Nice - (Fall 2024) - Day 4
Monaco Day Trip
Nice Train Station
Embarked on a train ride to Monaco. There were plenty of other people with the same idea on the train.
Walk up to the Prince’s Palace
We lucked out with a beautiful clear warm day in Monaco. It was a winding uphill walk from the train station to the Prince’s Palace.
Place du Palais
You can’t go into the palace but you can explore the grounds outside and take in the views from the top of the hill.
Between the palace and the cathedral are several small streets and alleyways lined with shops and restaurants.
San-Remo
The next stop was the cathedral but since it was Sunday, there were still services ongoing and you had to wait until mass was over before going inside. We killed that time with some coffee and cheese sandwiches here. They had the church service streaming on the TV inside the shop so we could see when it was over.
Monaco Courthouse next to the cathedral
Cathédrale de Monaco
We were the first ones to enter the church after the service. It is a popular stop as a lot of people come to see Grace Kelly’s grave inside the cathedral.
Le Marché de la Condamine - Le Comptoir
In the buildings surrounding this little square is where the locals go out to eat. It is a little food court and market that has a lot of dining options with some open seating in the middle. Stopped and got a beer at the eatery in the middle of all the action.
Walk Down to the Harbor
Harbor
We then walked down to the famous harbor filled with the fancy boats that you see in every photo or postcard of Monaco.
Boat Taxi
The best part of the harbor is that you can take this electric boat taxi across the harbor for €2. It is not that far across the harbor and you could easily walk it but it is nice to be on the water and get up close to the mega-yachts.
Boat Ride and Other Side of the Harbor
Casino Monte Carlo
We visited the famous Monte Carlo Casino. You pay a fee to enter but you can get a credit off a portion of it to use for food or gambling. The plaza in front of the casino is filled with high end sports and luxury cars where the back has a line of classic automobiles on display.
Inside the Casino
The casino inside isn’t that big. It has several parlors and it has the feel of an older opulence. Honestly Vegas casinos are way more impressive but you come here to see the classic. I spent my entry fee credits on drinks at the bar. Once you get inside the casino proper where people are gambling, you are not allowed to take any photos so I improperly snuck some of these photos. I saw security policing this rule and had people erase photos from their phones so they were pretty serious about the rule.
€25 Euros that I put on some roulette numbers (I lost)
Fountain in the Place du Casino with Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier
F1 Course
You can walk around Monaco and see the F1 race course since it is a street race. This is the famous Fairmont Hairpin turn. After this we started to head back to the train back to Nice.
Waiting for the train back to Nice
Rouge
This was one of the recommendations from the bartender at Povera. It is a wine bar with a great tapas style menu. The place had a very welcoming casual feel with very friendly owners. This was located near the harbor and seemed like a very popular place with the locals.
You have to love anyplace that has this huge brick of butter laying around.
Eros
We were looking for one more nightcap on the walk back from the harbor. Rue Bonaparte was hopping on a weekend night and we got a seat outside to have some negronis at this place. I think inside it has a bit of a clubby atmosphere but we just wanted to relax outside by the sidewalk and watch the world go by.