Monaco-Ville, the old town on the Rock, is small enough to cross in a few minutes, yet it holds most of the principality's history. This guide covers five places there: the Prince's Palace, the Chapel of Mercy, the Town Hall, the Saint-Martin Gardens and the Oceanographic Museum. They show the Rock as fortress, seat of a dynasty, home of a small town community and, since Prince Albert I, a centre for the study of the sea.
Prince's Palace of Monaco
The palace began as a fortress of the Republic of Genoa, which took control of the harbour in 1191; work on a new castle with four towers started in 1215, and that castle is still the core of the building. According to legend, in 1297 François Grimaldi entered the fortress disguised as a monk, killed the guard and let his men in, the start of Grimaldi rule. Some modern historians doubt the story, but a statue of him in a monk's habit stands in the palace quarter to recall the capture of the fortress.
The palace is still the working home and office of the reigning prince. Inside, the rooms are arranged around a Court of Honour, where two tiers of frescoed open arcades serve as a ceremonial balcony. The upper arcade is called the Gallery of Hercules after its ceiling paintings of the Labours of Hercules, first painted by Orazio de Ferrari under Prince Honoré II. The state apartments, decorated in an 18th-century style inspired by Versailles, are open to visitors in summer, and since 1960 the courtyard has hosted open-air concerts of the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra.
- The changing of the guard by the Prince's Carabiniers on the Place du Palais, held every day just before noon.
- The statue of François Grimaldi dressed as a monk, a reminder of the legend of 1297.
- The view from the edge of the square over the harbour of Port Hercule and Monte-Carlo.
Chapel of Mercy
The Chapelle de la Miséricorde is one of the oldest buildings in Monaco: its first stone was blessed in 1639, under Prince Honoré II, who was himself prior of the Brotherhood of the Black Penitents that started the chapel. The White Penitents later joined them to form the Brotherhood of Mercy, which still looks after it. The interior is richly decorated with paintings, gilding and marble. Its best-known work is a wooden figure of Christ by François-Joseph Bosio, the Monaco-born sculptor who worked for Napoleon I.
- The Bosio Christ, carried through the streets of the old town in the traditional Holy Week procession of the dead Christ, which starts here.
- The paintings, gilding and coloured marble of the interior, the work of several centuries.
Monaco Town Hall
The Town Hall (Mairie, in Monegasque Meria de Mùnegu) on the Place de la Mairie began life as a school. It was built as the Collège Saint-Charles (in Monegasque, Culege San Carlu), founded in 1881; the prince first entrusted it to priests and it was later run by the Marianist brothers. Its most famous pupil was the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, who studied here from 1888 to 1896. By 1901 the building had become the seat of the municipality, and it was already the town hall during the Monegasque Revolution of 1910. Today the communal council of Monaco meets here.
- The square in front, the civic centre of the Rock, and the narrow streets of the old town leading off it.
Saint-Martin Gardens
The Jardins Saint-Martin cling to the south-western cliff of the Rock, below Avenue Saint-Martin, between the cathedral and the Oceanographic Museum. Prince Honoré V had them laid out in the first half of the 19th century, and their paths wind about 60 metres above the sea. The planting is Mediterranean, with pines, olive and fig trees, holm oaks and oleanders, mixed with cacti, agaves and papyrus.
- The bronze statue of Prince Albert I at the helm of a ship, made by François Cogné in 1951, a tribute to the prince who explored the oceans.
- The views over Fontvieille and the open Mediterranean from the lookouts along the cliff.
Oceanographic Museum of Monaco
At the far end of the gardens, the Musée océanographique rises straight out of the cliff face. It was founded by Prince Albert I, who inaugurated it in 1910. The building took eleven years and about 100,000 tonnes of stone from La Turbie, and its sea-facing front stands about 85 metres above the water. Jacques-Yves Cousteau was its director from 1957 to 1988. In the basement, the aquarium shows thousands of species of fish and hundreds of families of invertebrates.
- The sea facade rising out of the rock, best seen from the paths of the Saint-Martin Gardens.
How to see them in one walk
Start on the Place du Palais with the Prince's Palace and, if you are there just before noon, the changing of the guard. Walk into the lanes of the old town past the Palace of Justice and Saint Nicholas Cathedral, then go on to the Chapel of Mercy and the Town Hall on the Place de la Mairie. Come back towards the cliff to the Saint-Martin Gardens and follow the paths to the Oceanographic Museum. The streets of the Rock are made for walking; the climb up from the harbour is the steepest part of the day. Leave extra time if you want to go inside the palace or the museum, as both deserve a proper visit.
See Monaco with World City Trail
Our Monaco scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops, from the Prince's Palace to a panoramic view over the principality, and the palace, the Chapel of Mercy, the Saint-Martin Gardens and the Oceanographic Museum are all stops, along with the Girl on a Chair sculpture, the Palace of Justice, Saint Nicholas Cathedral, the Post Office and the Chapel of the Visitation. The Town Hall is not a stop, but it is only a short walk from the route. At each stop you solve a puzzle and learn a story, at your own pace.
There is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Monaco, for people who prefer a different format.
Play the Monaco scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Monaco →
Play the outdoor escape game in Monaco →
Facts checked in October 2026.