The nine arches
Its trademark.
Uhooep — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zakarie Faibis — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Supporterhéninois — CC0 · Zakarie Faibis — CC BY-SA 4.0 · FromMorningToMidnight — CC BY-SA 4.0
Stade Louis II is Monaco's only football and athletics stadium, home of AS Monaco, in the Fontvieille district near the French border. It is best known for the nine arches at one end, and with 16,360 seats it holds almost half the country's population, a remarkable sight for anyone who follows football. The original stadium opened in 1939. In 1979 Prince Rainier III decided on a sports complex in Fontvieille and brought in Parisian architects, with work running from May 1981 to 1984 on land reclaimed from the sea. It was inaugurated on 25 January 1985, and it hosted the UEFA Super Cup in 1986 and from 1998 to 2012. From the street you see a pale stone front with arched windows and big letters giving the stadium's name, with tall white arches above the stands. Most facilities are underground, including the Gaston-Médecin sports hall, the Prince Albert II aquatic centre and a large car park beneath the pitch. Inside are red roofs and clipped turf, with mountains behind. It is about 310 m in a straight line from the Princess Grace Rose Garden. Match days take over much of the area around it, so plan for crowds. Ask on site about visitor tours, which may not run every day. The stadium also hosts the Herculis athletics meet in the Diamond League.
Its trademark.
The stadium's name in letters.
Above a large car park.
Fontvieille, Monaco
Princess Grace Rose GardenThe Princess Grace Rose Garden is a municipal garden in the Fontvieille district4 minutes walk
Museum of Stamps and CoinsThe Museum of Stamps and Coins in the Fontvieille district tells the postal hist5 minutes walk
Exotic Garden and Observatory CaveA garden hanging on a towering rock face above the Fontvieille district, opened 5 minutes walk4.5
Prince's PalaceThe seat of the ruling Grimaldi family since the late thirteenth century, when F7 minutes walk4.5
Rampe MajorRampe Major is an old paved walkway climbing from Place d'Armes in La Condamine 8 minutes walkAsk on site, as they may not run every day.
AS Monaco football club.