# Tuileries Garden, Paris > The Tuileries Garden is the great park at the very heart of Paris, 25.5 hectares between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde. Queen Catherine de' Medici founded it in 1564, and in the 17th century André Le Nôtre, later creator of the gardens of Versailles, turned it into a model French formal garden. In 1667 it became the first royal garden opened to the public. Expect straight avenues, round and octagonal ponds with green chairs, hundreds of statues and the Orangerie with Monet's Water Lilies. Entry is free. Web page: https://yesgo.io/france/paris/tuileries-garden - City: [Paris](https://yesgo.io/france/paris), France - YesGo score: 51/100 (Yes, go) - Time on site: 1 h - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free - Hours: Morning to evening, longer in summer - Area: 25.5 hectares - Musée de l'Orangerie: Ticketed - Duration: ≈ 1-hour stroll - Location: 1st arrondissement, metro Tuileries or Concorde - Coordinates: 48.86389, 2.32611 - Facts checked: 12.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1564** — founded by Catherine de' Medici (source: English Wikipedia) - **1667** — opened to the public (source: English Wikipedia) - **25.5 ha** — area of the garden (source: English Wikipedia) - **1783** — a hydrogen balloon took off here (source: English Wikipedia) ## About the Tuileries Garden The Tuileries Garden is a **25.5-hectare** park in the 1st arrondissement, stretching from the [Louvre](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/louvre) to the [Place de la Concorde](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/place-de-la-concorde). Queen **Catherine de' Medici** founded it in **1564** as the garden of her new Tuileries Palace. The name comes from the tile works, the tuileries, that once stood here. A Florentine gardener laid it out in the Italian style. In 1664–1672 **André Le Nôtre**, who would go on to create the gardens of Versailles, redesigned it entirely. He laid out the wide central avenue, the terraces and ponds, and planned a vista that would continue as the Champs-Élysées. In **1667**, at the request of the writer Charles Perrault, author of Sleeping Beauty, the Tuileries opened to the townspeople, the first royal garden open to the public. ## What to see in the garden - **The Grande Allée** — the main axis from the Louvre to Concorde. - **The Grand Bassin Rond** — a fountain ringed by green chairs. - **The Octagonal Basin** — 60 metres across. - **Statues by Maillol and Rodin** — among the lawns and groves. - **The Musée de l'Orangerie** — Claude Monet's Water Lilies. - **The Arc du Carrousel** — a pink triumphal arch by the Louvre. ## Avenues, terraces and ponds Le Nôtre designed the garden to be admired from above, from the palace and terraces. The **Grande Allée** runs from the Louvre, flanked by smooth lawns, beds edged with low box hedges and groves of chestnuts and limes. Since 2021 elms have been replanted along the avenue to restore its historic look. Near the Louvre lies the **Grand Bassin Rond**, and by the Place de la Concorde the **Octagonal Basin**, 60 metres across and framed by horseshoe ramps. The Terrasse du Bord-de-l'Eau runs along the Seine and the Terrasse des Feuillants along Rue de Rivoli to the north, both with views over the garden, the river and the Eiffel Tower. > **The green chairs** The famous green metal chairs stand around the ponds: move them, turn them to the sun and sit as long as you like, all free. On a warm day the chairs by the round pond are taken by lunchtime. In summer a funfair with a Ferris wheel and rides sets up in the garden, and the cafés under the trees serve coffee. ## An open-air sculpture museum The Tuileries are a true open-air sculpture museum. Back in the 18th century Coysevox's equestrian groups Fame and Mercury were placed at the western entrance; those there now are copies, with the originals in the Louvre. Marble statues by Coustou and other royal-era sculptors stand throughout the garden. In 1964–1965 the culture minister André Malraux placed bronze figures by **Aristide Maillol** in the Carrousel garden and on the lawns. In 1998 works by Rodin, Henry Moore and Jean Dubuffet arrived, followed by contemporary artists such as Louise Bourgeois and Roy Lichtenstein. Spotting new sculptures makes any walk here more fun. ## The Orangerie, the Jeu de Paume and the Arc du Carrousel Two museums stand on the garden's western terraces. The **Orangerie**, once a winter greenhouse for orange trees, has shown Claude Monet's eight huge **Water Lilies** panels in two oval rooms since 1927. The **Jeu de Paume**, built as a real-tennis court, hosts photography and contemporary art exhibitions. At the eastern edge, before the Louvre, stands the pink **Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel**, built under Napoleon on the model of Roman arches. The Tuileries Palace itself once stood behind it; it was cleared in 1883, joining the garden to the square before the Louvre. From here the whole great axis of Paris opens up: Arc du Carrousel, Concorde obelisk, Arc de Triomphe. ## Stories from the past On **1 December 1783** the first free flight of a manned hydrogen balloon took off from the Tuileries: the physicist Jacques Charles and Nicolas Robert rose into the sky before a huge crowd and landed safely about 50 kilometres from Paris. The garden has always been a place of celebration, with concerts, fireworks and banquets, and in the 19th century puppet theatres, donkey rides and little boats on the ponds. In 2024 the **Olympic cauldron**, shaped as a hot-air balloon in tribute to the first aeronauts, floated above the Grand Bassin Rond, rising into the sky each evening. ## How to get there 1. Metro line 1 to **Tuileries**, exiting on Rue de Rivoli by the garden. 2. Metro lines 1, 8 and 12 to **Concorde**, for the western entrance. 3. From the Louvre pyramid, through the Arc du Carrousel, a 5-minute walk. 4. From the Musée d'Orsay, across the Léopold-Sédar-Senghor footbridge. ## Tips for your visit The garden is a natural part of a longer walk: Louvre, Tuileries, Place de la Concorde, [Champs-Élysées](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/champs-elysees). You can cross it end to end in 20 minutes, but allow an hour to sit by a pond and look at the statues. If you plan to visit the Orangerie, buy tickets ahead on the official website: the Water Lilies rooms are small and queues are long in season. The footbridge over the Seine takes you straight to the [Musée d'Orsay](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/musee-dorsay). Entry is free, with paid toilets, cafés and kiosks inside. The best light for photos is in the morning from the Louvre end and at sunset from the terrace by Concorde. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Walk the Grande Allée - [ ] Sit in the green chairs - [ ] Find Maillol's bronzes - [ ] Book the Orangerie - [ ] Climb the terrace by Concorde ## Places in Paris: compare and choose Places in Paris rated by YesGo. - [Luxembourg Gardens](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/jardin-du-luxembourg) — YesGo score 52/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Free - [Tuileries Garden](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/tuileries-garden) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Free - [Palace of Versailles](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/versailles) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 6 h · Timed ticket, online - [Champ de Mars](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/champ-de-mars) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [Parc Monceau](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/parc-monceau) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 50 min · Free - [Musée Rodin](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/musee-rodin) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 45 min · Museum and garden ticket, free under 18 - [Parc de la Villette](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/parc-de-la-villette) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Park free, museums ticketed ## Don't mix it up The Tuileries Garden survives, but the Tuileries Palace it was made for does not: its site is now the open space between the garden and the Louvre. ## Tips - Free entry. - Chairs are free. - Book the Orangerie. - Sunset from the terrace. ## Questions ### How much does it cost to enter the Tuileries Garden? Entry is free. ### How long should I spend in the garden? About an hour at a gentle pace. ### Where can I see Monet's Water Lilies? In the Musée de l'Orangerie on the garden's western terrace. ### How are the Tuileries and the Louvre connected? The garden begins right at the Louvre and runs to the Place de la Concorde. ### How do I get to the Tuileries Garden? By metro to Tuileries or Concorde station. ## How we checked Facts from English Wikipedia. Exact garden opening hours and Orangerie prices weren't confirmed — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Tuileries Garden - Louvre official website, louvre.fr (Tuileries Garden) --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.