A white Romanesque-Revival cathedral on the Rock, built in 1875 on the site of a thirteenth-century church. The Grimaldi princes are buried here, Rainier III and Grace Kelly among them.
Built from white La Turbie stone in 1875, the cathedral replaced a much older parish church dedicated to Saint Nicholas. It is where Rainier III married Grace Kelly in 1956 in a ceremony broadcast across the world, and where both are now buried — her grave, marked simply "Gratia Patricia", is the one people come to see.
Inside, the most significant object is an altarpiece by Louis Bréa from 1500, survivor of the earlier church, along with a large Merklin organ. It is a working cathedral with regular services and a choir; entry is free.
It sits a couple of minutes from both the Palace and the Oceanographic Museum, so it slots into any walk on the Rock without a detour.
| Entry | Free |
|---|---|
| Where | Rue Colonel Bellando de Castro, Monaco-Ville |
| Note | A working cathedral — dress respectfully, services take priority |
Everything in Monaco is within a twenty-minute walk, but the country climbs from sea level to about 160 metres — use the network of roughly 80 free public lifts and escalators rather than the streets. Buses 1, 2 and 6 cover the whole Principality for a couple of euros. Full detail in the Monaco travel guide, and transfers from Nice airport in getting to Monaco.
The building that paid for a country
The most famous gaming room on earth, opened in 1863 to save the Grimaldis from bankruptcy — and successful enough that Monegasque citizens have paid no income tax since. Charles Garnier, architect of the Paris Opera, designed the concert hall attached to it.
A prince, a cliff and Jacques Cousteau
Better than almost any aquarium, because it was never meant to be one. Prince Albert I built it into the cliff face in 1910 as a serious research institution, and Jacques Cousteau ran it for thirty years.
Taken by a monk with a sword, 1297
A working royal residence on the site of a Genoese fortress. François Grimaldi took it in 1297 disguised as a Franciscan monk — which is why two sword-carrying monks still stand on the Monegasque coat of arms.
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