Bois de Boulogne, Paris: How to Visit and What to Do Nearby

Bois de Boulogne is an 845-hectare park on the western edge of Paris between the 16th arrondissement and the suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt. The former royal hunting ground was redesigned in the 1850s under Napoleon III by the engineer Adolphe Alphand, who modeled its lakes, waterfalls, and winding paths after London's Hyde Park. The park contains two horse-racing tracks—Longchamp and Auteuil—the Fondation Louis Vuitton museum by Frank Gehry, and the Jardin d'Acclimatation amusement park. The Bagatelle rose garden on the park's northwestern side holds over 10,000 bushes and peaks in June. is just one of many options in Paris. Major attractions worth considering include 59 Rivoli, Grand Mosque of Paris (Grande Mosquée de Paris), and Saint-Sulpice Church (Église Saint-Sulpice).