Princess Grace Rose Garden

In the heart of Fontvieille’s landscaped park, the Princess Grace Rose Garden was created in 1984 by Prince Rainier III in tribute to his wife, who had died two years earlier. Grace Kelly loved flowers passionately: she made pictures of pressed flowers and founded a flower arranging club. The garden gathers several thousand rose bushes of hundreds of varieties, some named after the princess or members of the family. In the centre, a statue of Grace Kelly watches over the beds. From April to June the blooms perfume the whole garden, and a second wave often comes in autumn. The surrounding park, with its pond, ducks and lawns, is a haven of calm for families. Fontvieille itself was reclaimed from the sea in the 1970s and 1980s: you are walking on ground that was underwater fifty years ago. Sit for a moment, and breathe in.

History

Princess Grace died in September 1982. To honour her memory, Prince Rainier III decided to create a rose garden in her name, in the new district of Fontvieille. The place is symbolic: this land was reclaimed from the sea, over waters more than 40 metres deep.

The rose garden was inaugurated by the Princely Family on 18 June 1984. It then held 4,000 rose bushes on 3,000 square metres, with 168 varieties in 8 categories. Around fifty donors from all over the world gave plants. In 2000 it grew to 3,500 square metres and 5,500 rose bushes.

Fontvieille itself is a recent district, built on land reclaimed from the sea in the 1970s and 1980s: you are walking on ground that did not exist half a century ago.

Art and architecture

In December 2012 Prince Albert II approved a major redesign. The works lasted 18 months, from January 2013 to June 2014, and the rose garden was inaugurated again on 14 June 2014 in the presence of the Princely Family.

The new layout added a water wall and a bronze fountain. Century old olive trees already on the site were kept and replanted. In the centre, a bronze statue of Princess Grace, made in 1983 by the sculptor Kees Verkade, watches over the beds.

Anecdotes

The rose garden is first of all a gesture of love: a prince giving his late wife a garden of her favourite flowers, in a district that had not existed a few years earlier.

It also lives thanks to its friends. In June 2015 the association Les amis de la Roseraie Princesse Grace de Monaco was founded, chaired by Yves Piaget, heir to the Swiss watchmaking house of the same name. Its aims are to tell the story of the garden, to teach rose pruning and to organise an international rose competition.

Around it, Fontvieille Park and the rose garden together cover about 4 hectares, dotted with sculptures. Look out for a work by Arman, Cavalleria Eroica, and a clenched fist by César.

What to look for

Start at the statue of the princess, then stroll among the beds reading the names of the roses: some bear those of the princess or members of her family. Lean in to notice the differences in scent. Finish near the water wall and the old olive trees, a quieter corner for a break.

Look up too at the Rock towering over the district: its ancient outline is a reminder that this garden at its foot stands on new land.

Practical

The rose garden is in the Fontvieille district, next to the landscaped park, a few minutes’ walk from Fontvieille harbour and the shopping centre. According to the official website it is open at all times, 7 days a week, and entry is free. The best season is usually spring, when the blooms are at their peak. The ground is flat, so the visit suits pushchairs and people who walk little.

Nearby

In the same district you can continue with Fontvieille Park and its sculpture trail, then reach Fontvieille harbour. Higher up, on the cliff, the Exotic Garden shows another side of Monaco’s botany. The rose garden’s official website, roseraie.mc, presents its history and collections.

Test yourself

Sources

• Roseraie Princesse Grace : historique (site officiel)
• Wikipedia: Fontvieille Park and Princess Grace Rose Garden

Information checked on 30 September 2026.