DK Travel : Paris : Outdoor

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Agam Fountain

Jewish architect Yaacov Agam designed this fountain of water and lights.
Base of the Eiffel Tower

Everybody wants to race to the top, but don’t neglect the view from the ground. Looking directly up at the magnificent structure makes one appreciate the feat of engineering all the more (see Eiffel Tower).
Boating

Boating lakes in the Bois de Boulogne and Bois de Vincennes allow you to flex your rowing muscles.
Bois de Boulogne

At the weekends, Parisians head for this vast park on the western edge of the city, with a boating lake and paths for cycling, jogging and strolling. There are three formal gardens, lakes and waterfalls, and even two horse-racing tracks. A good spot for a break from the city bustle (see Bois de Vincennes).
Bois de Boulogne

Come here at the weekend if you want to join the locals in the “great escape”, and you’ll have 865 ha (2,135 acres) from which to choose your path. The Bagatelle Gardens are a fine place for a walk in spring and summer, when a stunning array of roses and other flowers are in bloom.
Bois de Vincennes

Another great escape from the city, this park is to the east of Paris what the Bois de Boulogne is to the west. A former royal hunting ground, it was landscaped in the 1860s. Now it features ornamental lakes and waterfalls, a zoo, a funfair and horse-racing tracks.
Boulevard St-Germain

There’s no better way to enjoy the Latin Quarter than to do as the Parisians do – stroll the Boulevard St-Germain, preferably late on a Sunday morning. After your walk, honour the birthplace of café society with a coffee at either Les Deux Magots or Café de Flore, two of the city’s most famous literary and intellectual haunts (see St-Germain, Latin and Luxembourg Quarters).
Châtelet Fountain

The two sphinxes of this 1808 fountain commemorate Napoleon’s victory in Egypt.
Conciergerie

This huge and imposing building, which served as a notorious prison during the Revolution, commands the western end of the Ile de la Cité. Within its walls are some of the few remaining medieval features on the island, including the torture chamber, clock and twin towers which rise above the quai de l’Horloge.
Cycling

Head for the Bois de Boulogne and Bois de Vincennes to escape the Paris traffic, or join a guided tour.