Jardin Naturel

Directly adjoining the Père-Lachaise, the Jardin Naturel shares the cemetery’s tranquil ambience, with none of the morbidity. It’s sizeable for a Parisian neighbourhood park, and its marriage of playground and concealed location ensures that your company will consist mostly of local families and the occasional dog-walker. It also boasts an especially rich biodiversity for the city, with a focus on the wild flora of Île-de-France; but even if you can’t tell your apiaceae from your apocynaceae, the peaceful, secluded setting is enough reason to come and plonk yourself on a bench for an hour or three.

Just across the Rue Lesseps is the park’s extension, the Jardin Lesseps, named for the megalomaniacal developer of the Suez Canal. Its main draw is a ping pong table, which kids tend to monopolise after school hours.