Monaco: Two Square Kilometres of Wealth, and Where to Spend an Afternoon

Monaco is 2.02 square kilometres. That makes it the world’s second-smallest country, slightly larger than Vatican City. About 40,000 people live here, roughly 9,000 of them Monégasque citizens. The rest are expats attracted by the 0% income tax. You can walk the entire principality in 45 minutes, which most visitors do not attempt.

Monaco can be disappointing if you arrive expecting something it isn’t. It is expensive, formally dressed, and built around the proposition that luxury and speed are the best things. The views of Port Hercule and the Mediterranean are genuinely excellent. The food at the top level is world-class. The rest is transactional in a way that the word “transactional” was invented for.

The Casino de Monte-Carlo

The casino building was designed by Charles Garnier, who also built the Paris Opéra, and completed in 1878. The exterior and ornate public rooms are open during the day for a EUR 17 entry fee, without any gambling. The main gaming rooms open at 2pm and require formal dress. The architecture tour is worth an hour if you have no interest in gambling; if you do want to gamble, this is obviously where you do it. The Grand Casino is also the backdrop for several laps of the Formula One circuit.

The Grand Prix

Monaco hosts the Formula One Grand Prix in May. For one week, the ordinary streets close and become a circuit. Getting race weekend tickets starts around EUR 400 for a grandstand position and goes into five figures for hospitality packages. Accommodation during race week is essentially unavailable without booking a year in advance and prices triple. If you’re a motorsport fan, there is no circuit experience comparable to watching cars through Casino Square or the Tunnel. If you’re not, avoid Monaco entirely that week.

Le Rocher and the Old Town

Le Rocher (The Rock) is the fortified headland where Monaco’s history is actually located. The Prince’s Palace sits at the top; the changing of the guard ceremony runs at 11:55am daily. The old town (Monaco-Ville) surrounding it has a medieval scale that the rest of the principality entirely lacks – narrow streets, stone buildings, and a viewpoint back over Port Hercule from the palace gardens.

The Oceanographic Museum, founded by Prince Albert I in 1910, has excellent shark tanks, a history of deep-sea exploration, and the personal collection of a prince who was a serious marine researcher. Entry is EUR 18.

Where to Eat

Le Louis XV at the Hotel de Paris is Alain Ducasse’s three-Michelin-starred restaurant and one of the best restaurants in Europe. Around EUR 300 to 400 per person before wine. Book weeks ahead. La Note Bleue on Larvotto Beach does decent Mediterranean food at EUR 30 to 50 per person and has the most relaxed atmosphere you will find in Monaco.

Where to Stay

Monaco has no budget accommodation. The cheapest options start around EUR 200 per night. Staying in Beausoleil or Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, both in France and 10 to 15 minutes’ walk across the border, is the practical choice for anyone not on an expense account.

Getting There

The train from Nice takes 25 minutes and costs around EUR 4. Most visitors do Monaco as a day trip from Nice or Menton, which is adequate for seeing the main sights without paying Monaco hotel prices. No visa is required for EU, UK, or US passport holders.