Pre-trip work!

 April 12, 2025  Monaco!

The Principality of Monaco is around 45 minutes, by car, from Vence. We took both cars, and headed out at 8:30 on Saturday morning. Our hope was to avoid weekday traffic into the city. We are finding that mornings are a good time to avoid crowds. Monaco is a bustling, busy city that values green space, is clean, and void of graffiti. It is surprising to find costal cities clinging to cliffsides (I would think the land along a coast would be flat), and Monaco is no different.

Here is what Wikipedia has to say about Monaco: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monaco

The parking garage bathrooms were unlocked with our parking ticket. There were some nervous moments as the first person in there tried opening the door, but was locked in. Eventually, we found a button to press on the inside to unlock the door, and were relieved knowing we wouldn't have to find a locksmith to get us out... of the bathroom.

Simon is hooked on the Pokemon grind, and in true addicted fashion, pulled a Pikachu pack in Monaco. Later he mumbled, "trash Monaco pack".

Hi everyone - Collin, here! Monaco was on my list as soon as I heard of the French Riviera as a destination for this trip, particularly because of my passion for the racing world. I was excited to plan a day there, and it happened without a hitch. 

For those who may not be aware, Monaco hosts a few race weekends in spring that rank among the most prestigious in motorsports. The top dog of these race weekends is the Monaco Grand Prix, which features Formula 1 cars; largely accepted as the most extreme racecars in the world. When it's time to race, Monaco blocks off a route that consists of its city streets, where they drive around the harbor (stocked with the largest yachts in the world), under a tunnel, and around a tight hairpin corner.

So naturally, the opportunity to walk around this city piqued my interest. We actually parked outside of the Monaco border on the French side, and walked into the city. The French side was pretty typical and a bit dingy. But as soon as we crossed that invisible line into Monaco proper (no customs checkpoint), it was if a fairy godmother waved a magic wand and transformed the area into a pristine, clean city.

Soon, Gucci stores and expensive boutiques lined the streets, and every dirty, dented vehicle vanished. That's Monaco in a nutshell. They call it a playground for the wealthy, and the scene was set to accommodate this. 

We strolled through a spotless, fauna-filled park on our way to the Casino Monte Carlo, famously used in James Bond's Goldeneye. It cost money just to get in, so we passed on that, and walked over to the Fairmont Hairpin turn to car-watch. 

Like a tropical Central Park!

The iconic façade of the Casino Monte Carlo.

Like the Bean in Chicago, the casino had a shiny, distorted monument out front that begged for a family photo. The result made for some laughs

Better!

Check out the stores underneath.

The Fairmont Hairpin.

Car-show-exclusives casually tooled around the tight bend, as if their owners were out to get a new Versace bag or Rolex. Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin; you name it, you saw it. And this was on a rainy, grey, brisk day. Imagine what drives around Monaco in the sunshine!

These cars were parked underneath the Fairmont Hotel, right next to the Hairpin.

The below video shows a lucky driver in his Ferrari 12Cilindri, followed by a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S.

And here's a video of the massive busses navigating the turn.

Red and white candy cane curbs (or kerbs, in motorsport-speak) lined the inside of the turn, and you could see embedded rubber leftover from generations of racecars. It was a surreal feeling, standing on one of the most famous racetracks in history. 

The racecars drive on the kerbs to carry speed through the corner, leaving behind tire rubber in the process.

Speaking of racetracks, the route snakes through the city. It's easy to see if you're on the track or not; just look for the permanent metal barriers and occasional kerbs. We walked down towards the harbor, admiring the monstrous yachts lining the docks, grabbed some quick sandwiches, and continued on. 

The sea-facing side of the Casino.

Some of the gigantic yachts in the main harbor.

Monaco features all kinds of weird art, and this one was one of the more bearable ones.

Here's the main straight. These permanent, steel barriers let you know that this is part of the track.

Our next stop was the Rock of Monaco, where the Palace and old-town reside. After hiking up the stairs, we noticed an uptick of people around us. As we reached the top, a massive crowd surrounded the palace grounds. I checked my watch: 15 minutes until the changing of the guards. We decided to elbow our way through the people (that's what the French do, anyways) and see what we could. 

A dress code!

Small slits for defense by arrows.

A statue of François Grimaldi, who disguised himself as a monk in 1297 and captured Monaco. The Grimaldi family has ruled it ever since.

The palace.

Aside from some mediocre drum and horn playing, a bit of yelling, and lots of slap-their-thighs-and-stomp-their-boots sounds, it was over in a blink. Not worth standing around stinky, sweaty tourists for 20 minutes, in my humble opinion. Not even a single cannon, nothin'. We moved on.

A garden-lined path circumnavigated the Rock, and we took our time to use this as our guide. Monaco is an extremely green city, and the gardens were all very well manicured, to Mom's delight. They aim to be carbon-neutral by 2050, and all this green stuff is a good way to start.

Here's the second, smaller harbor. More of Monaco's wealthy residents, including a few Formula 1 drivers live in the apartments here.

More defense posts.

There's a helipad over there, and there were consistently helicopters taking people to and fro.

We watched Simon's failed attempts at throwing a dandelion down into the water below.

Our first stop off the path was the Monaco Cathedral, which in its current state, was consecrated in 1911. It sits on the sight of the first church, which dates back to 1252. Rather than the happy, fresco-covered churches we've seen so far, this one was tall, dark, and regal; similar to Notre-Dame in Paris. We walked around the inside a bit, and passed a few tombs; notably, of the royal Grimaldi family, and Princess Grace.

The façade of Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate.

This was the old Monaco court.

Large gold decor on the dome.

The tomb of Princess Grace. 

Back on the path, we strolled past a few statues, soaked in the views, and made our way to the pleasantly quaint Monaco Old Town. Since there was no passport check at the border, we tried to get stamps at the town hall, only to find it closed on weekends. Bummer.

This seemed like a wedding party.

A statue dedicated to Princess Grace.

Paul's turn to pull a pack.

In town, we grabbed some severely overpriced (as is everything here) Monegasque chocolates and ate them in an alley like little gremlins. We snagged some souvenirs and made the descent towards the harbor, and eventually back to our vehicle. After a quick drive back, we were home again; one country richer with no stamp to show for it. 

It came with a flavor sheet like Russell Stover, but we couldn't really figure it out.

Eating the chocolates in our little alley.

We each picked up Monaco poker chips for a souvenir.

In closing, Monaco is a totally unique place. It's a different level of wealth - even the pigeons coo'd more royally. While it's a good time strolling around, I think the true Monaco experience unlocks once you have the dough to play with the big boys. I surely don't. But for a brief moment, the supercars grandiose architecture convinced me I did. Almost.