This district of Paris is one of the most historic and fascinating in the city.  Nowadays, it’s known for hip boutiques, quirky art galleries, great cafes, restaurants and fresh food, a couple of delightful squares, and some of the best museums in the city.  Although its origins were far from auspicious, it’s a place we always head to for all these attractions and much more.  It’s an enticing melange of ancient and traditional plus contemporary and slightly quirky, making it one of the most interesting areas in Paris.

In the last two posts, we have looked at two outstanding Paris museums, relatively little-known to visitors, both located in the 8^th arrondissement, one just around the corner from the other.  They are both close by the Parc Monceau, one of the most interesting and beautiful parks in the city, at the junction of Bvd. de Courcelles, rue de Prony and rue Georges Berger.  The neighbourhood is a quiet, discreetly elegant, mostly residential area with impressive mansions of the Haussmann or the neo-classical styles, typical of the Second Empire of Napoleon III.  Covering about 8.20 hectares, Parc Monceau is a peaceful haven for locals, yet where comparatively few visitors visit.

The Musée Cernuschi is relatively unknown to most visitors to Paris.  Located on a quiet, leafy street that leads up to the beautiful Parc Monceau in an ultra-exclusive area of the 8^th arrondissement, it’s just around the corner from the Musée Nissim de Camondo.  The Cernuschi is an Asian art museum, mostly specialising in works from China, Japan, and Korea.  These are objects collected by Henri Cernuschi, and displayed in a small mansion that used to be his home.  He was one of the first collectors in France to amass such a vast and important collection of Asian art.