If you were to dream up the perfect garden, chances are you’ll picture a scene that is almost identical to the landscape of St Martin Gardens in Monaco. Of the various parks and green spaces dotted across Monaco Ville, St Martin Gardens is the slightly less visible and underappreciated counterpart. Thankfully, this affords it the luxury of privacy. Truth be told, walking through the gardens will leave you in a private conversation with the murmuring whispers of the trees and hovering insects, uninterrupted by the blaring sounds and throbbing lights of the city.

The gardens gravel walkways are woven across the jutting lips of the cliff ridges on the southwest face of the Rock. The plentiful arms of Aleppo Pines reach out across your path, shading you against the dry heat of the sun in summer while small beds of blooms reach out to catch the occasional ray in their glistening dewy leaves. As you stroll along the vibrant flora from the Mediterranean and beyond, keep a look out for the classical works of art weaved seamlessly into the background by the architect. Burnished iron and copper are shaped into suggestive silhouettes trapped in their emotions for eternity, the artists responsible etched into metal plates hammered into the stone foundation beneath. Before you leave, try to end the trail at the wide promontory paved in stone. This is where the nautical voyager Prince Albert I has been preserved in time and cast in copper, caught in his gusto to seek new lands as he points forth to the vast Mediterranean stretching away beyond the hanging platform. The dancing colors of the sunset as mirrored by the listless ocean are best seen unobstructed from this point and will leave you with a lasting memory of Monaco’s beauty.