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Ninety seconds on Parc de la Tête d'Or
Yes. The park, its zoo, the botanical garden and the rose gardens are all free to enter, and none of them needs a ticket. It is the only park in Europe to combine all four at no charge.
The gates open at 6.30am all year. From 15 April to 14 October they close at 10.30pm, and from 15 October to 14 April they close at 8.30pm.
The city closes its large parks, this one included, whenever violent winds pass 70 km/h. On those days the gates stay shut, and the zoo and gardens inside cannot be reached.
No. The zoo closes every Tuesday. On other days it opens at 9.30am and closes at 5pm in winter and 5.45pm in summer, with no entry in the final 15 minutes.
Two to three hours covers an unhurried wander and the main sights of the park. Seeing every corner of it, gardens and zoo included, usually takes more than one visit.
You can fill an afternoon in one of the largest city parks in France, moving from the lakeside lawns and shade to the botanical garden, the rose gardens and the zoo.
The Porte des Enfants du Rhône is the showpiece gate, and through it the view opens straight onto the 16-hectare lake at the centre of the design. Its gilded ironwork went up in 1901, when the park was fenced for the first time.
Look up at the trees as you walk. The tallest plane trees reach 40 metres, and among them stand cedars of Lebanon, tulip trees, ginkgos and bald cypresses.
The botanical garden spreads across greenhouses and outdoor beds. Its collections hold more than 12,000 species, among them threatened plants and some already extinct in the wild.
There are three rose gardens. The international rose garden lies near the Cité Internationale, and the one inside the botanical garden traces the history of the rose. The zoo works to protect animals threatened with extinction.
Place du Général Leclerc is the main entrance, and it brings you in facing the lake. From the lakeside, take the underground passage beneath the lake to the island.
From there, walk round to the botanical garden and the zoo while they are open, because the animals and the greenhouses close well before the park gates.
In summer, look into the Orangerie, where a run of artists take over the space in turn. Then carry on along the loop to the international rose garden near the Cité Internationale.
Kiosks and snack bars around the park sell drinks and light meals, so you do not need to carry a picnic. In May and June, look for the peonies, which bloom in around 200 varieties.
On your way round, read the panels of the exhibition Le Parc de la Tête d'Or, patrimoine vivant, hung on the railings of the landing stage beside the lake. They tell the story of the park.
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