Princess Grace Rose Garden

About this place

The Princess Grace Rose Garden is a municipal garden in the Fontvieille district of Monaco, beside Fontvieille Park, the two covering 4 hectares together. Both open daily from dawn to dusk. They offer a quiet place among residential towers and the small harbour, a pleasant rest from the principality's busy streets. The rose garden was created in 1984 as a memorial to Grace Kelly, wife of Prince Rainier III, with 4,000 roses and a statue of her by Kees Verkade. It was re-dedicated in 2014, and a friends' association was set up in 2015. Fontvieille Park holds a sculpture trail, including a piece by Arman and a clenched fist by César. You walk along paved paths and rose beds that change colour with the season, among tropical plants and palms. At the centre is a large pond with a fountain rising above the water, and at one edge a small waterfall runs between rocks and big leaves. A white stone in the grass bears an engraved quote about roses, with brown apartment blocks rising behind. It is about 310 m in a straight line from Stade Louis II and 420 m from the Museum of Stamps and Coins. Roses are best in spring and early summer, though the place is pleasant all year. Do not pick the flowers, stay on the paths, and keep children away from the edge of the pond.