VERA PI / Monaco
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VERA PI · The guide to the principality

Monaco

A city-state of 2.08 km² between the Alps and the sea, Grimaldi since 1297

  • Quartiers9
  • Streets262
  • Buildings1,247
  • Area2.08 km²
  • Places537
The listsSearch
Magnificent Panorama of Monaco
Photo: Benjamin Sibuet/Adobe Stock

About Monaco

Monaco is a sovereign city-state of 2.08 square kilometres on the French Riviera, bordered by France on three sides and by the Mediterranean on the fourth – after the Vatican, the second-smallest country in the world. The House of Grimaldi has ruled it, with brief interruptions, since 8 January 1297, when François Grimaldi, disguised as a Franciscan friar, talked his way into the fortress on the Rock and opened the gates to his men. The two sword-carrying monks on Monaco's coat of arms still tell the story. French is the official language, and the Franco-Monégasque Treaty of 1861 settled the principality's sovereignty.

Modern Monaco was invented in the 1860s. In 1856 Charles III granted a concession for sea bathing and a casino; in 1866 the bare Spélugues plateau across the harbour was renamed Monte-Carlo, Mount Charles; and in 1868 the railway arrived. The Casino and the Salle Garnier of 1878–79, by Charles Garnier and Jules Dutrou, set the Belle Époque register – turrets, balconies, pinnacles, coloured ceramics and caryatids – that still defines Monte-Carlo.

The twentieth century added height and land. Larvotto was laid out on the shore in the 1960s; Fontvieille was won from the sea between 1966 and 1973 to a plan by the architect Manfredi Nicoletti; and Mareterra, six hectares of new land between Port Hercule and the Grimaldi Forum, was inaugurated on 4 December 2024. The towers of the 1960s to the 1980s – Le Millefiori, L'Annonciade, Parc Saint Roman – were overtaken in 2015 by Alexandre Giraldi's 170-metre Tour Odéon, the tallest building in the principality.

The country climbs from the water to more than 160 metres at the Chemin des Révoires in a few hundred metres, so streets turn into stairways, hairpins and public lifts. This guide covers all of it: the nine quartiers, 262 streets and 1,247 buildings, the restaurants, shops, museums, gardens and viewpoints – every fact with its source.

The lists

Search Monaco

    Itineraries

    The sights

    Musée océanographique de MonacoMusée océanographique de MonacoMonaco-VilleBerthold Werner · CC BY-SA 3.0Prince's Palace of MonacoPrince's Palace of MonacoMonaco-VilleJorge Franganillo · CC BY 4.0Monaco Top Cars CollectionMonaco Top Cars CollectionLa CondamineGael13011 · CC BY 3.0Museum of Stamps and CoinsMuseum of Stamps and CoinsFontvieilleВалерий Дед · CC BY 3.0Museum of Prehistoric AnthropologyMuseum of Prehistoric AnthropologyJardin ExotiqueJean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France · CC BY 2.0Opéra de Monte-CarloOpéra de Monte-CarloMonte-CarloGilbert Bochenek · CC BY-SA 3.0Cathedral of Our Lady ImmaculateCathedral of Our Lady ImmaculateMonaco-VilleUser:Berthold Werner · CC BY-SA 3.0Jardin Exotique de MonacoJardin Exotique de MonacoJardin ExotiqueTangopaso · Public domainMusée de la Chapelle de la VisitationMusée de la Chapelle de la VisitationMonaco-VilleHans1967 · CC BY-SA 3.0Japanese GardenJapanese GardenLarvottoUser:Parisette · Public domainMonaco HeliportMonaco HeliportFontvieillegiggel · CC BY 3.0Port HerculesPort HerculesLa CondamineFilip Maljkovic · Public domain

    The quartiers

    Monaco-Ville38 streets · 85 buildingsMonte-Carlo66 streets · 300 buildingsLa Condamine65 streets · 230 buildingsFontvieille23 streets · 93 buildingsLarvotto13 streets · 76 buildingsMoneghetti22 streets · 160 buildingsSaint-Roman3 streets · 20 buildingsLa Rousse12 streets · 98 buildingsJardin Exotique20 streets · 185 buildings

    The quartiers

    Hours of sun on 21 March on the apartment buildings' sunniest façade (median; VERA PI's model, Copernicus GLO-30 terrain).

    Sun in MarchSun in DecemberFloorsHeightYear built
    Monaco-Ville – 6.2Monte-Carlo – 7.0La Condamine – 5.6Fontvieille – 7.7Larvotto – 8.8Moneghetti – 7.1Saint-Roman – 8.5La Rousse – 7.7Jardin Exotique – 8.0Monaco-VilleMonte-CarloLa CondamineFontvieilleLarvottoMoneghettiSaint-RomanLa RousseJardin Exotique
    lowerhigher

    Tap a quartier for its page. The map is also embeddable: https://vpios.com/monaco/allt?inb=1

    The quartiers ranked by sun in march

    #QuartierFloorsSun, 21 MarchSun, 21 Dec.StreetsBuildings
    1Larvotto11 floors8.8 h6.7 h1376
    2Saint-Roman–8.5 h5.8 h320
    3Jardin Exotique6 floors8.0 h7.0 h20185
    4Fontvieille9 floors7.7 h5.5 h2393
    5La Rousse–7.7 h5.3 h1298
    6Moneghetti8 floors7.1 h5.0 h22160
    7Monte-Carlo5 floors7.0 h5.3 h66300
    8Monaco-Ville4 floors6.2 h3.8 h3885
    9La Condamine4 floors5.6 h2.8 h65230

    Floors and sun: the median of each quartier's apartment buildings. No price is shown: Monaco publishes no open per-sale records, and IMSEE's district price statistics may not be republished under its terms.

    Monaco in numbers

    Population38,857Wikidata (Q235, P1082), CC0, 1 January 2025
    Area2.08 km²Wikidata (Q235, P2046), CC0
    Quartiers9VERA PI (OpenStreetMap)
    Named streets262OpenStreetMap
    Buildings1,247OpenStreetMap
    Apartment buildings405OpenStreetMap
    Landmarks and public buildings117OpenStreetMap, Wikidata
    Tallest building in OpenStreetMap111 mOpenStreetMap
    Restaurants, cafés and bars207OpenStreetMap
    Shops179OpenStreetMap
    Parks and gardens51OpenStreetMap
    Viewpoints22OpenStreetMap
    Sights231Wikidata, OpenStreetMap
    Bus lines13CAM GTFS
    Bus stops99CAM GTFS
    Daylight on 21 December8.9 h (08:03–16:55)NOAA
    Daylight on 21 June15.4 h (05:51–21:15)NOAA
    Sun on 21 March, apartment buildings (median)7.2 hVERA PI’s model

    Counts from the open data VERA PI reads, 25 October 2026. IMSEE's official statistics are not reproduced: its terms allow private use only.

    Places to know

    The ten in each list nearest the Casino, the port and the Palace – a selection by place, never by rating.

    Eat & drink

    Shops

    Hotels

    Culture

    The signature events

    • 1929Monaco Grand PrixEvery year in late spring, on the streets of Monte-Carlo and La Condamine – since 1929
    • 1911Monte Carlo RallyEvery year in January, finishing in Monaco – since 1911
    • 1897Monte-Carlo MastersEvery year in April, at the Monte-Carlo Country Club, just across the border in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin – since 1897
    • 1991Monaco Yacht ShowEvery year in September, in Port Hercule – since 1991
    • 1974International Circus Festival of Monte-CarloEvery year in January, under the big top in Fontvieille – since 1974
    • ·Herculis athletics meetingEvery summer, at the Stade Louis II
    • 2015Monaco ePrixIn spring, on the Grand Prix circuit – since 2015
    • ·Historic Grand Prix of MonacoEvery two years in spring, on the Grand Prix circuit
    • 1961Monte-Carlo Television FestivalEvery year in June, at the Grimaldi Forum – since 1961
    • ·National DayEvery year on 19 November, across the principality, with the ceremonies in Monaco-Ville

    Recurring events, from Wikipedia and Wikidata. This year's dates are on the organisers' own sites.

    Share

    Its own link and its own card – for a message, a story or a plan for the evening.

    The VERA PI card for Monaco
    Save the picture

    Sources

    Quartiers, buildings, streets and places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL 1.0. Sights: Wikidata (CC0), Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons. Buses: Compagnie des Autobus de Monaco GTFS (Licence Ouverte 2.0). Sun: VERA PI's model with the Copernicus GLO-30 terrain. The text: VERA PI.

    Wikipedia (en): Monaco

    Wikipédia (fr) : Monaco-Ville

    Wikipedia (en): Monte Carlo

    Wikipedia (en): Land reclamation in Monaco

    Wikipédia (fr) : Fontvieille (Monaco)

    Wikipedia (en): Le Portier

    Wikipedia (en): List of tallest buildings in Monaco

    VERA PI – OpenStreetMap counts

    Photo: Benjamin Sibuet/Adobe Stock