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Jardin des Plantes and the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle

Jardin des Plantes and the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle

This garden/museum/zoo has only two downfalls -- it's not on the natural beaten tourist path of Paris and admission fees are charged for the museums and gardens, each. This attraction rests at the very bottom of the 5th arrondissement, but once you do arrive, the trip will be well worth the visit. Once the Royal Garden of Medicine, then turned into the Jardin des Plantes during the French Revolution, with building and exhibition upon building and exhibition added on through time, there's much to be seen here, and if you don't make it your first time to Paris, do try to make it on your second visit. The gallery of mineralogy and geology hosts massive-taller-than-human-sized mineral rocks inside a geode-type entrance. There's the Grande Galerie de l'Evolution, and the Galerie de Zoologie, that has a virtual frozen-parade of life-size model elephants, giraffes and other animals (grouped by such habitats as African, Polar region, etc.), which line the ground floor of this fantastic museum, and where balcony upon balcony of other life-size animals look down from above. There's also a Noah's Ark procession not to be missed, with a skinless Noah and only the bones of the animals. Also find the Galeries de Paléontologie et d'Anatomie comparée, the Ménagerie, and the Musée de l'Homme. The garden and zoo are generous in size and variety of animals and fauna, and, the upside of not being on the tourist path is that there aren't tons of tourists! You'll have the place to yourself amidst the French.

What To Visit:

* The Jardin des Plantes
* The Grande Galerie de l'Evolution
* The Galeries de Paléontologie et d'Anatomie comparée
* The galerie de Minéralogie et de Géologie
* The Ménagerie
* The Musée de l'Homme
* The Paris zoo

Address: rue Cuvier, rue Buffon, rue Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire, place Valhubert
Opening Hours: every day except Tuesday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and until 6 p.m. on weekends in the summer months
Admission: each area has its own admission fee, but with a reduced fee if you show your ticket from the previous area.
Amenities: reception desk, first aid, carousel and and small train and games and playgrounds for children, picnic tables,  souvenir shops, book shops, restaurant, bathrooms
Phone: 33.1.40.79.56.01
Metro: Austerlitz, Censier Daubenton, Jussieu
Bus: Lines 24, 57, 61, 63, 67, 89 and 91 - Batobus : arrêt Jardin des Plantes
Website: www.mnhn.fr