Monaco Sights | TravelSavvy guide to Monaco city breaks

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Photo: Elsa SmithClownfish in the Oceonographic Museum

The Oceanographic Mueum overlooks the sea on a cliff
The National Monaco Museum specialises in dolls and automata
There are great coastal footpaths to nearby French resorts
Use the many lifts to get around in hilly Monaco

Tourist trail

There is such a lot to see in Monaco that you will be pushed to fir everything in with a short break. If you tire of the endless super yachts and luxury cars you can always dive into a museum.

There is a museum to suite almost every taste and, the Principality being so small, all are relatively eay to get to.

Monaco Oceanographic Museum

The Musée Océanographique overlooks the sea on a 260 feet high cliff, and is a must for both its location and content. The aquarium is possibly the finest in Europe with more than 400 species in over ninety pools.

Highlights include the Red Sea coral reef; a huge pool featuring a nurse shark and a number of turtle species; the flying scorpion fish and an extensive range of tropical fish.

In the exhibition Decouverte de l’Océan, marine phenomena such as waves, salinity and upwelling are explained while there is also an animated display of the Titanic disaster.

Napoleon Museum Monaco

Situated on a ground floor wing of the Royal Palace, the Musée Napoléonien et des Archives du Palais has many souvenirs of the life of Napoleon. The Prince of Monaco is descended from the emperor.

There are coins, uniforms, busts of Napoleon and Josephine, a watch and lorgnette and lots more. Upstairs there is floor concentrating on the history of Monaco, including the charter by Louis XII of France that recognized the principality’s independence.

Monaco National Museum

The Musée National de Monaco focuses on dolls and automata (clockwork and other working figures) and is located in a beautiful villa. There are more than 400 dolls, an 18th century crib with 250 figures and 19th century automata. Their intricate internal mechanisms are on display and they are set in motion during the day.

Monaco Motor Museum

Given Monaco’s association with Grand Prix racing and the Monte-Carlo Rally, it’s no surprise to find such a fabulous collection of old cars and carriages at the Collection des Voitures Anciennes. The display covers five floors and includes the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud presented to Prince Rainier on the day he married Grace Kelly.

There are exhibits devoted to the Grand Prix, including the 1929 Bugatti, winner of the first race, and a Ferrari F1 car.

Monaco Naval Museum

There are hundreds of model ships in the fascinating Musée Naval. Pride of place goes to a gondola that was constructed in 15 days for Napoleon. There is also a model of the USS Missouri as she was when the armistice was signed with Japan in 1945. Some models were made by Prince Albert himself.

Monaco Stamp and Coin Museum

The Musée de Timbres at des Monnaies displays all the stamps issued by the principality and the Princes’ collections. The museum is down near the Port de Fontveille (at the exit of the road tunnel), alongside the Naval Museum and Motor Museum. We know what you're thinking, but it really is worth a visit.

Princess Grace Irish Library Monaco

Anyone with Irish connections could be fascinated by Princess Grace’s personal collection of Irish books (most of which lined the walls of her Palace office) and Irish‑American sheet music form the very heart of the Library’s collections. in this library on the Rock, a short walk from the Palace.