Jardins Pierre-de-Ronsard, Landscaped garden in Vieux Mans, Le Mans, France

Jardins Pierre-de-Ronsard is a garden located next to the City Hall that links the old town with other neighborhoods. Planted beds frame the Ponts-Neufs staircase, with a modest fountain and the Saint-Pierre-la-Cour church forming focal points within the space.

The two gardens are named after Pléiade poets Pierre de Ronsard and Jacques Peletier, both of whom knew and stayed in Le Mans. They lie below the Palais des Comtes du Maine and the Saint-Pierre-la-Cour collegiate church, and the Ponts-Neufs staircase, which separates them, leads directly to Place Saint-Pierre at the southern end of the Cité Plantagenêt. Since June 2009 the gardens have been overlooked by the new archaeological museum.

The two halves carry the names of Pléiade poets Pierre de Ronsard and Jacques Peletier, both of whom lived in Le Mans. The eastern, Peletier half is laid out as a semicircle of benches around a small fountain with a modern sculpture, meant for resting; the western, Ronsard half is a French-style garden of flower-bordered paths for strolling. Planting is changed with the seasons, with white firs replacing flowers over winter.

The Ponts-Neufs staircase splits the gardens into two halves: the western Pierre de Ronsard part, laid out in small paths for strolling, and the eastern Jacques Peletier part, a semicircle of benches around a small fountain meant for resting. The top of the staircase looks over the Saint-Nicolas district and the Tour Emeraude, while its second landing gives the better view of Saint-Julien cathedral and Place des Jacobins.

From the top of the Ponts-Neufs stairs, there is a clear view of Saint-Julien Cathedral and the old town skyline. Many visitors miss this vantage point, even though it offers one of the better perspectives of the medieval center.