1 destination · 10 things to do

Monaco

Monaco is the smallest and most densely glamorous corner of the Riviera: a cliff-hugging principality of about two square kilometres where a fairy-tale palace, a Belle Époque casino, a cathedral holding Grace Kelly's tomb, a rebuilt tropical garden and the most famous street circuit in motor racing all sit within a short walk of each other. This guide books Monaco properly: the Oceanographic Museum clinging to its sea cliff, the Monte-Carlo Casino and its free atrium, the Exotic Garden newly reopened after six years of works, the old town on Le Rocher with the Palace Square and the daily Changing of the Guard, the Prince's Car Collection, Fontvieille's rose garden, a hop-on hop-off loop to cover the whole principality, a Formula 1 circuit walk and a small-group half-day to the hilltop village of Èze. It then matches you to a hotel, from the Hôtel de Paris on Casino Square to calmer, better-value bases in Fontvieille, the port and La Condamine, because in a country this small and this steep, where you sleep decides how many hills you climb before dinner.