Founded in 1794, in the midst of the Revolution, the Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes is now the oldest zoo in Paris. In its early days, it housed animals from the royal menagerie at Versailles and from confiscated private collections. What might seem like a mere historical anecdote actually reflects a significant shift: animals were no longer merely displayed as court curiosities, but were observed, studied, and presented in a scientific context.
Paris’s oldest zoo, a unique spot in the Jardin des Plantes
Today, the wooden pavilions, 19th-century buildings, and enclosures surrounded by vegetation still give the place a very special atmosphere. As they stroll through the grounds, visitors encounter rare and often endangered species that the Menagerie helps preserve through conservation programs. Red pandas, orangutans, snow leopards, turtles, reptiles, birds, and small mammals make for an experience very different from that of the “XXL” zoos.
And from a historical perspective, the Menagerie is part of the National Museum of Natural History, which gives it a unique identity within the Parisian landscape. The animals are observed, studied, and monitored, and their presence is part of a broader mission focused on biodiversity. Behind the old-world charm of the setting, the site also serves as a reminder of just how vulnerable certain species are today.
Between the enclosures, you’ll find that unique atmosphere of the Jardin des Plantes, with its greenhouses, wide avenues, historic buildings, and the feeling of being in the heart of a quieter Paris.
With its prestige, timeless setting, and role in species conservation, the Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes checks all the boxes for a Parisian spot that we think we know without having really taken a closer look. More than two centuries after its opening, Paris’s oldest zoo continues to attract curious visitors, families, and animal lovers.
📍Location: Menagerie of the Jardin des Plantes – 57 Rue Cuvier, 75005
📆 Hours: Daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
