Beautiful Fountains in Paris You Won’t Want to Miss
Last Updated on 3rd March 2023 by Sophie Nadeau
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As a city with countless monuments, vistas, and landmarks, many visitors to the French Capital are so in awe of everything that the City of Light has to offer that they miss out on noticing the little details, such as the many fountains in Paris that are also worth checking out. Here’s a guide to the best and most beautiful fountains in Paris.
Please note that the Wallace Fountains are the only fountains in Paris which provide certified free drinking water.

Contents
Fontaine Saint-Sulpice
Steps away from the Jardin du Luxembourg, the stunning neo-Classical Saint-Sulpice church is one of the largest ecclesiastical buildings in the city.
Directly in front of the main façade of the church, there’s a large public square where many people head to in order to meet their friends, soak up the sun, and enjoy lunch breaks.
In the very heart of this public square, it’s hard to miss the Fontaine Saint-Sulpice, which towers above the rest of the area at a staggering 12 metres.
Also known as Fontaine des Orateurs-Sacré, indeed the fountain is so tall that people criticised it for blocking the church when it was first installed in the mid 19th-century.

Wallace Fountains
First and foremost, one of the most important sets of fountains of Paris are those of the Wallace Fountains. These fountains are designed as drinking fountains and have distributed free and clean drinking water to the people of Paris for around 150 years.
First installed in the city during the 1870s at the behest of Sir Richard Wallace, there are still over a hundred or so of these water features still dotted across the French capital.
Created in four different designs, these fountains are so popular that the design has since been exported to other cities in France, including Bordeaux and Besançon.

Medici Fountain
Located just steps away from the Latin Quater (so-called because students of the nearby Sorbonne university would converse with one another in Latin during the middle ages) and just minutes away from the Paris Pantheon, the Jardin du Luxembourg is where all the locals come to hang out come the warmer months.
After all, this park is not only home to the iconic green chairs that you find dotted around the city, but also several ornate fountains, chalets vending hot drinks and snacks, and several tennis courts. There’s even a secret Statue of Liberty tucked away in the Western corner of the park.
The Medici Fountain is the hidden gem of the garden, and one of the most beautiful places to visit in Paris. When it came to her new palace, one of Catherine de Medici’s main requests was that her gardens should have a monumental fountain, just like the gardens of Boboli in Florence. Cue: the Medici Fountain.

Fontaine Saint-Michel
Situated in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, steps away from the banks of the Seine and overlooking a myriad of typically Parisian restaurants, bistros, and bars, Fontaine Saint-Michel is a beautiful and ornate fountain dating back to the 19th-century.
Thanks to its location on the fringe of the Latin Quarter, of all the fountains in Paris, the Fontaine Saint-Michel is the location where you have to go least out of your way in order to discover its beautiful façade. Those who love Paris street art should also note that there are several Paris Invaders lurking close by to the fountain.

Fontaine des Innocents
Impressive and grand, the oldest of all the public fountains in the 1st arrondissement is that of the Fontaine des Innocents. And despite a name like ‘Innocents,’ the location where this fountain can be spied (in the heart of the first arrondissement) hides a rather murky past.
After all, though Place Joachim-du-Bellay may be filled with eateries and people relaxing today, the square was once the site of a centuries-old cemetery, the Cimetière des Innocents.
During the time of the fountain’s construction between in the middle of the 16th-century, the French Renaissance feature would have dominated the surrounding area. Originally called the ‘Fountain of Nymphs,’ the design is the brainchild of Pierre Lescot (who worked on the Louvre).

Fontaine Louvois
If you’re a fan of Gossip Girl, then you may well recognise the Fontaine Louvois (Louvois Fountain) as it featured in the episode where Blair pushes Serena into the fountain. The impressive monument can be found in the second arrondissement of the city and was constructed between 1836 and 1839.
Today, the fountain can be found in a pretty square of the same name, Square Louvois, which is a quiet square away located on the former Théâtre National de la rue de la Loi and is a hidden gem away from the hustle and bustle of the crowds of the city. Home to a number of benches, it’s the perfect spot to read a book or enjoy a quiet lunch.

Fontaine De Théâtre Français
Though not quite as monumental or significant as some of the other fountains in Paris listed here, the Fontaine De Theatre Francais can be found right next to Palais-Royal, meaning that you’ll likely see the water feature, even during the briefest of Paris visits. The fountain was created between 1867 and 1874.

Fontaine de Mars
Located in the 7th arrondissement on the left-bank (Rive Gauche) of the River Seine, the Fontaine de Mars is a free-standing fountain that was created in the early 1800s in the neo-Classical style. Sometimes this Parisian fountain is also referred to as fontaine du Gros-Caillou.

Fontaine Molière
Situated at the fork in the road where rue Molière meets rue de Richelieu (you know, like the Cardinal from the tale of the Three Musketeers. Both Cardinal Richelieu and d’Artagnan were real people!), the Fontaine Molière has been in situ since 1844.
As you might have imagined, the Molière fountain is named for the iconic playwright, Molière, who was born on the street. Situated in the 1st arrondissement, nearby attractions of note include the Louvre Museum and the Palais-Royal park.

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