Prince Albert II and Princess Charlène, accompanied by Princess Caroline of Hanover, attended the official reopening ceremony of the Jardin Exotique on Wednesday after six years of closure.
The ceremony included a blessing by Archbishop Dominique-Marie David and speeches by Mayor Georges Marsan, who has been closely associated with the project throughout.
The garden is now set to open to the general public on Monday March 30th, with a free preview opening scheduled for Monegasques and residents on Sunday March 29th, with a programme of animations and a fireworks display planned for the occasion.
“The Municipal Council’s ambition was to modernise the garden without stripping it of its identity,” said Mayor Marsan. “I am delighted that future generations will be able to discover it in their turn.”
Nearly a century in the making
The Jardin Exotique first opened in 1933 under Prince Louis II and was home to over 30,000 plants, many of them centuries old, drawn from the Americas and Africa.
However, since 1939, no significant structural work had been carried out. Thus, after nearly a century, serious weaknesses had begun to emerge. For example, artificial rock work was at risk of detaching, pathways had deteriorated, and the cliff-face setting required urgent and technically-demanding intervention. And so, the garden closed its doors in 2020.
“The works were complex, vertiginous, and at times perilous given the configuration of the site,” Mayor Marsan said at the ceremony. The challenge was to make it safe without damaging a plant collection that includes specimens no longer found anywhere else in the world.
What changed
Walkways and railings have been fully rebuilt, flooring and paths resurfaced, pergolas and viewpoints renovated, and lighting upgraded throughout.
Landscape architect Hervé Meyer oversaw the botanical restoration, Monégasque architect Frédéric Genin redesigned the areas around the Observatory Cave, and architect Margaux Davenet designed the new facilities on the upper plateau.
New additions include a children’s play area, a picnic area, a birthday room for around 3° children, and a revamped ticketing area. The garden is also being made available for private hire such as weddings, receptions, and events with rates that climb steeply during Grand Prix weekend.
The only museum in Monaco with a bar
Perhaps the most unexpected addition is a snack bar and drinks terrace on the upper plateau, open to anyone without a ticket. In a principality not known for casual, affordable public spaces, having somewhere to sit with a drink and a view over Monaco – and no entry fee required – is genuinely novel. The bar, along with the boutique and toilet facilities, is freely accessible to all.
Pricing details and tailored packages
Ticketing ranges from €12 for adults, €6 for children up to to 17 years-old for garden entry only, to €18 for adults, €10 for children for access to the garden and observatory cave and botanical centre.
Because the cliff-face layout makes full access impossible for visitors with reduced mobility, entry will be free up to the point they can comfortably reach.
A commemorative plaque marking the reopening has also been installed on site, bearing the names of Prince Albert II and Princess Charlène in recognition of their presence at the ceremony.
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Main photo credit: Michaël Alesi, Prince’s Palace