Parc Monceau, Paris

Parc Monceau has the reputation of being the prettiest, as well as the poshest, of the parks in Paris. More the haunt of nannies and their well-heeled charges than trendy youth, it's a calm and whimsical place. Classical columns loom over glassy ponds, and flowers spread and bloom more here than in any other park in the city.

The Duc de Chartres, later Duke d’Orléans, created the park in 1769, but others have reshuffled it a few times since then. Carmontelle, the painter, was commissioned to design the park in the style of an English garden. and uring the Revolution, it was declared national property. After being restored to the Orléans family, it was then bought by the City of Paris, and transformed by Baron Haussmann under Napoleon III.

It’s a very child-friendly place, with a merry-go-round and play area, and the occasional string of ponies bearing small children in lines around the perimeter. It’s busy in summer, with the oppressed grass-loungers, banished from stricter parks, revelling in the freedom to lie. Stray babies crawl about the lawns and couples eat ice cream on bridges over streams. Little ‘ambiance’ gardens, designed in the far-away styles of Japan, Africa and Egypt, are dotted about the walkways, between flowered rockeries and rose gardens.

Parc Monceau, Paris
Parc Monceau, Paris

Opening Hours

Monday:
07:00 - 21:00
Tuesday:
07:00 - 21:00
Wednesday:
07:00 - 21:00
Thursday:
07:00 - 21:00
Friday:
07:00 - 21:00
Saturday:
07:00 - 21:00
Sunday:
07:00 - 21:00
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