Where to picnic in Paris ?

Where to picnic in Paris ? If you’re in Paris in spring or summer, you’ll pretty quickly realize that as soon as the sun starts to glimmer, Parisians grind into picnic gear.  Whether on the grass or with a view of the water, there are picnic spots for all tastes in Paris. Since the sun and warm weather are not with us  yet you will have to be patient ! Here is our selection so you can enjoy a relaxing time with your friends...

Do choose the right location

Here’s the lowdown on some of great places to picnic:

-The Champ-de-Mars, 7ème: the unrestricted view of the Eiffel Tower and the elegant buildings surrounding it attract tourists and Parisians alike. It is an ideal place for the young and cosmopolitan to picnic. 2 Allée Adrienne Lecouvreur, 7th district. Metro: Ecole Militaire/RER: Champ-de-Mars. Another great idea in the 7th district: the Avenue de Breteuil has lawns which are ideal for a picnic. Avenue de Breteuil (7th). Metro: Saint-François Xavier or Duroc.

- Buttes Chaumont, 19ème (Plus: largest park in Paris with trees, waterfalls & a lake. Minus: hilly and thus lots of potential for spillage & bottle rolling).

- La Seine (Plus: picture postcard setting. Minus: loud tourists on boats, the occasional wandering bum.)

- Canal St Martin, 10ème (Plus: Trendy hotspot, great people-watching, plentiful surrounding bars for après-picnic festivities. Minus: very little grass, quiet or room to spread a blanket/d

- Bois de Vicennes(Plus: huge and green with lots of trees, 2,458 acres to be precise – that’s 3 times bigger than Central Park & 4 times bigger than Hyde Park. Minus: Far away from the center of it all (in Parisian terms) and beaucoup de getting-lost opportunities).

- Bois de Boulogne (Plus: same as above, although a little bit smaller with its (still very) respectable 2,090 acres. Minus, doubles up as Paris’s red light district at night!)