Jardin Exotique de Monaco (Exotic Garden of Monaco), Monte-Carlo (must see)

The Exotic Garden of Monaco (Jardin Exotique de Monaco), situated on a cliffside in Monaco, is a botanical garden spanning approximately 15,000 square meters. This unique garden boasts a diverse collection of around a thousand cacti and other succulent plants characterized by water-storing stems or hypertrophic leaves. These plants, originally hailing from semi-arid regions across the planet, continue to flourish with abundant flower displays. Notably, South African succulents like Aloe and Crassula bloom during the winter months (January to February), while cacti, native to the Americas, grace the garden with their blossoms during the spring and summer.

The garden's mature trees, lining its pathways, offer a glimpse into the collection's history, serving as the foundation for the garden's creation. Opened to the public in February 1933, and further enriched in the 1960s with the addition of a botanical center and a specialized tree nursery, this garden ranks among the most popular tourist attractions in the Principality of Monaco.

Back in 1912, Albert I, Prince of Monaco, acquired a piece of land in Les Moneghetti. He entrusted Louis Notari, Monaco's Chief Engineer, with the task of constructing a new garden featuring footbridges. During the construction process in 1916, an unexpected discovery was made: a grotto beneath the site. Despite this, the garden was completed in 1933. The inaugural director of the garden from 1933 to 1969 was Louis Vatrican, a Monegasque agronomist, who expanded the collection by introducing African succulents alongside the existing South American flora. After his retirement in 1969, Marcel Kroenlein succeeded him.

The grotto was made accessible to the public in 1950 but can only be explored with the assistance of specialized guides. Remarkably, the cave has yielded evidence of prehistoric human habitation, and within the Exotic Garden, a Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology, established by Prince Albert I in 1902, proudly exhibits many of these ancient relics.