6 Best Sights in Monaco

Perched dramatically on a cliff, this museum is a splendid Edwardian structure, built under Prince Albert I to house specimens collected on amateur explorations, including Jacques Cousteau–led missions from 1957 to 1988. The main floor exhibits the skeletons and taxidermy of enormous sea creatures, early submarines and diving gear dating to the Middle Ages, and a few interactive science displays. The main draw is the famous aquarium, a vast complex of backlighted tanks containing more than 6,000 species of fish, crab, and eel in pools running 100–450,000 liters.

Most of Monaco's sights are concentrated—with tidy, self-conscious charm—on the broad plateau known as Le Rocher, or the Rock. Here, in the medieval heart of Monaco, you'll find the cathedral, palace, Musée Océanographique, and the delightful St- Martin Gardens, the country’s first public garden (open since 1816). Only vehicles with Monaco license plates can drive through the gate, but the No. 1 or 2 buses will get you to the top. If you're feeling energetic, climb the 42 steps of the Rampe Majeur from Place d'Armes, behind the right corner of the port. You can also approach the Rock by elevator from the seafront at the port's farthest end, though this, too, requires some walking.

Although area businesses are predominately souvenir stores that cater to cruise visitors, there are a few unique establishments, including Chocolaterie de Monaco, which has been open since 1920; the award-winning La Montgolfière restaurant; and Les 5 Saveurs ( 6 bis, rue Basse), a shop that sells Panier des Sens natural, made-in-Marseilles cosmetics and soaps that are favored by Monaco residents.

In this impressive assemblage of Prince Rainier's vintage cars, you'll find everything from a De Dion Bouton to a Lamborghini Countach. Also on the Terrasses de Fontvieille is the Jardin Animalier (Animal Garden), a mini-zoo housing the Grimaldi family's animal collection—an astonishing array of wild beasts that includes monkeys and exotic birds.

Probably the best known of the private beaches, La Note Bleue is one of several strands at the newly revamped Larvotto Beach. It has live music every Wednesday year-round, a restaurant serving breakfast and Mediterranean-Asian food from noon to night, and—most essential—loungers to rent (€30 per day) from mid-April to mid-October. It's also a jellyfish-free zone, with nets that keep their tentacles at bay. Amenities: food and drink; showers; toilets. Best for: sunrise; swimming.

Just off Avenue Princess Grace, one of the world's most costly streets on which to own property, is the only free public beach in Monaco. After two years of extensive renovations, it now has a pristine beachfront (protected by jellyfish nets) along with a promenade, bike lanes, and shops. Restaurants vary from Italian (Giacomo) to Mexican (Sexy Tacos), and across the street you'll find mind-blowing Japanese at the Niwaki, which is owned by the Sass Café family. Although the beach's €50 million face-lift is impressive, some complain it's too contemporary, and you'll have to put up with construction noise next door where the €2 billion, land-extension Portier Cove project is underway. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: sunrise; sunset.

It's a blissful downhill hike from Monte Carlo to the port along Boulevard Albert 1er, where pleasure boats of every length flash white and blue. Pop-up grandstands line the street for Grand Prix, and the far corner of the port is where the Institut Océanographique launches research boats to study aquatic life in the Mediterranean, as its late director Jacques Cousteau did for some 30 years. From here, you can also access the seawall—aka the renovated digue—and use the ladder to take a dip in the Mediterranean (just beware of the jellyfish). 

From La Condamine, you can catch a glimpse of the yachting club, one of the world's most prestigious and a staple on the local social circuit, where musicians such as Elton John and Duran Duran have performed. Steps from the club, at La Poissonnerie on Quai l'Hirondelle, you can witness the catch of the day from Monaco's fourth-generation (and only!) fisherman, Eric Rinaldi. He supplies many of Monaco's private chefs, including those who work on yachts. Surely you can afford €8 to try one of the freshest-ever Mediterranean prawns. Burger alert: There are several tasty burger joints in La Condamine, from Gruber's on Rue Princess Caroline to Steak 'n Shake near the train station.