At less than one square mile in size, Monaco is the second-smallest country in the world but also the wealthiest with 30% of the population being millionaires. The city attracts high rollers and is well-known for its fancy casinos, yacht-lined harbor, and expensive cars.
The city-state is spotlessly clean with a wide variety of architectural styles crammed into a tiny space. The homes and walkways even near the train station were lovely as we made our way to the city center.
We spent just a day in Monaco but that was plenty of time to check out all the major highlights. We first ventured into the historic district, Monaco Ville, that sits atop a rock outcropping known as Le Rocher. After a long, sweaty hike to the top, we entered the Place du Palais, the courtyard of the Prince’s Palace of Monaco, the official seat of the Grimaldi family for over 700 years.
The large courtyard overlooks the Port of Hercules on one side, the district of Fontvieille on the opposite side with the old town opposite the palace.
A wander through the narrow lanes of the old town brings you to quaint restaurants, cafes, shops, and some of the prettiest buildings in Monaco. Saint Nicholas Cathedral was built from 1875-1903 in gorgeous light limestone in Roman-Byzantine style.
Right next to the cathedral stands another beautiful building with unique architecture, the Palais de Justice.
Just down the street past the scenic Saint-Martin garden, the Baroque Revival-style Oceanographic Museum sits on the edge of a cliff on the Mediterranean.
Last, but not least, we headed back down the hill and around the harbor to get to Monaco’s most iconic building, the Monte-Carlo casino. The façade, as well as the high rollers’ cars parked out front, did not disappoint.
Famously featured in James Bond movies, we had to go in for a bit of gambling and a martini, shaken not stirred. We finished off our day with cocktails by the harbor checking out some pretty sweet yachts. This matte black one had leopard-themed décor on the inside. And then we saw this boat within the boat…not too shabby.
Of course, we can’t visit a new country and not mention the cuisine. The cuisine of Monaco is a flavorful fusion of southern French and Italian with a strong influence from the Mediterranean Sea providing a wide variety of fresh fish. Mmm….we enjoyed an Italian lunch with burrata and pasta with scallops and a French dinner with salmon tartare and savory crepes.
While I was drooling over the food, Jimmy was drooling over all the cars. We stood at one main intersection for at least 15 min marveling at the motorcade of $200K+ supercars. Ferrari, Bentley, Lamborghini, McLaren, Jimmy named them all as they flew by and gave us the specs, of course. The car scene in Monaco is unlike anywhere else we have ever seen. Beautiful cars. Beautiful views. Beautiful architecture.
Our whirlwind tour of one of the smallest and most glamorous countries in the world was a great addition to our French Riviera weekend getaway.
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