The Jardin du Luxembourg, run by the French Senate, is open every day and free; its hours change on the 1st and 16th of each month to follow the sun, from 8:15 am – 4:30 pm in December to 7:30 am – 9:30 pm in late June. We took the full official calendar and calculated, for each fortnight, the gap between the closing of the gates and sunset: useful for knowing how long you can enjoy the light.
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Jardin du Luxembourg: key facts
- Hours: every day, opening between 7:30 am and 8:15 am, closing between 4:30 pm (December) and 9:30 pm (late June), depending on the fortnight — checked on 23 October 2026 on jardin.senat.fr
- Price: free entry through the ten gates; some activities are paid (toy sailboats, carousel, pony rides, puppet theater, tennis) — checked on 23 October 2026 on jardin.senat.fr
- Booking: none to stroll; guided tours and horticulture classes according to the Senate’s program.
- Prohibited: walking on the lawns, picking plants, bikes and scooters, dogs outside the southeast zone (on a leash) — checked on 23 October 2026 on jardin.senat.fr
Month-by-month opening hours (official calendar)
| Period | Opening | Closing | Sunset (first day) | Closing – sunset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 15 January | 8:15 am | 4:45 pm | 5:04 pm | −19 min |
| 16 to 31 January | 8:15 am | 5 pm | 5:22 pm | −22 min |
| 1 to 15 February | 8 am | 5:30 pm | 5:47 pm | −17 min |
| 16 to end of February | 7:45 am | 5:45 pm | 6:12 pm | −27 min |
| 1 to 15 March | 7:30 am | 6:15 pm | 6:33 pm | −18 min |
| 16 March to the last Saturday of March | 7:30 am | 6:30 pm | 6:56 pm | −26 min |
| Last Sunday to 31 March | 7:30 am | 7:30 pm | 8:16 pm | −46 min |
| 1 to 15 April | 7:30 am | 8 pm | 8:21 pm | −21 min |
| 16 to 30 April | 7:30 am | 8:15 pm | 8:43 pm | −28 min |
| 1 to 15 May | 7:30 am | 8:45 pm | 9:05 pm | −20 min |
| 16 to 31 May | 7:30 am | 9 pm | 9:26 pm | −26 min |
| 1 to 15 June | 7:30 am | 9:15 pm | 9:45 pm | −30 min |
| 16 to 30 June | 7:30 am | 9:30 pm | 9:56 pm | −26 min |
| 1 to 15 July | 7:30 am | 9:15 pm | 9:57 pm | −42 min |
| 16 to 31 July | 7:30 am | 9 pm | 9:48 pm | −48 min |
| 1 to 15 August | 7:30 am | 8:45 pm | 9:29 pm | −44 min |
| 16 to 31 August | 7:30 am | 8:15 pm | 9:04 pm | −49 min |
| 1 to 15 September | 7:30 am | 7:45 pm | 8:33 pm | −48 min |
| 16 to 30 September | 7:30 am | 7:15 pm | 8:02 pm | −47 min |
| 1 to 15 October | 7:45 am | 6:45 pm | 7:30 pm | −45 min |
| 16 October to the last Saturday of October | 8 am | 6:15 pm | 6:59 pm | −44 min |
| Last Sunday to 31 October | 8 am | 5:15 pm | 5:32 pm | −17 min |
| 1 to 15 November | 8 am | 5 pm | 5:30 pm | −30 min |
| 16 to 30 November | 8 am | 4:45 pm | 5:09 pm | −24 min |
| 1 to 15 December | 8:15 am | 4:30 pm | 4:56 pm | −26 min |
| 16 to 31 December | 8:15 am | 4:30 pm | 4:54 pm | −24 min |
How to read it: the Senate writes that the garden adapts its hours « to sunrise and sunset ». Our calculation shows that the gates always close before sunset: 17 to 30 minutes before in winter and spring, but 42 to 49 minutes before from July to mid-October. Watching the sun set over the palace is therefore not possible from inside the garden; in summer, plan to leave well before the light fades.
What to see in the Jardin du Luxembourg
According to the Senate, the garden covers 25.72 hectares (63.6 acres), of which 21.75 (53.7 acres) are open to the public, blends a French formal garden with an English landscape garden, and has 102 statues, including the series of queens of France and illustrious women. It welcomed 6.2 million visitors in 2022, a record in its history.
- The Médicis Fountain: built around 1630 for Marie de Médicis, moved about thirty meters (about 100 ft) in 1862 when rue Médicis was cut through, restored in 2020–2021 — official page.
- The Grand Basin and the Luxembourg Palace: the palace houses the Senate; it can be visited separately, under the Senate’s conditions.
- The 4,517 « Sénat » and « Luxembourg » chairs: free since 1974, and movable at will.
- The Musée du Luxembourg: paid temporary exhibitions (« Andy Warhol : la ligne et l’image », i.e. « Andy Warhol: Line and Image », from 16 September 2026 to 10 January 2027).
- The railings: free photography exhibitions (« Terrains hostiles » until 17 January 2027).
- The bandstand, the beekeeping school, the Orangerie and the remarkable trees, presented on the garden’s website.
With children: free and paid activities
| Free | Paid |
|---|---|
| Basketball courts, chess, sandpits, pétanque and skittles, table tennis | Playground, swings, toy sailboats on the basin, carousel, pony rides |
| Concerts at the bandstand, themed trails, guided tours | Puppet theater, tennis, drop-in nursery, sports kiosk |
A curiosity: longue paume, one of the oldest sports played in France, has been played here since 1853; the Société parisienne de longue paume holds sessions there on Sundays at 10:30 am.
Best time to visit the Jardin du Luxembourg
May and June combine the longest openings (until 9:30 pm) and 20 to 23 °C (68 to 74 °F) in the afternoon at Paris-Montsouris. In October, the autumn colors arrive while closing time moves back toward 6 pm. In the morning, from opening time, the garden is calm; on sunny weekend afternoons, the chairs around the Grand Basin are in high demand.
| Month | Max °C (°F) | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|
| January | 7.6 (46) | 9.9 |
| February | 8.8 (48) | 9.1 |
| March | 12.8 (55) | 9.5 |
| April | 16.6 (62) | 8.6 |
| May | 20.2 (68) | 9.2 |
| June | 23.4 (74) | 8.3 |
| July | 25.7 (78) | 7.4 |
| August | 25.6 (78) | 8.1 |
| September | 21.5 (71) | 7.5 |
| October | 16.5 (62) | 9.5 |
| November | 11.1 (52) | 10.4 |
| December | 8.0 (46) | 11.4 |
Getting there and common mistakes
Ten gates: Assas, Croquet, Férou, Fleurus, Gay-Lussac, Médicis, Observatoire, Odéon, Royer-Collard and Vavin. Metro Odéon (lines 4 and 10), Mabillon (10), Saint-Germain-des-Prés (4); RER B Luxembourg-Sénat; buses 21, 27, 38, 58, 82, 83, 84, 85, 89 — checked on 23 October 2026 on jardin.senat.fr. Free public toilets in chalets.
- Settling on the lawn: prohibited on most lawns (signs on site).
- Bringing your dog outside the southeast zone: prohibited.
- Riding through on a bike or scooter: prohibited; parking areas nearby.
- Relying on last season’s hours: they change every 15 days.
- Holding a professional photo shoot without permission: prohibited.
What to see nearby
The Panthéon is near the Médicis gate; see also Notre-Dame de Paris. Also see the Sainte-Chapelle and the Musée d’Orsay.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Jardin du Luxembourg free?
Yes, entry is free. Only some activities are paid: toy sailboats, carousel, pony rides, puppet theater, playground, tennis.
What are the Jardin du Luxembourg opening hours?
They change on the 1st and 16th of each month: opening between 7:30 am and 8:15 am, closing from 4:30 pm in December to 9:30 pm from 16 to 30 June, according to the calendar published by the Senate.
What time does the Jardin du Luxembourg close this month?
See our table: for example 6:15 pm from 16 October to the last Saturday of October, then 5:15 pm after the clocks go back, and 5 pm from 1 to 15 November.
Are dogs allowed in the Jardin du Luxembourg?
Only on a leash, in a zone between the Gay-Lussac and Observatoire gates, away from lawns and flower beds. Elsewhere they are prohibited, except assistance dogs.
How do you get to the Jardin du Luxembourg?
RER B Luxembourg-Sénat, metro Odéon (4 and 10) or Mabillon (10), or buses 21, 27, 38, 58, 82, 83, 84, 85, 89.
Our sources
- French Senate – Jardin du Luxembourg (jardin.senat.fr): practical information, opening hours, the garden in figures, family page, Médicis Fountain, consulted on 23 October 2026
- Météo-France: 1991–2020 normals, Paris-Montsouris station, taken from our Paris page
- Astronomical calculations: NOAA solar algorithm, IANA Europe/Paris time zone, applied by Destination de Voyage to the approximate coordinates of the Jardin du Luxembourg (first day of each hours period, year 2027)
- Our methodology
Updated November 2026.
