Monrepos is the third of Ludwigsburg's baroque palaces — a lakeside pavilion built between 1764 and 1768 as a summer retreat for Duke Carl Eugen, about three kilometres northwest of the centre. The name (My Rest, in French) gives away the intent: this was the place to escape the formal etiquette of the Residenzschloss. The palace is now a luxury hotel and the rooms aren't generally open to casual visitors, but the lake, the park, and the terrace cafe are free to enjoy.
The setting is the point. The pink-and-white palace sits at one end of a long artificial lake (the Eglosheimer See), reflected in the water on still days, with woodland walks on three sides. The terrace of the hotel restaurant is a good lunch or coffee stop with a view across the lake to the palace facade. A loop walk around the lake takes about 45 minutes and is popular with locals on weekends.