Jardin Japonais de Monaco (Japanese Garden), Monte-Carlo (must see)

The Japanese Garden of Monaco is an oasis of tranquillity amid the bustling Monte Carlo city. The garden was created by Japanese landscape architect Yasuo Beppu at the request of Prince Rainier III. It spans 7,000 square meters and took three years to build. The garden opened in 1994, thus fulfilling the life-long dream of Princess Grace, aka Grace Kelly, a Hollywood star and the mother of the current monarch of Monaco, Prince Albert II.

In accordance with Japanese tradition, the garden is asymmetrical in structure and appears quasi-natural, replete with vegetation, comprising a variety of plant species from different parts of the globe, including the Mediterranean, South America, Australia, Africa and Asia. A centrepiece of the garden is an 1100 square metre artificial lake.

Another notable thing about the garden is location. It is laid out over a concrete roof of a coach car park. Unlike the plants, all the man-made features within the garden, such as the gates, fences, tiles and lanterns, have been brought over from Japan.

The garden offers a peaceful, green retreat from the stone-, steel- and glass clad setting of Monaco. Perhaps the only thing not quite Japanese here is the lack of fog, which is richly compensated for by the Mediterranean sun, casting warm light upon the garden's every minute detail.