Jardin Public

The Jardin Public is the largest and oldest park in the centre of Bordeaux, a green space of about eleven hectares beside the Cours de Verdun, a short walk from the Place Gambetta. It was laid out in the middle of the eighteenth century, in 1746, on the initiative of the intendant Tourny, who also commissioned many of the city's grand squares and avenues, as a French formal garden, and it was opened to the public as a promenade for the city's citizens. In the nineteenth century, it was remodelled in the English landscape style, with winding paths, a lake, lawns and groves of specimen trees, and it is now classified as a Jardin Remarquable de France.

The park is organised around a large pond, with an island and swans, and the old trees, some more than a century and a half old, make a shaded canopy over the paths. Among the trees are several rare species from around the world, as the park includes an arboretum, and a botanical garden laid out in the nineteenth century with labelled collections of plants. The setting, with the lawns, the water and the old trees, creates a calm atmosphere in the middle of the city, and it is a favourite place for locals to walk, read and relax.

Several buildings add to the interest. The Muséum de Bordeaux, the natural history museum, has its home in a building at the edge of the garden and shows collections of animals, minerals and ethnographic objects. A historic carousel and playgrounds attract families with children, and the Guignol Guérin puppet theatre, founded in 1853, is said to be the oldest in France, giving traditional performances that delight children and adults. The Orangerie, a historic building in the park, now houses a bar and restaurant with a terrace overlooking the garden.

The park opens early in the morning and closes in the evening, at times that change with the season, and entry is free, though the museum and the puppet theatre charge for admission. Allow an hour for a stroll, or longer with children. The shade makes it a pleasant refuge in summer, and in spring and autumn the colours of the trees are at their best.

The Jardin Public suits families, plant lovers and anyone who wants a break from sightseeing. It is a short distance from the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux, the Cours de l'Intendance and the Cathédrale Saint-André, and the tram makes it easy to reach.