Tete de Chien Viewpoint

The single best view of Monaco is not in Monaco: the Tete de Chien - Dog's Head - is the 550-metre limestone promontory looming behind the principality, technically over the French line at La Turbie, and from its flat top the whole country fits in one frame - the rock, the port, the casino quarter, Larvotto's crescent and the sea to the horizon, with paragliders launching into the void alongside. A short walk gains it from the La Turbie side, and the village adds the Trophy of Augustus, the Romans' own monument to commanding these heights.

The landscape

• The full-country panorama - all of Monaco in a single frame below.
• Paraglider launches - flights dropping toward the coast from the top.
• The Trophy of Augustus - the Roman monument in La Turbie village.
• Sunset over the Riviera - the coast lighting up toward Cap Ferrat.

When to go

Year round; clear winter days give the sharpest visibility, summer evenings the golden light. Cloud sitting on the ridge erases everything - glance up from Monaco before driving. Mornings avoid haze over the sea.

Things to know

Access is from the French side and needs a car, taxi or the bus to La Turbie plus a walk - there is no lift from Monaco despite how close it looks. The clifftop is unfenced in parts with serious drops; keep children close and respect the edge in wind. The viewpoint itself is simple rock, no facilities.

Nearby

La Turbie's Trophy of Augustus, the Grande Corniche viewpoints and Monaco below.