Partez à la découverte du Jardin des Plantes

At the Jardin des Plantes

Affiche de l’exposition © DR

Packed with four centuries’ worth of science and adventures, the Muséum

National d'Histoire Naturelle is an atypical place, in that it’s part research centre, part university, part museum, part botanical garden and part zoo. In the Jardin des Plantes - the historic heart of the Parisian museum - visitors can stroll among gardens, statues and remarkable trees, observe the animals in the zoo, wander through the great glasshouses and explore the galleries to see some globally unique collections.

The Grande Galerie de l'Évolution (or Great Evolutionary Gallery) was renovated in 1994 by architects Borja Huidobro and Paul Chemetov and designer René Allio, and it’s the Jardin des Plantes’ flagship gallery. The huge vaulted space, with three balconies sunlit by a 1,000 m2 glass roof, serves as the setting for a collection of taxidermy animals

from every continent. It demonstrates living creatures’ diversity and tells the story

of life on our planet and how it has evolved. In the ocean section, a southern right

whale, blue whale and giant squid take pride of place among shoals of fish, as we

discover life in deep blue sea, including coastal species, coral reefs and polar animals.

However, the land-based sections are just as impressive. Visitors can marvel at the

elephants, rhinoceroses, giraff es, lions and baboons that make up the wildlife of the

African savannah. The gallery also teaches us about the history of living things and the

adventures of those naturalists who uncovered it, as well as humanity’s place and our

role in evolution, all while encouraging us to reflect on our planet’s future.

Explore our world’s astonishing geological diversity in the Treasures of the Earth

exhibition, located in the Geology and Mineralogy Gallery (or Galerie de Géologie

et de Minéralogie). Here, you can admire giant crystals, multicoloured minerals, raw

gems, historic jewels, precious metals and meteorites, all of which tell the story of Earth

and the solar system.

In the Gallery of Palaeontology and Comparative Anatomy (Galerie de

Paléontologie et d’Anatomie Comparée), take a trip back 540 million years, from the

impressive herd of skeletons on the ground floor to the fabulous collection of fossils

upstairs, featuring dinosaurs, mammoths, plants, ammonites and more.

Delve into the Great Glasshouses and see 2,500 plants from diff erent continents and

environments, including tropical rainforests, deserts and New Caledonia.

Finally, visit the Menagerie and Zoo - one of the oldest in the world - to discover

new things and learn about biodiversity right in the heart of Paris. You will spot 150

species, 40% of which are endangered, including red pandas, Malayan tapirs and

clouded leopards.

Place Valhubert

75005 Paris