Parc Monceau

We will probably be doing a home exchange with a couple living near Parc Monceau. We have been to Paris 5 times, but usually stay in the Marais. I haven%26#39;t done a whole lot of research of that specific area, but would appreciate any comments, like walking distances to museums, favorite cafes, general info.

Tentative dates are December 26 to January 3.

Thanks

S

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Parc Monceau is a lovely (if quirky) little park in an upscale residential neighbourhood. On a fine afternoon the park is full of nannies with their little charges. The area is very different from the Marais. It is much more Hausmann-esque and more %26quot;dignified%26quot; in its general aspect. There is not the profusion of cafés and small restaurants in the area that you will find in the 3rd and 4th, and those there are will tend to be more expensive.

Two wonderful less well-known museums are very close, the Cernuschi and the Nissim de Camondo. The Jacquemart-André is also just a short distance from the park. The Arc de Triomphe and avenue des Champs-Élysées would be a 10 to 15 minute walk depending exactly where the apartment is located. The Grand and Petit Palais are about 20 minutes away and the Louvre perhaps a half hour walk at a brisk pace. Hard to say anything definite about métro access without knowing the actual street you would be on (north or south of the park?) but Lines 2 and/or 3 and possibly Line 13 would probably be your best bet(s).

If the apartment is north of the park it will be a few minutes farther from the museums and other places i have mentioned.

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I find Parc Monceau pretty to look at but otherwise extremely stuffy, with overdressed old ladies giving stern looks to small children who dare to laugh and play.

Walk over to the Batignolles area for a more pleasant Parisian experience. The rue de Levis market street at metro Villiers is very good, and there is a new organic market that fills the central area of the boulevard des Batignolles 2 days a week.

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i had to smile t kerouac%26#39;s description of Parc Monceau, but I%26#39;m afraid he is pretty much right on. (OTOH it%26#39;s kind of fun watching a heron fishing in the Naumachie...)

The rue de Levis shops and the market on bvd. des Batignolles are just a short walk from the north-eastern corner of the park. It makes a lot of sense to regard the Batignolles area in the 17th as your %26quot;home%26quot; neighbourhood rather than the more expensive and less interesting (IMO) 8th. You%26#39;ll find good small restaurants in that area.