Part of our amazing France trip this summer included a day trip to Monaco City, Monaco. We flew into Paris, and spent several days there. Then we took the train to Nice, and stayed in Eze. While in Eze, being only 10 minutes from Monaco, we drove over and spent an entire day in the city!
Most of our day trip was spent on The Rock of Monaco, a 203 ft tall flat rock that boasts the Prince's Palace, incredible gardens, walkable streets and other historic buildings. It's a very easy day-trip, and our kids did a fabulous job of handling it. The day we went was warm, right around 90° - but they still did great! Ice cream toward the end definitely helped with the heat.
Without further ado, here are some of our favorite things to see on The Rock in Monaco City.
Prince's Palace of Monaco
The Prince's Palace is the current residence of the sovereign prince of Monaco. It was built in 1191 as a fortress and became the stronghold of the Grimaldi family. Throughout the years it has been besieged and captured by many foreign powers.
Now, the palace is home to Prince Rainier's son Prince Albert II. The state rooms are open in the summer to the public.
To get to the palace, which is located on the Rock of Monaco, you can either take a bus to the top, or hike to the top. It's a rather steep incline, 62 feet up, but it's very doable! Our twins were able to do it, and they're 5.
The hike is a mix of stairs and inclines. The beginning of the hike is in the woods, which turns into the fortress walls near the top. The first thing you will see when you get to the top of the Rock is the Prince's Palace.
Jardins Saint-Martin
As you walk past the Prince's Palace, toward the edge of the city, you will find the opening to the Saint-Martin Gardens. The gardens are a series of paths with sculptures, lush greenery, and beautiful views of the Mediterranean. There are bathrooms within the gardens as well, in case you need to use them.
There are several overlooks that are great spots to take pictures or enjoy the view. We walked past fountains, which the kids loved. The flowering trees were a big hit. But the part our kids loved the most, is a pathway filled with cactus and desert vegetation. Along this path are geckos and lizards! That was a highlight.
Within the grounds is the Princess Grace Statue and Statue du Prince Albert Ier, as well as other wonderful statues.
Musée océanographique de Monaco
The Museum of Oceanography is a museum of marine sciences just past the gardens on the Rock. It's a museum filled with sea life and includes a variety of ocean related objects such as ships, tools, weapons, and animal skeletons. And the basement level has a massive aquarium with over 4,000 types of fish.
The museum took 11 years to build, using over 100,000 stones from La Turbie, and it towers over the Mediterranean. This museum can also be seen from the Jardins Saint-Martin.
(See my article on La Turbie! Another fabulous city that we enjoyed so much)
Chapelle de la Visitation
The Museum of the Chapel of Visitation is an art museum and Roman Catholic chapel. It's open for visitation 10:00am-4:00pm daily.
Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate
The Cathedral was built from 1875 to 1903 and consecrated on June 11, 1911. The current church is located on the site of the first parish church in Monaco, which was constructed in 1252. It was dedicated to its patron Saint Nicholas.
Within the cathedral walls is where many of the Grimaldi family members are buried, including Prince Rainier III and his wife Grace, Princess of Monaco. Also found here is the transept, the high altar, and the episcopal throne.
The church is open daily from 9:00am-6:00pm and it's free to walk through and spend time there.
Monaco Courthouse
The Monaco Supreme Court is the highest court of law in the city-state of Monaco for judicial appeals and administrative issues. Members of the supreme court must be at least 40 years of age and are French jurists, either professors of public law, or members of the French Court of Cassation, or Council of the State.
The Courthouse is located across the street from Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate, and down the road from Prince's Palace. It's also near the entrance of the gardens!
The Monaco Open Air Cinema
Visit the The Monaco Open Air Cinema! An outdoor movie theater showing films on the cliffside overlooking the Mediterranean Sea!
Located next to the Musée océanographique de Monaco, it's easy to walk to. Their website shows what will be airing, as well as showtimes and pricing.
Visit The Chocolaterie de Monaco
This shop is has been a chocolate confectioner since 1920 and offers gourmet chocolates, tea, coffee, donuts and desserts. We stopped in for a brief rest from walking around and touring everything on the Rock.
Our kids enjoyed some chocolate covered nuts, and my husband and I got an Italian hot chocolate. Wow. Delicious.
On Your Way Down...
When you're ready to head back down, be sure to stop by the Vue panoramique sur Monaco - a lookout spot along the path back to Monaco City that offers a beautiful view of the harbor and city beyond.
Or stop on your way up! Either way, it's a great spot to take in the view of Monaco.
There is so much to do and see beyond The Rock as well. We didn't venture past the harbor (though we did enjoy watching yachts coming in and out!) because our kids had had enough after The Rock. Traveling with children is definitely a different experience than without. Certain parts of our adventure days needed to be modified so they could handle the sightseeing. Their brains get tired faster than ours do!
But! If you're heading to the city and want to see more, here are a few other places to explore:
- Jardins de la Petite Afrique - lush gardens filled with exotic plants and flowers
- Casino de Monte-Carlo - the very famous casino that opened its doors in the late 1850's/early 1860's and continues to leave a legacy worldwide today
- Opéra de Monte-Carlo - the opera house is known for its incredible architecture and began operation in 1879
- The shopping
- The beaches
- Le Jardin Japonais - Princess Grace Japanese Garden
- The Champions Promenade - waterfront street with feet imprints of famous soccer players
- Port Hercule - the only deep water port in Monaco
- Port de Fontvieille - a rock sheltered port that can be seen from The Rock and Saint-Martin Gardens
- Jardin de l'Unesco - UNESCO Garden featuring large sculptures and beautiful flowers
And that's just a few items to consider!
While the entire country of Monaco is only 514 acres, there's so much to do and see within the small area. If you go, let me know!
As always -
Happy Traveling, Jessica
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