The white stone palace clinging to a Monegasque cliff is known as the Temple of the Sea. Just as if the ancient city of Atlantis had emerged from the depths of the ocean, only a stretch of cliff separates the Monaco Oceanographic Museum from the Mediterranean sea. Over 6000 sea creatures can be found in the 6000 square metre monument on the Côte d’Azur. The aim is to familiarise people with the diversity of the sea – and with it the responsibility to protect it.
So close that visitors can become part of an expedition on board the Princess Alice II in an escape game. This laboratory ship once belonged to the man who started the history of the museum: Prince Albert I. As he preferred to sail the oceans rather than reign in the palace, his people called him Prince Navigateur. During an exploratory voyage in 1895, his crew killed a sperm whale. Albert I made a rare discovery in the whale’s vomit: a ten-armed deep-sea squid. The foundation stone was soon laid for the Palace Museum, where the find can still be viewed today – over a hundred years later.
Its prepared underwater animals and laboratories are just as old. In modern aquarium worlds, visitors can discover the tropical sea, the Mediterranean or the shark lagoon. There is also a research clinic for injured turtles. The Palace of the Seas is not just a museum. The associated Oceanographic Institute has been researching endangered species such as corals and sharks for over 100 years. It supports programmes for environmental and marine protection as well as saving the poles.
Visitors can get active themselves and immerse themselves in the underwater world with virtual reality goggles. Or play against time in an escape game: 1901, a storm rocks the laboratory ship – will the crew manage to save themselves? Those who move out of the dark blue of the aquariums will find the restaurant on the roof terrace, 85 metres up. Here you can enjoy a fantastic view over the Côte d’Azur and the residence of the Prince of Monaco.
The museum is open almost daily from 10 am to 7 pm (depending on the season). Admission for adults is 19 euros, students and children only pay 12 euros (as of May 2024) Admission & opening hours
Photo: M. Dagnino
