Monaco

A principality engineered for the season. The calendar peaks twice — Grand Prix weekend in late May, when the harbour fills with the world's largest yachts, and the Monaco Yacht Show in late September. In between sit the Bal de la Rose at the Salle des Étoiles, polo and tennis weeks, and a year-round circuit of openings between the Hôtel de Paris, the Casino de Monte-Carlo, and the private clubs along Larvotto. Nowhere else combines royal patronage, sport, and finance on a single square mile.