Paris Zoological Park

A 65-metre artificial rock, the Grand Rocher, has towered over the Bois de Vincennes since the zoo opened in 1934, and it remains the landmark Parisians recognise from far across the woods. The Paris Zoological Park, still widely known as the Zoo de Vincennes, belongs to France's National Museum of Natural History. It was rebuilt almost entirely before reopening in 2014.

Instead of rows of enclosures, the park is arranged by region, with landscapes recreating Patagonia, the Sahel and Sudan, Europe, Guiana and Madagascar. Visitors walk past giraffes, lions, rhinoceroses, sea lions, baboons and lemurs, often across mixed spaces shared by several species. A large tropical greenhouse holds humid forest habitats with free-moving birds and other animals.

The zoo draws around 900,000 visitors a year and suits families and anyone interested in wildlife and habitat design. The circuit is long and largely outdoors, so most people spend half a day or more.