Jardin Exotique de Monaco (Monaco Exotic Garden)

Jardin Exotique de Monaco (Monaco Exotic Garden) Review

Carved out of the rock face and one of Monte Carlo's most stunning escapes, the gardens are studded with thousands of succulents and cacti, all set along promenades and belvederes over the sea. There are rare plants from Mexico and Africa, and the hillside plot, threaded with bridges and grottoes and studded with faux boulders (actually hollow sculptures), can't be beat for coastal splendor. Prince Albert I established the gardens in the late 19th century. Also on the grounds, or actually under them, are the Grottes de l'Observatoire —spectacular grottoes and caves a-drip with stalagmites and spotlighted with fairy lights. The largest cavern is called "La Grande Salle" and looks like a Romanesque rock cathedral. Traces of Cro-Magnon civilization have been found here, so the grottoes now bear the official name of the Musée d'Anthropologie.