Behind the French Senate building you'll find the gorgeous Luxembourg Gardens, a huge public park full of delightful places to walk and sit. If you wander around you'll encounter all sorts of treasures, including dozens of statues and the famous Medici Fountain.

On warm days the park fills up with Parisians who sit in circles in the grass around the elaborate picnics that only Parisians know how to pull off — a fine selection of wines served in crystal glassware, complicated food pulled from ratten picnic baskets that look straight out of a movie, and everyone dressed as if they've just been to the opera.

Getting there

A number of stations are nearby, but the Gare du Luxembourg RER station is easy to remember.