Port Hercule

Port Hercule sits at the heart of the Principality of Monaco, in the district of La Condamine, on the Mediterranean coast. As the principality's only deep-water port, it has long served as Monaco's main maritime gateway and lies just steps from the Rock, the Monte-Carlo Casino and the town centre.

The marina offers 760 berths. Water depths range from 2.50 to 55 metres within the inner basin and reach up to 40 metres at the outer pier, allowing the port to welcome very large vessels. Berth holders have access to fresh water, 220V and 380V electrical connections, wifi, shower and restroom facilities, a fuel station, waste management systems, and two shipyards equipped with cranes of 5 to 15 tonnes.

The port takes its name from an ancient temple dedicated to Hercules. Its modern layout, begun under Prince Albert I from 1901, was completed in 1926 and further modernised in the 1970s. In 2002, a distinctive protective structure was installed: a floating breakwater 352 metres long and weighing 160,000 tonnes, based on a "fixed water wall" principle that traps a body of seawater beneath the structure to dampen swell while preserving the marine ecosystem.

Home to the Yacht Club de Monaco, Port Hercule hosts the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix every year, its street circuit running alongside the quays, as well as the Monaco Yacht Show each autumn, an international gathering for the superyacht industry. The port also welcomes seasonal events, from a Christmas village to nautical festivities, that animate the principality throughout the year.