Heritage in Monaco: the story of a principality

Old Monaco, its medieval lanes and the Prince's Palace have crowned the Rock for centuries. Residence of the Grimaldi, the Palace opens its court of honour and its State Apartments — Renaissance frescoes, the Hercules Gallery, the Throne Room — during its visiting season; we tour them with a guide specialised in the dynasty, and ask for a private visit subject to the Palace's rules.

The Cathedral of Monaco, where the princes rest and where the religious wedding of Rainier III and Grace Kelly took place, completes the route. We compose the visit away from peak hours, closest to the history of the principality.

Clinging to the cliff since 1910, the Oceanographic Museum was founded by Prince Albert I, a scholar and explorer of the seas, and directed from 1957 to 1988 by Commander Cousteau. Its aquariums, its collections and its panoramic terrace make it a museum apart on the Mediterranean.

We arrange the visit away from peak hours, narrated by a specialist, and ask for behind-the-scenes access when the museum allows it — a plunge into more than a century of marine science.

The Nouveau Musée National de Monaco displays its modern and contemporary art collection between the Villa Paloma and the Villa Sauber; the Exotic Garden, suspended above the sea, gathers thousands of succulents and a prehistoric cave. We prepare these visits with care, according to each venue's opening periods.

An evening at the Monte-Carlo Opera in the Salle Garnier, a major exhibition, a visit to a private collection when its owner agrees: Monégasque culture extends into the evening, dinner and transfers coordinated.

Minutes away, the Riviera extends the heritage: the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild at Cap-Ferrat, the Villa Kérylos at Beaulieu, the gardens of Èze. We compose the cultural escape, by chauffeured car or by helicopter from the Monaco heliport.