A beautiful Parisian park beloved by locals and ignored by tourists.
Why visit?
Paris has many parks and although Parc Monceau is as pretty as many others, it's not well-known to out-of-towners.
What really sets the park apart from others is the ability to follow in Manet's footsteps and have your own Déjeuner sur l'herbe (picnic on the grass).
The park is also flanked by two fascinating museums.
Where?
Between the stately 8th and the bourgeois 17th arrondissements of Paris, a 15 minute walk from the Arc de Triomphe. Map.
The 18th century rotunda forms the main entrance to the park. It used to be a toll house, part of a longer enclosure around Paris. |
Most visitors to Paris flock to the Jardin de Luxembourg and the Tuilereries. As beautiful as these famous gardens are, they are also rather formal: sitting is only allowed in the (in)famous metal Parisian garden chairs (and there are never enough of them).
A few years ago, Parisian park administrators had their own little mini French Revolution. 'What if we actually allow people to walk and sit on the grass? C'est genial!'
Careful not to move to quickly, lest heads would roll, they decided to experiment in a few parks in the outer arrondissements and remove the 'Don't walk on the grass' signs.
These days, on a glorious spring or summer day, Parc Monceau is one of the best places to have a picnic sur l'herbe in Paris. Just be warned that on a warm weekend day, you won't be the only one!
Summer time = picnic time in Parc Monceau! |
Statue of the author Guy de Maupassant. |
Clouds of pink cherry blossoms. |
A shower of golden ginko leaves. |
Girl scouts gather under a 150 year old plane tree |
One of many pieces of prime real estate overlooking the park. |
The Musée Cernuschi, which feautures an outstanding collection of Asian art (and which is gratuit to boot) and the Musée Nissim de Camondo, a house museum with fine art and furniture in a stately old home and a tragic family history.
Getting there:
Take the Metro to Monceau station. Or if you prefer to stay above ground, bus no. 30, which runs from Trocadero to near Gare du Nord, provides a very scenic ride to Parc Monceau.
Useful links:
City of Paris website
Very nice "neighborhood" park every city can be jealous of!
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