A good time to visit Parc des Buttes-Chaumont?

The Temple de la Sibylle has crowned the rocky island in Parc des Buttes-Chaumont since 1867. Inspired by the Temple of Vesta at Tivoli, the circular pavilion has become the defining feature of a park created from what was once a disused gypsum quarry.

What appears to be a natural landscape is, in fact, the result of remarkable engineering. Before becoming a public park, this was a gypsum quarry, its steep cliffs and excavations carefully reshaped into dramatic scenery complete with a lake, waterfalls and winding paths making it one of Baron Haussmann's most ambitious public park projects.

Although the Temple remains the park's defining landmark, visitors currently admire it from across the water. The island and its two bridges are closed while extensive restoration and stabilisation work is carried out on the former quarry, helping to preserve one of Paris's most distinctive parks for future generations

With temperatures expected to ease a little on Saturday beneath some welcome cloud cover, the shade of the mature trees and the open spaces of Buttes-Chaumont could make it an ideal place to spend part of the weekend.

Part of the “Have a good weekend” Series

Every Friday we share a small Paris moment — a starting note for your weekend in the city.

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