In the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, you can immerse yourself in the depths of the underwater world without needing to get wet, of course.

Before entering, admire the splendour of the building that houses it. It is a true monument to the sea located on an 85-metre-high cliff top rising above the Mediterranean. This beautiful building was designed by the architect Paul Delefortrie and it took more than 10 years to finish, using the best specialists in the world. Today, it is more than 100 years old, having been opened in 1910 by Prince Albert I of Monaco, and notably, between 1957 and 1988, its director was Jacques Cousteau.

If you have the chance, it is well worth a visit. You are sure to be fascinated. In its various rooms and more than 90 aquariums, you will discover a new world of shapes and colours, unless you are an expert diver who has dived all around the world. If you are, it will be even more interesting to you.

Here, you can see an extensive array of marine fauna with species that everyone loves: delicate seahorses, giant rays, menacing sharks, endearing turtles, the well-known clownfish and the dreaded spotfin lionfish, for example. Not to be missed are the reproductions of Mediterranean and tropical ecosystems, the 400 cubic metre shark lagoon or the skeletons of large marine mammals on the first floor.

And if you are an intrepid traveller, here is a detail that few people know. Just below the Oceanographic Museum, there is a curious building located a few metres above sea level, on some rocks. It is best seen from the sea and is frequently photographed by tourists next to the Oceanographic. It is the former prison of Monaco, now converted into luxury apartments.