Port Hercule & La Condamine

Port Hercule is the only deep-water harbour on this stretch of coast and has been in use since antiquity — the Greeks and Romans both sheltered here. Today it holds around 700 berths, including some of the largest private yachts in the world, and its quays are the most animated part of Monaco at almost any hour.

Behind the harbour, La Condamine is where the Principality does its ordinary business. The Marché de la Condamine on Place d’Armes has been running since 1880 and is still the best-value food in the country — a plate at Maison des Pâtes or a socca from the stalls costs a fraction of anything in Monte-Carlo.

For three days each May the quays become the Grand Prix circuit’s fastest section, running from the tunnel exit along the water to the chicane and the swimming-pool complex. A harbour-facing balcony here is one of the best seats in motorsport — and priced accordingly.

Best for

• Superyacht watching
• The Grand Prix
• Eating where residents eat

Getting around from here

Monaco’s public lifts and escalators — around 80 of them — do most of the climbing between quarters, and they are free. Bus lines 1, 2 and 6 connect the whole country for a couple of euros, and nothing on this site is more than a twenty-minute walk from anything else. Full detail in the Monaco travel guide.