A young boy pushing a wooden sailboat on the Grand Bassin in Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris, France

The Jardin du Luxembourg, or Luxembourg Gardens, are located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris on the Left Bank of the River Seine. The gardens are about 60 acres in size and full of wonder. There are many garden beds, tennis courts and just over 100 statues. One of the main attractions though is the octagonal pond, the Grand Bassin, located almost centrally inside the park.

For a small cost you can rent wooden sailboats to sail on the pond. Children love to push their chosen boats around the perimeter and watch as the breeze blows them further into the centre. Sometimes they sail completely across the pond if the wind is right, but otherwise the children have great fun just pushing them around.

The gardens are free to enter and open daily until just before sunset.

A boy stands watching his boat sailing across the Grand Bassin

A young boy rescuing his sailboat on the edge of the Grand Bassin

One young boy pushes his sailboat into the pond while another watches on