Members-Only: A virtual tour of the lovely Parc Monceau

This week on the podcast we featured the stunning Parc Monceau in the eighth arrondissement. It’s the most lovely park in Paris, as far as I’m concerned.

Here comes a little more info about the park, plus all the photos from our professional photographer Augusta Sagnelli, who joined us on the visit, and the replay of a Walk Show I did in the park in 2018.

How to visit the Parc Monceau

Now, as I said in the blog post about the whole district, no trip to the French capital is complete without half an hour in this park. But ideally you’ll spend more time there. I’d recommend a loop around the whole thing to get started, which will take at least half an hour to begin with. Longer still if you stop to look at the statues of famous French faces from the past.

Then, I’d suggest you criss cross the two main paths that dissect the park. And then, and I’m not kidding, I’d recommend taking all the small side paths too. That’s right. Walk it all. You don’t want to miss little treasures.

If you’ve never been before, and if you’re in a rush, don’t leave without finding the picturesque pond and classic colonnade alongside it. 

A Brief History on the Park Monceau

Official websites for Paris tourism quite rightly describe this park as “a reflection of the district”. It’s true, the park is just as elegant as the eight arrondissement.

It dates to the 17th century and was ordered by the Duke of Chartres. The idea was to have an English garden where the locals (read: the wealthy locals) could get some fresh air.

The entrances feature enormous wrought iron gates with gilded finishings, and the north entrance has one of the few remaining toll houses from the 18th century. (There’s another similar rotunda at the edge of the Bassin de la Villette in the 19th, which is now a restaurant). Pro tip: This building has public toilets!

Throughout the park there are all kinds of unexpected “follies”, like a Chinese fort, a Dutch windmill, an Egyptian pyramid, and the Corinthian pillars pictured below.

It’s a lot different to the traditional French-styled parks like the Tuileries and Luxembourg gardens.

Monet loved the park too!

And it’s not just me who likes it. Claude Monet painted it a few times, which is hardly a surprise given his love of gardens!

If you want more facts about the park, the Wikipedia page in English is surprisingly deep, find it here.

There’s also a beautiful carrousel for the kids, with a huge Plane tree inching closer to it by the day (see below). Next to the carrousel is a great little kiosk where you get everything from crepes and drinks to helium balloons for fractious one-year-olds who’ve been dragged out exploring Paris with their parents again.

The Walk Show Replay

Now, if you want a deeper look at the park: In December 2018 I did a Patreon-Only live video tour of the park with Boris Petrovic from Paris in Person. We strolled the whole park and he answered all my questions with the impressive knowledge that it seems only he has.

You can watch the replay of our stroll here.

If you ever want deeply informative tours of Paris, book with Boris and thank me later.

As for visiting the park, you can find it at the following address: 35 Bd de Courcelles, 75008.

Happy exploring – and thanks for being an Earful member.

The Earful Tower podcast episode

This podcast episode on the 8th district of Paris includes a few Monceau mentions, but also an interview with Gabriel from the excellent hole-in-the-wall cafe Iwi – and also with Nat Katz, the canon from the American Cathedral of Paris. At the end we reveal our final ranking on the district out of 100. 

Video guide to the 8th arrondissement

Here’s our visit, in video format, via our YouTube channel. We’ll be making one of these travel vlogs every week, so be sure to subscribe (you can do it in one click via this link). 

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