Monaco is an independent city-state on the shores of the Mediterranean. It is a country where it can be said that poverty does not exist and where there is possibly the largest number of millionaires per inhabitant in the world.
The two kilometers of the Monegasque coast are bathed by the Côte d’Azur, a destination that for more than a century has been a favorite of millionaires.
For our trip to Monaco we rented a vehicle in nearby Nice and went to tour the principality for a full day.
Despite being a small city, we believe that we did not have time to see many attractions that this micro state offers. In this article we will show an overview of our day in Monaco.
Nice
Monaco is the city of the international jetset: the rich and famous and the nobility, it is to be expected that spending the night in this micro-state will be extremely expensive.
What we did was visit the French city of Nice (which is beautiful in its own right) and from there we rented a car to go to Monaco.
The city of Nice is about 21 kilometers from Monaco by road. The beautiful panorama of the road that runs along the Mediterranean made us remember that somewhere in it, Princess Grace Kelly, mother of the current Prince, had her fatal accident.
The Monte-Carlo Casino
Monte-Carlo is a district or neighborhood within Monaco.
The Monte Carlo Casino is an iconic place, especially if you want to rub shoulders with some of the most powerful people in the world.
Just stand in front of its facade and you will see a show room of some of the most expensive and luxurious cars. You can easily imagine that you are inside a James Bond movie.
The Casino is more than just a gambling site. It is also the headquarters of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo and Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo.
As a curious fact, Princess Carolina, not the sister of Albert II, current prince of Monaco, but the wife of Prince Florestan from the 19th century and at the time regent of the Principality prohibited Monegasque citizens from working or entering the playgrounds of the Casino, based on moral considerations. The Casino is for foreigners only.
The interior is spectacularly luxurious, especially the Roulette Room with its gold and sapphire blue colors, very regal. You are instantly transported to another era and another social class.
Ocean Museum
Located in front of the sea, with a spectacular view over the Mediterranean is the Oceanographic Museum. This Museum was born from the love that the then Prince felt for scientific research and the sea.
The Museum was inaugurated in 1910 and between 1957 and 1988 the famous Jacques Cousteau was its director.
It has an impressive sample of marine environments from the Mediterranean and the Tropics.
The Oceanographic Museum is also a permanent art showroom.
Unmissable walks
Port Hercule is the main port of the city, and a privileged point of view to see the racing of sailboats and other nautical vessels. You can walk the entire length of a beautiful boulevard Quai Albert I and see the very lively life around you at all hours of the day.
Monaco’s beaches have warm and transparent waters. Despite the wealth of the Principality, they are open to the public at no cost.
The sand is made up of small stones, so we recommend wearing bathing shoes to walk through it and enter the water.
While you sunbathe, you can enjoy another show room, this time of yachts and sailboats, from the smallest to real personal ocean liners.
The old town of Monaco, Le Rocher, is full of small bazaars, shops, cafes. Its small open-air art galleries are famous.
One thing that caught our attention is that the sidewalks of the principality are made of the porous red material that we see on athletics tracks, the tartan. So no matter when you walk in Monaco, your knees won’t suffer.
Exotic Garden of Monaco
Located on the edge of a cliff, this xerophytic garden was completed in 1933.
It has varieties of xerophytic plants from Mexico and Africa. You can also visit the Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology inside the garden.
There is a cave where prehistoric remains have been found and it is open to the public but can only be visited with specialized guides.
It is an extremely enjoyable walk that we recommend.
Prince’s palace
It has been the residence of the Princes of Monaco for more than 700 years.
It is an impressive construction with a mixture of styles, where the baroque stands out and is located on the top of “La Roca”, a stone promontory that dominates the city.
During its hectic existence, this palace has been bombed, besieged and rebuilt several times.
The state halls are open to the public during the summer and, since 1960, the palace courtyard has been the scene of open-air concerts by the Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra.
A show worth seeing is the changing of the guard.
Weekend adventures
On the website of the Monaco Tourist Office there is a weekend getaway itinerary, where you can have an intimate contact with the Principality.
Conclusions
You definitely want to be a millionaire just to live in Monaco. After all, a five-story penthouse and pool with a slide in a luxury building was offered in 2016 for 335 million dollars.
However, you don’t need to be a millionaire to enjoy many of Monaco’s most iconic attractions, as well as its beaches and great weather.
The only thing that you will not get within your budget will be accommodation, gambling and losing great fortunes in the casino or renting cars or luxury yachts.
