The Jardin des Plantes is Paris’s main botanical garden, a 23.5-hectare complex on the Left Bank that houses the National Museum of Natural History alongside formal gardens, greenhouses, a small zoo (the Menagerie), and the Great Gallery of Evolution. It has operated as a public garden and research institution since the 17th century.
Entry to the gardens themselves is free, while the greenhouses, zoo, and museum galleries each charge separate admission in the roughly €7-16 range. The tropical and desert greenhouses and the skeleton-filled Gallery of Paleontology are popular add-ons for visitors with extra time.
The garden’s hours shift seasonally, opening earlier and closing later in summer than in winter, so it is worth checking the current schedule before visiting. A basic stroll through the grounds takes about an hour, while adding the zoo or a museum gallery can extend a visit to half a day.
