Perhaps no port of call is better designed to welcome a luxury yacht than Monte Carlo, where some of the most splendid vessels in the world make their home. At this playground for the rich and famous, the only thing more spectacular than the yachts filling the harbor are the luxury cars driving the winding streets that host the annual Grand Prix. Verdant mountains ascend abruptly behind the lavish high-rises lining the bay, and perched on the cliff is the Palace of the Prince, where the Changing of the Guard attracts onlookers each morning at 11:55. The nearby Cathedral of Monaco holds the tomb of beloved Princess Grace and other royalty. Prince Albert I founded the city’s remarkable oceanographic museum, once curated by Jacques Cousteau, and Prince Charles III established the elaborate Monte Carlo Casino, where high rollers try their luck and James Bond famously sips his martinis.
