Monaco

Monaco is a sovereign principality on the Côte d’Azur, pressed between the rocky spurs of the Maritime Alps and the Mediterranean. The world’s second-smallest state, it fits Monte-Carlo, the superyacht berths of Port Hercule, the old town on the Rock — Monaco-Ville — and Larvotto beach into roughly two square kilometres. The nearest airport is Nice, about half an hour away by road.

Monte-Carlo centres on Casino Square, where Charles Garnier’s palace of 1878 houses both the casino and an opera hall, framed by a golden mile of Hermès, Chanel, Dior and Cartier boutiques. On the Rock stand the Grimaldis’ Prince’s Palace, raised on the site of a Genoese fortress of 1215, the white-stone cathedral where the princes are laid to rest and the Oceanographic Museum founded by Prince Albert I. In May the Formula 1 Grand Prix races through the streets; in September the port hosts the Monaco Yacht Show.

The climate is Mediterranean, with up to 300 sunny days a year, mild winters of around 8–10 °C and dry, warm summers near 26 °C, while the Maritime Alps hold off the northern winds. The principality welcomes visitors all year, busiest from April to October, and suits couples, lovers of fine dining, art and motor racing, and anyone who likes to pair the sea with evenings at the casino or the opera.