Spring Strolls in Paris

17 January 2018

Step Outside this Spring with Amarante Champs-Elysées

Spring has (nearly) sprung! Signalling the return of blue-skies, green boulevards and colourful flower-filled gardens to the city’s kaleidoscopic landscapes. All of which (and more) await your discovery during a luxury spring break at Amarante Champs-Elysées; as you depart upon a series of scenic Paris strolls this Easter.

Avenue des Champs-Elysées

No visit to the capital is complete without a walk along the world’s most beautiful boulevard, which outdoes even itself in spring when the tree-lined avenue is overcome with luscious green leaves and the awakened scents of spring.

Departing from Amarante Champs-Elysées, the iconic stretch of road is reachable in just three minutes via Rue Galilée - where upon arrival, you will be struck by the handsome Haussmannian rows, housing anything and everything from luxury boutiques to world-famous eateries.

However, beauty abounds in all directions - spearheaded to the left by the magnificent Arc de Triomphe. While to the right, a stroll along the perfectly straight line of the city’s Axe Historique will eventually bring you to landmarks like The Luxor Obelisk and Musée du Louvre. But not before you’ve encountered the verdant, open space of Jardin des Tuileries - which leads us onto the second of our outside spots to visit this spring!

Jardin des Tuileries

The Tuileries Garden is Paris’ oldest and largest public jardin, famous for its splendid French-style landscapes and unrivalled views of the city’s axial alignment of Avenue des Champs-Elysées, Musée du Louvre and Arc de Triomphe.

But once upon a time (1564 to be exact), you may have been mistaken for thinking you were in Italy, given the garden’s inception by ardent Italophile, Queen Catherine de' Medici. Order would be restored during the reign of Louis XIV however, when the green-fingered gardener behind Versailles (André Le Nôtre) was entrusted to carry out a French facelift of the park.

The result was the luscious, flower-filled space which remains today - sporting the symmetrical network of winding gravel paths, manicured rows of trees and copious fountains, quintessential of a jardin à la française!

It goes without saying that there’s no better place to enjoy a picnic, or to simply admire the landscapes which inspired many an Impressionist canvas. But should you wish to stretch your legs (and your mind) why not pay a visit to Musée de l’Orangerie in the west corner of the gardens? Where you’ll find the world’s biggest collection of Monet’s beloved Water Lilies!

Parc Monceau

In a nutshell, Parc Monceau is what remains of the Duke of Orléans’ quixotic dream; where camels once roamed among miniature Egyptian pyramids, faux-Italian vineyards, Dutch windmills and Roman colonnades - some of which remain intact today!

Getting there is far from quixotic however, taking just fifteen minutes from Amarante Champs-Elysées via a leisurely stroll along famous 8th arrondissement streets like Rue Balzac, Boulevard Haussmann and Rue Rembrandt, before arriving you at the great wrought-iron, gold-embellished gates of the garden.

Once inside Parc Monceau, beauty beckons in the form of old, towering trees and psychedelic rows of foreign flower - another of the Duke’s flamboyant fancies! Although these can be deemed conventional compared to the 240 year-old Egyptian pyramid which lives over in the south-east corner of the garden.

However, as Paris endured its various revolutions and makeovers, so did the park; and the pyramid and water lily ponds (which are also rather nice) are all that remains of Orléans’ fantasy. But that’s not to say said makeovers haven’t been kind to the park! More recent additions include a Corinthian colonnade, a replica of Venice’s Rialto Bridge, a Renaissance arch from the former City Hall and a playground for kids (and big kids) to run wild in.