Visiting Monaco: My First and Only Visit

Sitting on the French Riviera between Nice and Italy is one of the smallest countries in the world. Monaco; A one stop shop for billionaires and their riches, and a country worth ticking off a travellers bucket list. Monaco is known for being a haven for celebrities to live out their summers on the bow of their boats, the famous Monte Carlo Casino and the Monaco Grand Prix circuit. Visiting Monaco is certainly worth the trip, but only once.

Easily accessible via a short train ride from Nice; Monaco is 2km squared in size and is popular for budget travellers, tourists and the wealthy. Small enough that you can experience the country in a single day trip, but beautiful enough that you could be quite content for a number of days.

It’s hard to not walk around with your mouth wide open, in awe of the million dollar boats that line the viaduct, the extensive architecture which lined the streets. Or walking along the one and only Monaco Grand Prix racetrack. Every few minutes the revving of an engine would fill the streets and a supercar would come charging past. It was difficult refraining from looking inside the vehicle in an attempt to spot a celebrity on Holiday.

My Experience Staying in Monaco

Living life among the rich and filthy rich for a week was enough for this budget traveller. I have never felt more inadequate entering a European country in denim shorts and a singlet.
The streets were cleaner than the sole of a Louboutin licked clean by a faithful servant. No graffiti, no homeless, and the only ‘litter’ spotted were half smoked cigars sitting in public ash trays.

The advantages to being in such a small country is that everything is so close by, you don’t really need a car unless you’re travelling to your neighbours in France or Italy. The shopping mall was a 5 minute walk from our apartment, the wharf was a conservative length of a morning or evening stroll. And all the bars and pubs on the waterfront were a swift saunter made evening shorter after a few beverages. And our usual breakfast bakery was over the border in France, so it was quite cool to say I was “popping to France for breakfast”.

However the downside in Monaco occurs mainly at night. The sounds of V8 engines and supercars don’t really stop, especially on the weekends. What would usually be worth running out to the balcony for a view becomes the effort into suffocating yourself with your pillow. Not to mention the restaurant/bar at the bottom of the complex didn’t know what closing hours were.

Monte Carlo Casino Review

First impressions are everything and Monaco ticked every box, theoretically. The wharf was lined with multi-million-dollar boats. Ferrari’s, Lamborghini’s and Porsche’s scattered the streets and the mall stocked shoes for no less than €2,000 a pair.
The Monte Carlo Casino, made famous in countless James Bond movies, sits pride and place on the Monte Carlo suburb of Monaco. A select few of patrons supercars would be valet parked directly outside the establishment and then cycled out to the basement everytime a newer, or more expensive vehicle came along.

The casino itself however had the atmosphere of a seasoned, elderly prostitute; worth the visit but you probably wouldn’t do it again. After paying €20 each to enter I was expecting to walk into a scene from James Bond; tuxedos, gowns, cigars hand delivered by cookie cutter models and top shelf spirits poured down the throats of jackpot winners. Instead there were a couple of poker tables, about 30 people in casual attire and my attention span was nowhere to be seen.

Hollywood movies had my expectations set up for disaster.

The building itself is incredible, with gold detailing, grand entrances, luxurious furniture and crystal chandeliers. But everything else was about as exciting as a pair of matching socks.

Around the corner at Buddha-Bar had a lot more life to it. But it was so crammed we had to squeeze around a small standing table which had been drenched from the rain. If you are looking for a night of fun the bars lining the viaduct have a lot more character and attentive staff.

Things to see in Monaco

Considering its size of being a 2km squared country, there are plenty of things to see and do in Monaco, even enough to keep anyone busy for a week.

Grand Prix Tunnel

Tunnel Larvotto; the best place to listen to the hum of any expensive supercars to come roaring through, or just a cool place to say you have been. Made famous because of the Monaco Grand Prix, the tunnel has multiple pedestrian accesses and a footpath that runs the whole length of the tunnel.

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Monaco Palace

The official residence of the Prince of Monaco, built in 1191 sitting on Monaco Rock between Port de Fontvieille and La Condamine. The palace can be toured for certain months of the year. The location offers spectacular views over the micro-country and leads towards Old Town and views over the cliffs.

Marine Science Museum

For any science buffs who are sick of historic architecture and history. The building is part of the Oceanographic Institute and is committed to sharing knowledge to educate people of the oceans. The building is built into the cliff and sits directly above the waters edge. Paths lead down around the cliff face and closer to the water allowing for amazing photo opportunities and an incredible experience if the water is a bit rough.

Exotic Gardens

Sitting not far from the Monaco hospital on the north-eastern side of the country is an exotic garden full of succulents which were bought back from Mexico in the late 1860’s. Included in this garden is also a grotto which was located in 1916. The grotto was found to have evidence of prehistoric human remains. Many of these are on display in the gardens in the museum of natural anthropology.

‘Once and Done’

Monaco is a fantastic country with a lot to see considering its size. However other than being the epicentre of trophy wives and sugar daddies; you won’t be seeing much else in the way of ‘crumbling ruins’. Some of the richest history lies within the mountains and smaller towns bordering the region. Towns like Roquebrune, Les Baux and Nîmes hold the fondest memories of this section of my trip. Walking along the Pond du Gard and standing within a quarry watching works from Bosch, Brueghel and Arcimboldo dance around me like an acid trip. Monaco was fantastic, and definitely worth the visit. But it is a ‘once and done’ sort of country.