Monaco
japra | Apr 20, 2010 | Comments 12
There are two things we noticed immediately about Monaco:
1) It has to be the cleanest city we’ve ever seen. We’re talking Disney World clean.
2) There is a LOT of money there. We liked the juxtaposition of these sailboats, though :-)
We were in Monaco over Easter weekend (April 4) and the city was setting up for the famous Formula One Monaco Grand Prix race.
Of course we had to see the Casino. From the front
and the back.
It’s a beautiful building. I’d love to see the inside one day.
Here’s the view from the Casino’s front step. Lots of flags, pricey cars, and tourists!
Next door is the elegant and stunning Hotel de Paris, which opened in 1863.
We walked up “The Rock” to the Prince’s Palace–
–mainly for the views.
We didn’t take a tour of the palace, but it is allowed, if you want. Roxi thought it was pretty cool that an American was once Princess consort of Monaco.
And near the palace is Monaco-Ville (Old town), full of shops and cafes.
Monaco is about 20 minutes from Nice by train. It’s definitely worth a day to see this sovereign city-state. We spent most of our time there with our jaws dropped, trying to take it all in!
Filed Under: Blog • Destinations • Featured
About the Author: JaPRA is an expat Texan living in England with her husband (Mr. DJ), their 17-year old daughter (Roxi), and their dog Trudy.
ok, this is definitely on my list (for one of these days)!! Thanks for sharing.
Christine, I know you will love this trip! I highly recommend Rick Steve’s Cote d’Azur chapter in his France guide.
I’ve been curious to visit Monaco for quite some time now. Really beautiful photographs you’ve taken & thank you for sharing!
A Touch of Dutch, it was so unreal to go there! I think it’s worth a visit at least once in a lifetime :-)
Monaco is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.! There were so many fabulous cars parked in casino square that we couldn’t resist taking photos of each other posing as is they were ours! I loved all the little streets around the castle. :)
LOL, Akelamalu! You are so fun :-) There were some beautiful cars in front of the Casino, weren’t there?
And yes, the old town was charming! We stopped for “tea” (really it was a late lunch) at a cafe there.
I am enjoying this vacation so much. Beautiful photos and captions!
Thank you, Kim! We had an awesome time. One of the joys of living in Europe is being able to travel off-season. I know you and your girl will enjoy a lot of this once you get settled in.
:-)
Jealous again! I never thought about this, but it makes sense that it would be so clean! It’s like a formal living room, always ready for guests.
Chris, don’t be jealous! Monaco can be yours too, but go in the shoulder season (or off season) to avoid the crowds.
The French Riviera is definitely ready for all of her visitors!
I love the street shots.
Thanks, Julia! It was fun to take them :-)