Fort Antoine, a fortress that now stages plays with the sea behind them

Most people who climb the Rock turn round at the Oceanographic Museum. A little further on, at the very tip, there’s a stone fort with a pyramid of cannonballs in the middle and the sea on both sides. That’s Fort Antoine, and in summer it becomes an open-air theatre with what I’d call one of the loveliest settings on the coast, free and bookable. Here’s what it is, when to go and how to get into a performance.

An 18th-century fort that had to be rebuilt

VisitMonaco describes it as an 18th-century fortress converted into an open-air theatre. What you see today, though, isn’t quite what was built back then. The fort was destroyed during the Second World War, and it was Prince Rainier III who had it rebuilt in 1953. I haven’t found the exact year of the original construction in an official source, and I won’t guess one.

What has survived is the military character. There’s a watchtower, stone walls and a landscaped platform with a pyramid of cannonballs at its centre. Pittosporum hedges wrap around the structure and provide the only greenery on the site. For me it’s the quietest corner of the Rock, precisely because so few people make it this far.

Where is Fort Antoine and how do you get there?

It’s on Avenue de la Quarantaine, at the end of the Rock, level with Port Hercule. If you’re exploring the old town, it’s the natural last stop on the walk. From the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco you reach it on foot without leaving the district, and the government’s mobility leaflet names the Fort Antoine steps as one of the three named stairways on the Rock, alongside the Rampe Major and the Ciapaira.

If you’re driving, forget about going up onto the Rock, because only Monaco and Alpes-Maritimes (06) plates are allowed. The sensible option is the Parking des Pêcheurs, under the museum, with lifts and escalators up to Avenue Saint-Martin. Prices and alternatives are in parking in Monaco.

Summer theatre, free, with the sea as a backdrop

This is what really makes the detour worthwhile. Every summer the government’s Direction des Affaires Culturelles programmes a season at the Théâtre du Fort Antoine. In 2026, with Françoise Gamerdinger and Gilles Marsan as artistic directors, it ran from 30 June to 28 July, with 8 dates mixing theatre and music.

On the music side there was the classical guitarist Thibault Cauvin, the singer Dominique Fils-Aimé, Stephan Eicher with Osomo and the a cappella quartet A Bocca Chiusa. For theatre, “Dissonances Jeanne d’Arc”, Marcel Pagnol’s “Variations d’amour” and “8 Soirs par semaine”, with Vincent Dedienne and Camille Chamoux. The season also included the fourth Scène Ouverte for performers aged 18 to 30, which in 2026 added stand-up comedy to dance and music for the first time. According to the government, that edition also served to pick someone to represent Monaco at the Specialised Expo in Belgrade in 2027.

The best part is the price, because there isn’t one. Entry is free and you only need to book, on montecarloticket.com or at the Théâtre Princesse Grace box office on Avenue d’Ostende, on weekdays between 10:00 and 13:00. One tip for British visitors. Judging by the titles and the companies, the plays are performed in French, and the programme doesn’t mention surtitles. If your French is rusty, I’d book one of the concerts instead, where the language barely matters and the setting does all the work. To my mind it’s the best free evening out in Monaco, and I list it alongside others in Monaco on a budget.

What about 2027?

As of 25 September 2026 next year’s programme hasn’t been published. Going by 2026, I’d expect another season between late June and July, but I can’t promise that. My advice is to check the government’s culture website in spring and book as soon as it’s out, because it’s free and the capacity isn’t published. The rest of the year’s dates are in the Monaco events calendar.

Out of season, a fine finale for the Rock

The rest of the year, Fort Antoine is mainly a viewpoint. VisitMonaco includes it among the best photo spots in the country, for the stonework, the cannonball pyramid and the Mediterranean behind. No official opening hours for the site are published that I could find, so I’d go in daylight, as part of a walk round Monaco-Ville, the Rock, and wouldn’t assume you can get in after dark.

My route would be the Palace in the morning, the guard change at 11:55, the cathedral, the Saint-Martin Gardens and the Oceanographic Museum, and then one last stroll to the fort to say goodbye to the Rock with the harbour at your feet. If you like corners with a view, I’ve ranked them in my Monaco viewpoints.