Top attractions in Monaco

Everything worth your time in Monaco, Monaco — sorted with the must-sees first.

• Monte Carlo Casino — landmark. Charles Garnier's 1863 Belle Époque casino, the building that made Monaco. The gaming rooms open to visitors from 2pm (passport, dress code, entry fee); the atrium and Café de Paris terrace are free. Gawking at the supercars outside is a sport in itself. (€19 gaming rooms; atrium free)
• Oceanographic Museum — museum. Prince Albert I's 1910 marine museum, clinging to the cliff face of the Rock with a 90-metre drop to the sea. Shark lagoon, a Mediterranean aquarium and Cousteau's legacy; the rooftop terrace has the best free view in Monaco. (€19)
• Formula 1 circuit walk — landmark. The Grand Prix runs on public roads, so you can walk the lap any day of the year: Sainte-Dévote, the climb to Casino Square, the Fairmont hairpin, the tunnel and the harbour chicane. Around 3.3 km; start at the port. (Free)
• Monaco-Ville (Le Rocher) — landmark. The medieval old town on the Rock — pastel lanes, the cathedral, the palace square and the Saint-Martin gardens along the cliff. The only part of Monaco that feels like a village rather than a bank vault. (Free)
• Prince's Palace — landmark. The Grimaldi residence on the Rock since 1297. The changing of the guard is at 11:55 daily; the state apartments open April to October, with their restored Renaissance frescoes the reason to go in. (€10 state apartments; guard change free)
• Larvotto Beach — beach. Monaco's one public beach, rebuilt in 2021 with a new promenade, restaurants and imported sand. Small, clean and busy; the sea is roped off from the yachts. (Free; loungers from €25)
• Port Hercule — landmark. The deep-water harbour at the centre of the principality, lined with superyachts and the grandstands of the Grand Prix. The quayside cafés are the cheapest seat in Monaco for watching money go by. (Free)
• Cathédrale de Monaco — historical. The 1875 Romanesque-Byzantine cathedral on the Rock, where Princess Grace and Prince Rainier are buried. Her tomb, always covered in flowers, draws most visitors. (Free)
• Japanese Garden — nature. A 7,000-square-metre Zen garden on the seafront near Larvotto, designed by a Japanese landscape architect and blessed by a Shinto priest. Quiet, free and the antidote to Casino Square. (Free)
• Prince's Car Collection — museum. Prince Rainier's collection of about a hundred cars, moved to a new hall at Port Hercule in 2022 — from a 1903 De Dion-Bouton to the F1 cars of Monaco's own Charles Leclerc. (€10)

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