle. Go down a flight of steps and head right onto Boulevard de Bonne Nouvelle to reach the Bonne Nouvelle metro station, lines 8 and 9 (E).

^1st arrondissement

Square de la Place-Dauphine
6 Rue de Harlay
Created in 1970 (2,665 m²)
An open space on a square, consisting of two sandy areas: one rectangular, surrounded by chestnut trees and stone benches, the other triangular, featuring chestnut trees and wooden benches. This square takes its name from the square on which it is situated.

Square du Vert-Galant
Pont Neuf, Quai des Orfèvres
Created in 1884 (1,642 m²)
Wallace push-button fountain.
This is a small, secluded park at the very northern tip of the Île de la Cité, right in the heart of Paris, and right by the water’s edge! It offers views of the Seine, the Louvre Museum and the Hôtel de la Monnaie. Triangular in shape, it features a lawn lined with benches and a push-button Wallace fountain. The square is named after Henri IV, nicknamed the "Vert-Galant" due to his very turbulent love life.

Nelson Mandela Garden
Rue Rambuteau, Rue Berger, Rue Viarmes
Created in 1988 (40,050 m²)
Play areas, boules court, games tables, bandstand, toilets.
Designed as a large meadow, the garden offers unobstructed views and a sense of space. Situated between St Eustache Church and the Bourse du Commerce, the garden’s wide lawns and paths rest on the slab covering the Forum des Halles, on the site of the former Paris Market Halls. Very popular in all seasons, it is sometimes the venue for street entertainment. This open garden pays tribute to Nelson Mandela (1918–2013), leader of the struggle against apartheid and President of the Republic of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.

^2nd arrondissement

Square Louvois
69 bis Rue de Richelieu
Created in (1,925 m²)
Play area, drinking fountain.
The square consists of a circular lawn bordered by trees, at the centre of which stands the Louvois fountain, featuring allegorical sculptures representing four major French rivers: the Seine, the Garonne, the Loire and the Saône. The square is named after the Marquis de Louvois (1641–1691), a minister under Louis XIV, who once owned a mansion here.

Square Jacques Bidault
18 Rue de la Lune
Created in 1966 (362m²)
Playground, drinking fountain, community garden, book box.
This small garden is perched on a 17-metre-high hill, opposite the Church of Notre-Dame de Bonne-Nouvelle. It consists of two small play areas separated by a short central paved path. There is also a small community garden at the back of one of the play areas. The square pays tribute to Jacques Bidault, a veteran of the 1914–1918 war, secretary-general of the 2nd arrondissement town hall and a member of the Resistance. Arrested by the Gestapo after being denounced, he was deported to Germany, where he died in December 1944.