Monaco is a fairy tale world, wedged roughly between France and Italy on Europe’s most mythical celebrity-studded coastline – the French Riviera. Glitz and glam is found in abundance on this teensy-tiny seaside state, sizzling with resident millionaire, luxurious yachts, and day-trippers who come to sip champagne at Café de Paris and have some fun at the casinos. Monegasque life is most certainly the high-life; from the very second you step off the train into the swanky subterranean marble-clad station, to absolutely everything else you will experience during your time there!
Best time to visit: April to June, September + October
Top things to see:
- Changing of the guards at the Palais du Prince,
- Sharks above your head at the Musee Oceangraphique,
- The graves of Grace Kelly and her Monegasque prince charming, Rainier III, in the cathedral,
- Billionaire yachts moored at the port,
- World-class drivers racing around during the Formula 1 Grand Prix in May.
Top things to do:
- Risk a lot (or a little) amid the opulence at Monte Carlo Casino,
- Lunch at Louis XIV Monaco’s most prestigious dining address,
- Hike between century-old cactus in the Jardin Exotique,
- Drive on motorbike into France between seafront and cliff front along the hair-raising Grande Corniche.
Local Cuisine: Barbajuan – a Monegasque specialty of a spinach and cheese pastry, Stockfish – dried cod flavoured with aniseed.
Best known for: Millionaire lifestyle, tax-free haven, Formula One Grand Prix, Monte Carlo Casino, the Grimaldi dynasty.
Random Fact: Monaco grew by 20% in the late 1960’s when land was reclaimed from the sea to build Fontvielle; plans to build an artificial island could see the world’s smallest country grow by another 5%!
What a lavish lifestyle! If you have any hidden Monegasque gems from your adventure there, we would love for you to e-mail them to us at; OntheQT.ie@gmail.com! We love to hear about your adventures! Happy day dreaming about sailing away on one of the luxurious yachts from the OntheQT crew! x x
