Paris · Stop 4 of 6 · 1937
Fontaine de Varsovie, Trocadéro gardens
The long water mirror on the slope between the Chaillot esplanade and the river, with twenty water cannons aimed at the Seine. Built for the 1937 world's fair, and still the best-dressed fountain in Paris.
Worth seeing when you're there
- The water mirror and its tall fountains, seen from the top of the gardens with the Tower behind.
- The water cannons at the river end, which can throw a jet some 50 metres when they are running.
- The gilded sculpture groups and stone figures around the basin, all from 1937.
- The slope itself, first landscaped for the 1878 fair.
A little history
For 1937 the old cascade was swept away and Roger-Henri Expert's team built a long water mirror with twelve tall fountains and, at the river end, twenty water cannons. Expert was famous for the dramatic floodlighting of the 1931 Colonial Exposition. The name Trocadéro comes from a fort near Cádiz captured by French troops on 31 August 1823.
Getting there, hours, cost
Between the Pont d'Iéna and the Chaillot esplanade; Metro Trocadéro (lines 6 and 9) at the top, the bridge at the bottom. The gardens are public.
- Open
- Always (public gardens)
- Closed
- Never
- Cost
- Free
- Note
- The fountains run on a schedule; the sculpture is there regardless.
Hours change. Recheck official sources close to your date. Navigate here · Trail map
Nearby: eat, see, rest
- Aquarium de Paris Aquarium · 2 min on foot
- Cité de l'architecture Museum · 2 min on foot
- Musée de l'Homme Museum · 3 min on foot
- Café de l'Homme Restaurant, Tower-view terrace · 3 min on foot
More on the trail map and in The Eiffel Tower to Trocadéro walk.
On the trail
This landmark is Stop 4 of 6 of Seine Clearly: The ARIA Calibration, our self-guided puzzle walk through the Cubbon Park district. The clue here uses what you can see from exactly where you are standing.