The Jardin des Plantes (Garden of the Plants) originates from the royal garden of medicinal plants created by King Louis XIII in 1635. Having initially a purely medical function, the garden became in 1718 the King's garden and focused on natural history, instructing public, putting together collections and conducting scientific research.

Today, the Jardin des Plantes aims to both research and public diffusion of knowledge and covers 28 hectares housing archives, librairies, botanical gardens, greenhouses, galleries and a zoo.

The main highlights of the garden are the Ménagerie (zoo), a vast wooded area where nature is omnipresent in all its forms; the Galerie de l'Evolution (Gallery of Evolution) displaying 7,000 lifelike specimens; and the Grandes Serres (greenhouses) home to thousands of exotic species of trees, plants and flowers.