Great smallish park for working out or a family stroll. Lots of people jogging during all daylight…read morehours on both paved and natural trails. There are a set of pneumatic exercise machines and an adult size jungle gym for your upper body enjoyment. Fenced playground area for smaller children and a big, softly sloping sunny hillside for basking. Has a gentle, clear stream running through as well. Very beautiful and fun, even in winter.

I was completely enchanted by all of Nîmes, but the Jardins de la Fontaine truly took my breath…read moreaway. Even just the approach to the garden is magical--a beautiful allée with a water channel that reflects the trees, and people leisurely chatting and strolling. It was a refreshing change from the car-dominated Bay Area where I'm from! The garden itself was also a delight. We saw an adorable (but feisty) swan who chased off a few people who got a bit too close, which had everyone around laughing as they scrambled away. It's a perfect place for people-watching *or* finding a peaceful spot to relax. I visited in the sweltering summer, and we actually ran out of water, so make sure you bring plenty! Though, a heads-up--the bathroom in the garden is less than ideal. This garden is a must-see if you want to experience Nîmes' Roman influence beyond the famous arena. Imagine yourself back in time, grab a good book, and just soak it all in. On the day we visited, they were setting up for an outdoor movie screening with a massive projector and seats for the community to enjoy. I'm so curious how Nîmes feels in the fall and winter--hopefully, I'll get to find out one day!

A gem of a park within the diminutive city of Nimes. Not to be missed if you want to get a good…read morerendition of Roman architecture during their occupation. The park represents the wealth of the city with its resplendent sculptures and fountains. If you wish to hike up the hill, you will get to the Roman lookout point which is ticketed admission. However, there multiple free views overlooking the city along the way.

An incredibly beautiful place! I'm so very glad that we took a private tour from our cruise ship,…read morewhich was docked in Marseilles, France. We rode to Cassis and enjoyed the town, a wonderful lunch, and then the amazingly beautiful Calanques National Park. It is nestled between Marseille and Cassis on the western edge of the French Riviera. Calanques National Park is a stunning maritime refuge. We took a two hour boat ride of the area. It has breathtaking cliffside trails, water sports, postcard-perfect blue water, and is close to cities on the Riviera. The park is unique for its "calanques", which are steep limestone cliffs and coves that meander for miles along the coast of the Mediterranean. Amazingly beautiful blue "sea creeks" flow around and through the park's 26 calanques. Many people were sunbathing, diving, and swimming by the limestone cliffs, in many different places. It has many tranquil beaches and river-like areas ideal for water sports. The park is also a wildlife refuge with many species. The water was so clear that you could see many fish from the boat. This is such a gorgeous area, I highly recommend a tour to this park and be sure to take a long boat ride into the Calanques!

It's all about the view. There are a few staircases which will take you to the top. There is a…read morecafe with a little pond. A short strolling path on top.

If you're in Avignon and spending time visiting the Papal Palace, we suggest that you just skip…read moregoing inside the Palace and visit the gardens behind the Palace instead! Why? Because it's FREE and there are nice views of the bridges & Fort St. Andres! We spent at least 30 min wandering around the gardens, riding a see-saw in the children's area, and climbed up a water fountain / rock area, to see some beautiful views of Avignon. :) It's less crowded than other tourist areas, so that's great!

This is a nice little park. There are several benches and people have lunch in the park. On one…read moreside, you can walk to one side to see the old Roman theater through the metal fencing. The park is kind of on a slope, I guess it's mainly used as a passageway for people to walk through. There isn't a lot of grassy space for kids to run around in on the side near the Roman theater. There is a little playground on the other side of the main walkway up to the old city. The main walkway also has a small pool of water. It looks cool from a distance, but look closer and it looks very polluted. There is ice cream and restaurants a little further down the street. This is kind of the only greenery in the area though, so I guess people get their lunch to go and eat in the park. Don't miss one of the Van Gogh easels in the lower part of the park next to the locked gate.

We came in the morning around 10am, very quiet. We pretty much had the garden to ourselves. A very…read morenice stop to see and feel how Van Gogh painted.

We stumbled on the Espace Van Gogh while walking around Arles our first afternoon. You can see the…read moregarden and fountain Van Gogh immortalized in 'The Courtyard'. The walls are still yellow, the fountain bubbles. It's amazing to look at the unchanged inspiration for Van Gogh. There is no charge to enter the courtyard.

From the owner: Le Jarditrain, un monde de trains mignatures pour les petits et les grands 25 trains miniatures…read morecirculant sur 600m de rail évoluent dans un decor paysager avec gare, personnages, ponts, plantes villages et montagnes. Attention à vérifier les horaires d'ouverture, qui varient selon les périodes de l'année.

This is a very easy walk from both Les Catalans Beach and Vieux-Port. The sculptures here are fun…read moreand the views of the Vieux-Port and the ocean are beautiful! The flowers are simply lovely! This is a lovely green space in which many locals and tourists alike sunbathe, picnic, and stroll during the summer months. There is a small carousel and a small cafe as well. If you want a bit of an escape that is not the beach while staying in Marseille, definitely check out these gardens!

There are only a very few green spaces in Marseille. Most of those your will find when looking at a…read moremap o Marseille are cementaries a bit away from the city center. Jardin du Pharo is one of the few green spaces that exist reasonably close to the city center. The locales most definitely have discovered this place. On weekends when the sun is shinning the park fills up with locals playing soccer, having picnics, families with kids playing on the playground and those that just like to enjoy the view of the city from up here (and the view is really good from up here). It's creates an almost electric atmosphere, though still with room to spare is you would just like to sit down and enjoy a bit of sunlight. Be aware that some of the busses that stops nearby also continues down the coast stopping at the nearby beaches. Practical is you want to go there too, but it also means that they are pretty packed with people and getting off can be a bit tricky.

From the owner: Une inspiration pour Paul Cézanne Aux portes d'Aix-en-Provence (à 10km environ en empruntant la…read moreroute de Cézanne en direction du Tholonet et de Saint-Antonin), la Sainte-Victoire, masse imposante de calcaire, éperon défiant la Provence, culmine à 1010 mètres. Elle tient une place particulière dans le coeur des provençaux, et surtout des Aixois, qui ne se lassent pas d'admirer leur majestueuse montagne (la vue depuis la Route de Cézanne est la plus jolie), et ses multiples couleurs. Elle inspira plusieurs toiles à Cézanne, et continue à drainer une importante masse de visiteurs, qui bravent ses rocailles pour atteindre sa Croix de Provence (942 m) et son prieuré du XIIèeme siècle situés à son sommet et ainsi admirer un panorama exceptionnel sur la cuvette aixoise -la vallée de l'Arc- et sa région. Heureusement les traces de l'incendie de 1989 ont bien vite été gommées, mais la douleur de ce souvenir reste bien présente et l'escalade du mont a ainsi été interdite pendant la saison