With its royal pedigree and tony setting, Parc Monceau is as chic today as it was centuries ago. Established by the Duke of Chartres (King Louis XVI’s cousin), the park has an informal, English-style design that differentiates it from most of Paris’ other green spaces.
Ringed by elegant townhouses and featuring a water lily–studded pond, the park is best known for its many follies: small-scale architectural features that range from a pyramid and classical colonnade to a bridge inspired by Venice’s Rialto Bridge. It also contains a number of statues commemorating French cultural heavyweights, from Frédéric Chopin to Guy de Maupassant.