More than 250,000 square metres for a city-state of 195 hectares, which puts it in second place in Europe, just after Vienna.  Everywhere, rare, valuable plants mix harmoniously with local Mediterranean plants and flowers.

In Monte Carlo, above the Casino, "La petite Afrique" (The Little Africa) garden, with its exuberant species of trees and exotic plants is adjacent to the Jardin des Boulingrins (Boulingrins Garden) with its magnificent fountains.  Both gardens were designed by the French landscape gardener and botanist Edouard André at the end of the XIXth century.

Lower down, in the Larvotto district, just before the beaches, the Jardin Japonais (Japanese Garden), a stylised copy of nature, with its mountain, its waterfall, its beach and its ornamental pools and stream, is an authentic work of art designed in accordance with the strictest Zen principles.  Designed at the request of H.S.H. Prince Rainier III by the landscape architect Yasuo Beppu, who won the Grand Prix at the Osaka Floral Exhibition '90, it has an asymmetrical, semi-natural structure and required more than 17 months of preparation.

On the Rock, in Monaco's Old Town, between the Princely Palace and the Oceanographic Museum, are the Jardins St. Martin (St. Martin Gardens), where little paths wind nonchalantly along the hilltop.  The gardens hang over the south-eastern façade of the Rock, making for an amazing view of wild Mediterranean flora and masses of exotic trees.  Here and there, you can discover, for example, a lush landscape, classical works of art or ornamental ponds.

Going down towards the district of Fontvieille, land reclaimed from the sea, the landscaped gardens begin with the UNESCO garden, which overlooks the district and the Port of Fontvieille, with its fountains and nooks and crannies planted with trees and a path lined with numerous contemporary sculptures.

Near the little port of Fontvieille is a small lake bordered by palm and olive groves, which are laid out in an area of almost four hectares and are home to ducks and swans.  This is a lively pleasure garden.  The neighbouring Princess Grace rose garden is a place of calm and serenity, where visitors can enjoy the fragrance of some 4,000 rose bushes.

Climbing back up towards the district of the Jardin Exotique (Exotic Garden), you'll find the Parc Princesse Antoinette (Princess Antoinette Park), with its majestic entrance adorned with a spectacular curtain of Bougainvillea.  Here, the holy tree, the olive, reigns supreme - no less than 157 bushes have been planted.  This park also houses a small reconstruction of a farm, with goats, sheep and rabbits in an enclosed area that is accessible only to children accompanied by a park attendant.

The Park's authentic setting is a model of Monegasque identity and has hosted all kinds of events.  The Mairie (Town Hall) regularly organises public social events there.

Even today, the Commune (Monaco's administration) invites all Monegasques for a picnic in the park in the presence of the Princely Family on the last Sunday in June each year, in accordance with tradition.