Parc des Buttes Chaumont

Montmartre & Northern Paris


Buttes Chaumont is one of the city’s largest green spaces, with landscaped slopes hiding grottoes, waterfalls, a lake and even an island topped with a temple to Sibylle. Once a gypsum quarry and rubbish dump, it was given its present form by Baron Haussmann in time for the opening of the 1867 Exposition Universelle. The tracks of the abandoned 19th-century Petite Ceinture railway line, which once circled Paris, run through the park.

It’s a favourite with Parisians, who come here to practise tai chi, take the kids to a puppet show, grab a sundowner and pizza at trendy Le Pavillon Puebla or simply to relax with a bottle of wine and a sundown picnic.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Montmartre & Northern Paris attractions

1. Ben art work

0.53 MILES

In 1993 iconic Niçois artist Ben set to work on one wall of a red-brick building overlooking rue de Belleville. Look up to spot two men appearing to be…

2. Rue Dénoyez

0.66 MILES

One block east of bd de Belleville, narrow rue Dénoyez was known for years as Paris' most dazzling street-art street, with everything from litter bins and…

3. Parc de Belleville

0.66 MILES

Atop a hill 128m above sea level, this lovely park unfolds over 4.5 hectares of urban greenery, with fountains, trimmed hedgerows, a gargantuan slide, a…

4. Musée de la Musique

0.73 MILES

Inside the Cité de la Musique building within the Cité de la Musique – Philharmonie de Paris complex that also includes the Philharmonie de Paris, this…

5. Le 104

0.88 MILES

A funeral parlour turned city-funded alternative art space, Le 104 is a hive of activity. It essentially supports and encourages young artists, and a…

6. Philharmonie de Paris

0.88 MILES

Silver birds flutter across the dazzling metal façade of Paris' futuristic Philharmonic, a striking piece of contemporary architecture within the Cité de…

7. Musée Édith Piaf

1 MILES

This private museum in Ménilmontant, some 1.5km from the birthplace of the iconic singer Édith Piaf and closer to her final resting place in Père Lachaise…

8. Parc de la Villette

1.01 MILES

Spanning 55 hectares, this vast city park is a cultural centre, kids playground and landscaped urban space at the intersection of two canals, the Ourcq…