Avenue Princesse Grace and Mareterra

You are at the start of Avenue Princesse Grace, between the harbour and the Grimaldi Forum. The avenue is named after Grace Kelly, the American actress who became Princess of Monaco. On the land side, look at the buildings: after the Second World War, Gildo Pastor acquired much of the land in Larvotto, and in 1966 Prince Rainier III authorised high-rise construction. On the sea side, the landscape is even newer. In front of you lies Mareterra, also called Portier Cove: a 6 hectare platform reclaimed from the sea. On 18 July 2019 the last concrete caisson closed the belt enclosing the extension, and Monaco’s area grew by about 3%. The district was inaugurated on 4 December 2024 by Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene. It is pedestrian, with a park, a seafront promenade of about 500 metres and a small harbour. During construction, Posidonia seagrass was transplanted to the Larvotto reserve, but some associations criticised the project’s impact on the seabed. Walk towards the sea to see the new coastline.

History

Avenue Princesse Grace runs along the Larvotto district, in the east of Monaco. It honours Grace Kelly, the American actress who became Princess consort of Monaco. After the Second World War, the entrepreneur Gildo Pastor acquired much of the land in the district. In 1966 Prince Rainier III authorised high-rise construction: residences and hotels rose from the 1960s, followed by other buildings such as the Grimaldi Forum, inaugurated in 2000.

Short of space, Monaco has several times reclaimed land from the sea, as at Fontvieille. The Portier Cove project, launched in the early 2000s, was halted in 2009 and then relaunched. In 2019 the last concrete caisson closed the belt enclosing the extension, and the 6 hectare platform was completed on 16 December 2019. The new district, named Mareterra, was officially inaugurated on 4 December 2024 by Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene.

Art and architecture

Mareterra is presented as an eco-district. It is entirely pedestrian and devotes 3 hectares to public spaces, including a park of about 1 hectare and a seafront promenade of about 500 metres. There are also homes, shops, an extension of the Grimaldi Forum and a small marina.

To limit the project’s footprint, solar panels were installed and some 800 trees planted. Before the caissons were placed, about 384 m² of Posidonia seagrass was transplanted to the Larvotto marine protected area, about 200 metres away.

Anecdotes

The works physically changed the principality’s borders: with this single district, Monaco’s area grew by about 3%. The total cost is estimated at more than 2 billion euros.

The project was not universally welcomed. Some associations criticised its impact on marine biodiversity, because of the loss of seabed beneath the landfill. Both points of view are now part of the story of this stretch of coast.

The avenue itself tells the recent history of the principality. At number 10 stands the Grimaldi Forum, at number 17 Villa Sauber, one of the two sites of the New National Museum of Monaco, and at number 26 the Monte-Carlo Sporting. A public sculpture called Le Pêcheur, the Fisherman, also recalls the maritime past of this shore, long before the buildings.

What to look for

From the avenue, compare the two sides of the landscape: on one side the Larvotto buildings, built since the 1960s, on the other the brand new seafront of Mareterra. Join the seafront promenade to walk along the new coast and look back towards the Rock and the harbour.

Practical

The start of the avenue is about 10 minutes on foot from Place du Casino, heading down towards the sea. Mareterra’s public spaces are pedestrian and freely accessible. The promenade is open and largely sunny: bring water and sun protection in summer.

Nearby

Continuing east along the avenue, you reach the Grimaldi Forum, the Japanese garden, Villa Sauber and then Larvotto beach. To the west, Port Hercule and the bends of the Formula 1 circuit are very close.

Test yourself

Sources

• Wikipédia : Le Portier
• Wikipédia : Avenue Princesse-Grace
• Wikipedia: Le Portier

Information checked on 30 September 2026.