6 Best Sights in Eastern Paris, Paris

Like the Bois de Boulogne to the west, this much-loved retreat on the city's eastern border was landscaped by Napoléon III. Its roots, however, reach back to the 13th century, when Philippe Auguste created a hunting preserve in the shadow of the royal Château de Vincennes, which once ranked as the largest château in Europe. In 1731 Louis XV created a public park here, and the bois (or woods) now features a Japanese garden, La Grande Pagode (a Buddhist temple containing the largest golden statue of the Buddha in Europe), and the exquisite Parc Floral, with acres of flower gardens, a huge kids' park, and summertime jazz and classical concerts. Horse races at the restored Vincennes Hippodrome de Paris are an event for the whole family, but perhaps not the Espace Naturiste, Paris's first area for nudists, opened in 2017. Rowboats are for rent at a pair of lakes: Lac Daumesnil, which has two islands, and Lac des Minimes, which has three. For the kids, there are pony rides, a miniature train, and numerous play areas. Here, too, you'll find the stunning Palais de la Porte Dorée, home to an immigration museum and tropical aquarium. Through late summer, the Parc Floral hosts two beloved music festivals, the Paris Jazz Festival and the Festival Classique au Vert. Grab a picnic and a blanket and enjoy classical music or jazz in the amphitheater or on the lawn in Paris's prettiest park.

Once a train line from the Paris suburbs to Bastille, this redbrick viaduct (often referred to as Le Viaduc des Arts) is now one of the park highlights of the unpretentious 12e arrondissement. The rails have been transformed into a 4½-km (3-mile) walkway lined with trees, bamboo, and flower gardens, offering a bird's-eye view of the stately Haussmannian buildings along Avenue Daumesnil. Below, the voûtes (arcades) have been transformed by the city into artisan boutiques, many focused on decor and design. There are also temporary galleries showcasing art and photography. The Promenade, which gained fame as a setting in the 2004 film Before Sunset, was the inspiration for New York's High Line. It ends at the Bastille. From there, you can continue your walk to the Bois de Vincennes. If you're hungry, grab a bite at L'Arrosoir, a cozy café under the viaduct ( 75 av. Daumesnil).

A lake, a butterfly garden, a bonsai pavillion, and seasonal displays of blooms make the Bois de Vincennes's 70-acre floral park a lovely place to spend a warm afternoon. Kids will also enjoy the extensive playgrounds and the marionette (guignol) theater. A café and a sit-down tea salon make dining easy, but picnicking under the trees is highly recommended, especially when the park hosts jazz and classical concerts (most weekends from June through September). In winter months, some attractions may be closed.

Lofty Parc de Belleville is Paris’s highest-altitude park and one of its prettiest. Traversed by shaded, winding lanes interspersed with woods, gardens, and sloping, grassy fields, it’s a lovely spot to have a picnic while taking in spectacular panoramic views of Paris. The park is also home to one of the city’s last cultivated vineyards, with vines of Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier that produce a slightly sparkling wine called Piquette. You are welcome to join in the grape harvest during the last week of September.

This former abattoir (slaughterhouse) is now an ultramodern, 130-acre park with lawns and play areas, an excellent science museum, a music complex, and a cinema: all in all, it's the perfect place to entertain kids. You could easily spend a whole day here. The park itself was designed in the 1980s by postmodern architecture star Bernard Tschumi, who melded industrial elements, children's games (don't miss the dragon slide), ample green spaces, and funky sculptures along the canal into one vast yet unified playground. Loved by picnickers, the lawns also attract rehearsing samba bands and pickup soccer players. In summer there are outdoor festivals and a free open-air cinema, where people gather at dusk to watch movies on a huge inflatable screen.

In cold weather you can visit an authentic submarine and the Espace Chapiteaux (a circus tent featuring contemporary acrobatic theater performances) before hitting the museums. The hands-on one at the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie is a favorite stop for families and a must for science fans; its 3D Omnimax cinema (La Géode) is housed in a giant mirrored ball. Arts-oriented visitors of all ages will marvel at the excellent, instrument-filled Musée de la Musique. The park has even more in store for music lovers in the form of the Philharmonie de Paris, a striking 2,400-seat concert hall designed by Jean Nouvel. All that's left of the slaughterhouse that once stood here is La Grande Halle, a magnificent iron-and-glass building currently used for exhibitions, performances, and trade shows.

If you're tired of perfectly manicured Parisian parks with lawns that are off-limits to your weary feet, this lovely 61-acre hilltop expanse is for you. Built in 1863 on abandoned gypsum quarries and a former gallows, it was northern Paris's first park, part of Napoléon III's planned greening of the city (the emperor had spent years in exile in London, where he fell in love with the public parks). Today this park in the untouristy 19e arrondissement has grassy fields, shady walkways, waterfalls, and a picturesque lake dotted with swans. Rising from the lake is a rocky cliff you can climb to find a mini Greek-style temple and a commanding view of Sacré-Coeur Basilica. A favorite of families, the park also has pony rides and an open-air puppet theater—Guignol de Paris (€7; shows at 3:15 pm and 4:30 pm Wednesday and Saturday, and at 11:15 am and 4:30 pm on Sunday, year-round)—not far from the entrance at the Buttes-Chaumont métro stop. When you've worked up an appetite, grab a snack at the Rosa Bonheur café ( www.rosabonheur.fr), or reserve a table for weekend lunch at Le Pavillon du Lac restaurant.