Even the purist urbanites appreciate being close to a bit of leafy green space – in fact right now it’s nothing less than a godsend! We pick five of our favourite city parks across Europe and for each find a tempting pad nearby

Turia Gardens, Valencia city
A green ribbon that snakes its way through the centre of Spain’s third largest city, the nine-kilometre-long Turia Gardens (or Jardín del Turia) is one of the country’s largest urban parks. A masterpiece of upcycling, it occupies the former riverbed of the Turia, which was diverted away from the city-centre in the second half of the 20th Century following a flood.
Stretching eastwards from Cabecera Park to the famous City of Arts and Sciences near the seafront, it passes by the city’s main museums and monuments.

It’s crossed by 18 bridges and because different landscapers were involved in its creation, it divides nicely into contrasting sections. Some include sports facilities, while others incorporate shady areas of palm and orange trees, fountains, pine woods and ponds. We’ve picked a five-bedroom apartment on the sixth-floor of a block overlooking the western, inland end of the park.

Phoenix Park, Dublin
Covering 707 hectares, Phoenix Park is one of the largest enclosed recreational spaces within any European capital city. Located to the west of Dublin’s vibrant centre, it is just a mile-and-a-half from famous O’Connell Street. Not only huge, it’s also rich in history. It was created as a royal hunting park in the 1660s – a herd of wild deer still roams there, before being opened to the public in 1747.

The park is also home to the Zoological Gardens, the official Presidential residence (Áras an Uachtaráin), Victorian flower gardens and ponds and wetlands. Teaming with wildlife, there is an abundance walks and cycle trails and all types of recreational activities are allowed there, from walking and running to polo and hurling. This two-bedroom apartment is part of a modern complex with on-site facilities located five minutes’ walk from the park.

Tiergarten, Berlin
What Central Park is to New Yorkers and Hyde Park to Londoners, Tiergarten is to Berliners. Regarded as the green lung of the German capital, it occupies 210 hectares in the beating heart of the city-centre, next to numerous attractions such as the Brandenburg Gate.

Tiergarten was founded in medieval times as a hunting preserve for the Kaiser but at the end of the 17th Century it was turned it into a pleasure park for the people. Over the course of time, the park has been redesigned several times, including by the famous landscape architect Peter Joseph Lenné, who between 1833 and 1838 transformed it into an English-style park. Today it mixes open lawns, winding tree-lined paths, wooded areas and ponds. It is also home to memorials, waterside cafés, the Chancellor’s palatial residence and the zoo. Our pick here is a two-bedroom apartment in Berlin’s central Moabit district, very close to Tiergarten.

Parc de la Ciutadella, Barcelona
A green oasis in the centre of the bustling Catalan capital, Ciutadella Park is a cocktail of open green spaces, monuments, attractions and historic buildings. It was created in the mid-19th Century to replace the citadel (ciutadella) created by King Philip V – the Catalans pleased to see the end of a symbol of Spanish rule.

On the edge of the city’s old quarter, today the 70-acre mainly grassed park is home to the Catalan Parliament building, the city’s zoo, a tropical greenhouse, a boating lake, children’s playgrounds and assorted statues. In the north-eastern corner there is a waterfall created by Catalonia’s most famous architect, whose unmistakable work is scattered throughout Barcelona, Antoni Gaudí. This one-bedroom penthouse, complete with roof terrace, is located in the Born district, a stone’s throw from the park.

Parque Eduardo VII, Lisbon
Arguably the greenest and most environmentally friendly city in Europe, the Portuguese capital is dotted with leafy spaces. At the heart of Lisbon bordering its landmark Marquis of Pombal square is the Edward VII Park, the largest park in the city-centre and named after the British monarch who visited the city in 1902.

Most of its 26 hectares of beautifully maintained gardens is made up of a network of pathways that weave amongst clipped lawns and hedges. Attractions include a belvedere with views over the city, and two large tropical greenhouses. Check out this new apartment in Lisbon’s Amoreiras district and part a development located very close to the park.