Jardin des Plantes

Rouen's Jardin des Plantes is a large botanical garden and public park on the left bank of the Seine, a green space of around ten hectares that combines a plant collection with long shaded walks. It traces its origins to the end of the seventeenth century, when a garden was created for the study of medicinal plants, and it grew over time into the city's main botanical collection. It was acquired by the city in the early nineteenth century and opened to the public in 1840, and it has been a place for Rouennais to stroll and relax ever since. Entry is free, and the garden is open every day.

The garden's plan mixes formal and informal areas. Broad lawns and avenues of mature trees give it a spacious, calm character, while themed sections show off different plant groups. The rose garden is one of the highlights in early summer, when hundreds of roses bloom in a range of colours and scents. There are also collections of irises, which flower in late spring, rock plants, which grow in a specially built rockery, and a collection of medicinal plants that recalls the garden's origins in the study of botany and medicine. Greenhouses shelter tropical and subtropical species, and an orchard and shaded paths offer variety in other seasons. Labels identify many of the plants, which makes the garden useful for those who want to learn.

The Jardin des Plantes complements the city's historic monuments. Rouen is known as the city of a hundred spires, with its Gothic cathedral, immortalised by Claude Monet in a series of paintings, and the church of Saint-Ouen, as well as the Gros-Horloge, the Place du Vieux-Marché, where Joan of Arc was burned in 1431, and the Palais de Justice. The museums are among the best in Normandy, including the Musée des Beaux-Arts, the Musée de la Céramique, the Musée de la Mode et du Textile and the Musée Maritime, Fluvial et Portuaire. After a day among stone and stained glass, the garden offers a quiet change of pace.

The garden is especially pleasant in spring, when the bulbs and early flowers appear, and in early summer for the roses, though shaded benches and the cool paths make it attractive on hot days too. It is a good place for a picnic or a quiet read, and families come for the open space and the play areas. Photographers will find plenty of subjects, from flower beds to the play of light through old trees.

Getting to the garden from the centre involves a short tram or bus ride across the Seine, and the neighbourhood on the left bank has a more local feel than the tourist centre. The garden suits plant lovers, families and anyone who wants a restful break from sightseeing. Allow an hour or two, and check the opening times of the greenhouses, which may differ from those of the garden itself.