This tour (around 2 km) in the heart of Monaco is showing you several waymarks with sites, that are well-known and a must-see and you might also see them during an official sightseeing-tour, but there are also some waymarks, that might surprise you. The route is just a suggestion and there is definitely more to see on the way. We'll start at the ...
Yellow Submarine (WM10NVB)
This yellow submarine, standing in front of the Oceanographic Museum, was built in 1966, and was the first submarine of Jacques Cousteau, who was the director of the museum for three decades. In the same year the song "Yellow Submarine" was published by the Beatles. In 2013 Ringo Starr (drummer of the Beatles) and his wife Barbara Bach visited the yellow submarine.
A few meters to the west you will find the entrance to the ...
Oceanographic Museum (WM1122K)
The museum was inaugurated by Prince Albert I of Monaco in 1910. As the name suggests, you will find many things related to oceans in this museum. Many tanks host countless species of the ocean fauna: Seahorses, sharks, crabs, lobsters, rays, turtles and much more.
The building is also worth seeing from the outside. There are several huge statues on the facade, columns, reliefs and other decorations. And, there are lots of ocean-related details to be found, if you take a closer look. Even the cast-iron decorations of the big entrance door contain several jellyfish, mussels, an octopus,...
Another few meters further to the southwest along the Avenue Saint Martin you can find a big relaxing area in the form of...
St. Martin Gardens (WM10R2X)
The first public garden in the Principality opened in 1816. It was built to fight unemployment of the residents, when a famine had hit the Principality. The size of it is more than 10,000 square meters. In it, there are many places to take a rest, several statues, memorials and artwork. And nature lovers can find lots of various exotic species along the winding paths. And there are several places that offer a great view to the ocean.
One of the highlights of the garden is the ...
Statue of Prince Albert I (WM10T90)
The life-size statue of Prince Albert I is the work of the sculptor François Cogné and was inaugurated in 1951 by Prince Rainier III. The statue shows Prince Albert I on board of a ship, because he spent much of his time with the study of oceans and the according fauna. He also founded the "Institut océanographique" (Oceanographic Institute) in 1906, that also manages the Oceanographic Museum.
Another remarkable artwork within the garden is ...
Le Carrefour de la Vie (WM10TEM)
The bronze statue "Le Carrefour de la Vie" (The Crossroads of Life) is the work of the Swiss artist Edouard-Marcel Sandoz (1881 - 1971) and at first sight just shows a naked woman, but in fact it shows a woman with four different portraits of her in her hair. The portraits show her at different ages (childhood, youth, maturity and old age). You have to walk around the statue and look at it from all sides to see it all.
Don't forget that there is much more to find in this garden and the two statues are just examples of what you might find there.
But now we leave the garden to find another wonderful building:
Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate (WM15E0E)
The "Cathédrale de Notre-Dame-Immaculée" is a very impressive building, that is also the burial place of many Grimaldis. Among others you find the grave of Gratia Patricia (Grace Kelly) and her husband, Prince Rainier III. We had to queue up to take a photo of these graves.
The interior of the cathedral is huge and impressive and loaded with paintings, architectural details and offers a lot to admire.
Now, we take the Rue Colonel Bellando de Castro heading northwest to reach the Place du Palais (Palace Square). Surprisingly, you will find there a starting/end point of the ...
Red Trail of Via Alpina (WM10RZ7)
This long distance hiking trail starts/ends here in glamorous Monaco and is devided in 161 stages across eight different countries: Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, France and Monaco. No matter, if you start or end here, it just doesn't seem to fit to the lavish wealth, casinos, helicopter shuttles, the Grand Prix etc.
Further on the tour we pass the Prince's Palace and go northwards to the Place d'Armes (Arms Square) to see an interesting ...
Police Station (WM10N6D)
The Police Station is a beautiful one-storey building hosting a department of the local police. We saw several police officers entering and leaving the building, so it's definitely an active police station. A sign on the long side of the building says "Commissariat de la Condamine, Police, Principauté de Monaco". According to some online ressources the police station was renovated in 1956 on the occasion of the marriage of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco and once again in 2015.
But now it's time to visit the ending point of our tour. It will take a while, but it's worth the effort and you definitely wouldn't want to miss the..
Circuit de Monaco (WM10MV5)
Many Formula 1 cars race through the winding streets of the (temporary) Monte Carlo circuit every year. The posted coordinates were taken at the starting grid of the race, but there is much more to see here. Of course it depends on when you are here. It takes six weeks to prepare anything before the race and another three weeks to dismantle everything.
I hope you like the tour and there is definitely much more to discover here. Enjoy!