Enchanting gardens in Paris at the Parc André-Citroën

As the Hotel Eden is a ‘garden of a thousand shapes, an urban Eden’, we feel a strong connection with the many fine gardens in Paris. One of the most fascinating green spaces is the Parc André-Citroën. Either on foot or via the Metro you can be there within 30 minutes, as our hotel and this lovely garden are both located in the 15th arrondissement. Here you will find a wealth of interest and beauty for the whole family.

An exciting modern park opening on to the Seine

In 1915 the French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën built a car manufacturing plant on the Left Bank of the Seine. This closed in the 1970s but the space it occupied was turned into the largest park to be created in Paris in over a century. Opened in 1992 and covering 14 hectares, the Parc André-Citroën was designed to be a postmodern version of a formal French garden, and is the only Paris park opening directly onto the river.

There is a large central lawn, a paved area where dancing waters flow from a series of modernistic fountains, a large reflecting pool with a suspended walkway, a play area for children and two impressive greenhouse pavilions containing exotic and Mediterranean plants. Various themed gardens enchant the senses and cater for various moods. Amongst these are a White Garden, devoted to fun and relaxation. A Black Garden, with its dark foliage, is a place of peace and reflection. The Changing Garden alters with the seasons and the Garden Of Movement is a wilder place where untamed nature reigns supreme.

Should you wish to enjoy a spectacular view of the city from a height of 150 metres, then a ride in a moored helium balloon rising from the park awaits your pleasure. This huge attraction can carry 30 adults or 60 children and will show you Paris as you’ve never seen it before.

Don’t miss these two essential Summer Exhibitions in Paris

A short distance from the Hotel Eden can be found the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre, one of the finest in Europe. We can highly recommend a pair of exhibitions mounted there this summer. Videogame Story, until September 7th, relates the history of this hugely popular pastime and presents hundreds of games from the last 40 years for you to try. Then, at the other end of the evolutionary scale, From The Age Of Dinosaurs To The Ice Age, which runs until August 31st, presents amazingly realistic animatronic models of prehistoric animals in lovingly recreated environments, plus interactive displays and a brilliant B.B.C. made film.

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• Parc André Citroën : 2 rue Cauchy, Paris 15ème
  Metro : Javel André Citroën, line 10 – Balard, line 8
  Tram T3 Pont du Garigliano

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Pictures copyright holder : Tourist office Paris - Photographer David Lefranc

The Hotel Eden Paris, a Hotel with garden, close to the Porte de Versailles