There’s a Secret Way Into Monaco’s Most Elite Club

The Monaco Yacht Club is one of the moneyed city-state’s most exclusive private clubs, founded by no less than the late Ranier III, Prince of Monaco, husband of Grace Kelly. Getting in requires two sponsors, approval by club president Prince Albert II, and a fee the club declined to disclose. Each year, when the Monaco Yacht Show descends on the city, it’s where you’ll find Russian oligarchs, Chinese titans of industry, as well as captains, crew members, and media; year-round, it’s where nautically inclined members of the royal family talk shop.

But for those who don’t hold a golden entrance key, there’s still a way in—well, at least into the glassy Foster+Partners-designed club building itself—and that's through the Wine Palace.