Heaven or Hell: 18 celebrities share their thoughts on Monaco

“The chairman of the board, the president, the CEO – everybody came to Monaco because of the style, the speed, the danger. Joan Collins, Graham Hill – that’s the Monaco Grand Prix. It still does that. Elizabeth Taylor came. Bette Davis came one year. Frank Sinatra. Louis Armstrong. The Beatles all came. So did Rod Stewart. If all these people were there, you had to stand out to be noticed.”

“The sense of security in Monaco is second to none. There are not many cities in the world where you’d have no problem walking home alone at midnight. Some people call it a police state, but I would not. There is a big police presence but you don’t really see or feel it, and it obviously works – I’ve lived here for 12 years and I’ve yet to hear about a break-in. Monaco is a pretty place, but people rarely see all the hard work that goes into keeping it as beautiful as it is. There are jet bikes out on the water every morning with scoopers on the front, collecting all the little bits of paper floating on the water. The beaches are raked every day. And, though some people find it ridiculous, the roads are washed at 5am every day. If you have an early flight to the airport, sometimes you have to alter your route as these machines are out cleaning everything!”

“I have two amazing memories of Monaco. The first is when my husband David and I took our honeymoon there in 1976 and spent a beautiful week strolling through the principality, enjoying the great restaurants and views on offer. Our second memorable occasion was in June 2004 when our daughter was married in Monaco at the sporting club.”

“I love Monte-Carlo and decided it was a good place for me to settle. It’s the only place I know in the world where you can wear diamonds and feel safe.”

“The first time I arrived in Monaco it was on my father’s boat in 1962. The whole city and harbour looked to me like a dream. I love the contrasts you find in Monaco: tradition and modernity, serious business and a holiday attitude, local people and worldwide foreigners, calm and busy. A place that is quintessentially Monaco is the Place du Casino, with all the beautiful cars parked in front, and also the bar of the Hôtel de Paris.”

“I’ve lived in Monaco for 20 years, I’ve won the grand prix here a few times, my kids go to school here – I have a really special connection to it. Monaco may be small but small can be beautiful. Obviously it’s not all award-winning architecture but there are some really amazing buildings and it has a very different feel to the rest of the French Riviera. Of course, the other thing that makes Monaco special is the yachts. I love nothing better than wandering along the harbour watching people tinker with their boats and admiring the amazing design that goes into a great superyacht.”

“The other day an Irish friend and I were having lunch at the Café de Paris, which attracts a vast number of visitors curious to see the old Monte Carlo. I came out and got in my car. My Irish friend called me later and said there were two chaps from Manchester saying: ‘What’s bloody James Bond doing in a tin can?’”

“What I love most about Monaco is there is always something happening here – from sports to yachting to culture. The Monaco Grand Prix is the most exciting time of the year, and the sunset party at Le Méridien Beach Plaza hotel after the race is definitely the highlight of it – it’s a great beach party! The Monaco Grand Prix and the Monaco Yacht Show are the two must-visit times of the year. I also love how beautiful and well-kept Monaco is. The fact that it’s really safe and clean means you can have a fantastic quality of life. But Monaco is also extremely international, with such an interesting mix of people. That being said, it can get too small very quickly in the winter, but I travel so much that I don’t even realise. No matter where I go, I’m always happy to come back.”