Private Paris: 7 Secret Gardens in the City of Love

On any fashionable street in Paris you can catch a glimpse of greenery through iron filigree gates. Here’s a closer look at some of our favorite private garden courtyards and apartment terraces hidden behind Beaux Arts facades:

7th Arrondissement Courtyard

Above: Tucked behind a building on the Rue de Verneuil in the 7th arrondissement is a private courtyard garden with a small shade tree and potted topiaries. Photograph courtesy of A+B Kasha.

Eiffel Tower Views

For more of this garden, see Secret Paris: A Tiny Roof Garden with an Eiffel Tower View.

2 Blocks from the Seine

Above: Available to rent, a two-bedroom Left Bank apartment two blocks from the Seine overlooks a private courtyard garden. Photograph courtesy of A+B Kasha.

St. Germain des Pres

Above: Discovered behind a 19th century building in St. Germain des Pres, a small freestanding house has a courtyard garden and entryway flanked by twin boxwood balls. Photograph via A+B Kasha.

Atelier & Garden

Above: Ceramist Cécile Deladier mounts zinc windows boxes and mirrors on the facade of her house. For more of her garden, see In the Garden and Atelier with Cécile Deladier in Paris.

6th Arrondissement Courtyard

Above: On the top two floors of a 19th century building in the 6th arrondissement, two bedrooms on the lower level share a secret courtyard garden of potted topiaries and palms. Photograph via A+B Kasha.

Latin Quarter Courtyard

Above: Available for rent, a studio apartment in the Latin Quarter is in a stone building behind a wooden door that opens into a courtyard garden. For more information, see VRBO.

Planning a trip to France? Stop in at some of our favorite spots:

• Shopper’s Diary: Bleuet Coquelicot in Paris
• Garden Visit: The Tuileries at Sunset