The Jardin Public is Bordeaux's main public park, laid out in the 1750s and redesigned in the English landscape style in the 19th century. It covers ten hectares in the Chartrons quarter with formal allées, a lake, a puppet theatre, a botanical garden with over 3,000 species, and the Natural History Museum in a neoclassical building at the edge of the park.
The park is well used by local families and provides a break from pavement if you have been walking the city centre. The Natural History Museum is small but interesting — particularly the taxidermy collection and the geological specimens. The park is free to enter.