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If you've got a thing for fish, it's worth making the trip to Monaco just to come here. The museum is probably the best aquarium in Europe, with 90 seawater tanks and a display of living coral. There's also a display on the work of the late, great Jacques Cousteau, as well as other ocean explorers.
ave St-Martin
Monaco Ville
tel info 377 93 15 36 00
bus 1, 2
| full | Euro 11.00 |
| concession | Euro 6.00 |
Who would've thought cacti could be so much fun? With 7000 varieties of cacti and succulents, the Jardin Exotique is paradise for prickle-lovers. If 7000 cacti is about 6998 too many, the garden is still worth a visit for its spectacular views. Admission includes entry to the Musée d'Anthropologie Préhistorique and a half-hour tour of the Observatory Caves.
62 blvd du Jardin Exotique
(SW corner of Monaco)
tel info 377 93 15 29 80
bus 2
walking
| full | Euro 6.80 |
| concession | Euro 3.50 |
Monaco's royal palace has been around since the 13th century. Every Grimaldi since has found it necessary to leave their mark on the place, and as a result this is not one of Europe's most elegant castles. It is worth taking a look inside though - 15 rooms, including the Throne Room, are open to the public.
If you've already blown your cash and can't afford the entrance fee, the changing of the guard won't cost you a cent. It starts just before noon and is over within two minutes, so be on time. Dressed in spiffy white uniform in summer, black in winter, the guards appear apparently resigned to the comic-opera nature of their duties.
In the south wing of the palace, the Musée des Souvenirs Napoléoniens has a collection of Napoleon's personal knick-knacks, including one sock, a handkerchief and a bunch of medals, coins, uniforms and swords.
rue des Remparts
Monaco Ville
tel info 377 93 25 18 31
| child | Euro 2.00 |
| full | Euro 4.00 |
Monaco Ville sits atop a rocky outcrop overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and is home to the state's most alluring sights. It's connected to the port area of La Condamine by the steep Rampe Major, a red-brick pedestrian ramp built in the 16th-century to connect the palace and port.
Monte Carlo is one of the tiny principality's five main areas. It's situated north of the port and, with Monaco Ville, constitutes that part of the principality that visitors associate most closely with the Monaco of their dreams. Monte Carlo is, above all, famous for its casino and grand prix.
In the 1850s, Monaco was the poorest state in Europe. Its luck changed with the opening of Monte Carlo Casino - Europe's first - in 1865. The rather dull-sounding Plateau des Spélugues on which it stood was renamed Monte Carlo (a translation of 'Mont Charles' after Charles III), and within months it ranked as one of Europe's most glamorous playgrounds.
