If you are in Southern France, then you must make time to go visit Monaco! This independent city-state along the Mediterranean coast is a must see. Monaco is beautiful! The city sits perfectly along the coast and is nestled in to the mountains. People definitely live the luxury life in Monaco with its yachts, expensive cars, upscale shopping boutiques, and casinos. 

We stayed in Nice, which is what I would recommend, and took a day to trip Monaco! It was a super easy train ride (only ~25 minutes). By doing this we saved on accommodation, but still got to explore a new place! 

Things to do

There is tons to do and see in Monaco. One of the best things to do is to just wander the streets as there are tons of shops, restaurants, bars, casinos, etc. You will definitely stumble upon something fun without even trying.

Walk along the harbors

The harbors in Monaco are lined with yachts. And not just any yachts, but multi-million dollar yachts. The boats are beautiful! One even has its own pool. I really need to figure out what these people do for a living. It is a lot of fun to walk along the harbor and look at all the different types of boats and yachts. 

Casino de Monte-Carlo

This is a must visit when in Monaco. If you don’t want to gamble, that is fine, but go inside! The interior is beautiful! And if you’re feeling lucky maybe try to win some money! We won $25 dollars and then walked out haha. Being on a budget, I wasn’t going to take any chances on losing money. 

Fairmont Hairpin

Monaco is home to the famous Monaco Grand Prix indy car race, so while you are visiting go see the Fairmont Hairpin bend which is considered the World’s Most Famous Bend. I’m not sure how the race drivers don’t crash while racing around this bend! The bend is located right near the casinos and can’t be missed. 

Hike up to the Prince’s Palace

The hike is up hill, but there are plenty of photo worthy stopping points along the way. The best views of both sides of the city are from the top of the hill that the Prince’s Palace is on.

Japanese Gardens 

Go find your zen in Monaco’s Japanese Gardens. The gardens are very peaceful and you won’t even realize you are still in a city. The gardens are free to walk through.

Go to Starbucks

Really Taylor? There are Starbucks everywhere. Yes, there are, BUT this Starbucks has the best view! It has outdoor seating and overlooks the sea. And if I’m being honest, I love Starbucks’ coffee and food. No shame. 

We made the most out of our half day trip to Monaco and the memories made won’t be forgotten! Plus we went back to Nice $25 dollars richer! Woo!