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Monte Carlo

Place du Casino, Monaco,

Description

Monte Carlo is one of Monaco's four neighbourhoods. It is located on an escarpment dominating the city's harbour and well known as a playground for the rich, featuring establishments such as the Monte Carlo Casino, the Opéra de Monte-Carlo and the Hôtel de Paris. A large section of the track of the F1 Monaco Grand Prix is in the area as well. Monaco-Ville, the oldest part of town, is where most of the other tourist attractions are located.

Access & Transport

There are some travelators/elevators to facilitate pedestrian movements within Monaco and a few bus lines to go around: https://www.visitmonaco.com/en/7524/getting-around-by-bus There are regional trains linking Monte Carlo (Monaco-Monte Carlo station, roughly in the center of the city) with Nice (35mins) and other cities on the Cote d'Azur Riviera as well as bus services to Menton and Nice. By road, Nice is 20km away and the drive takes 30-40mins. Nice Airport is on the western side of the city so it takes a little longer to get there, about 40-45mins. Bus 110 is also an option. It is also possible to drive across to Italy, San Remo is 40km away.

Instructions & Recommendations

We suggest combining an exploration of the Monte Carlo neighbourhood with a visit of the Oceanographic Museum and/or of the Prince's Palace.

Meta review

The Monte Carlo casino is the go-to place for most visitors and, whilst they are very complimentary about the building's architecture and decoration, they are much less so with respect to the steep entrance fee, the dress code inconsistencies (supposed to be jackets after 19h but not really enforced), the lack of spaces to be able to gamble and the snobbish attitude of the staff. Next up is the Place du Casino and Hotel de Paris where some people revel in watching the rich and famous with their supercars whilst others feel a little nauseous in front of so much wealth. Finally, reviews are quite unanimous in qualifying the views over the sea and the harbour as being amazing.

Environmental & Social

The area is clearly overbuilt and over-commercialized (not a recent phenomenon)

Conclusion

Monte Carlo is a must-see neighbourhood when in Monaco but, in our opinion, it is much more of a box ticking exercise and holds limited interest besides the views and the people watching. That is fine anyways as one need not linger there for too long and it is worth checking what Monaco looks like.

Key positive

Some great building architecture and excellent views

Key negative

Very expensive neighbourhood so it can be difficult to enjoy

Suitability

Accessible for visitors with reduced mobility

About this Rating

TYPE

Desktop

RESEARCHED IN

June 2024

PROVIDER

Koreval

Included Items
None
Timing
Duration of visit

av. transport time:0h 35m

est. visit time:2h 30m

Sunlight based

Sunrise / early morningNo

MorningOk

Lunch timeOk

AfternoonOk

Sunset / eveningOk

Night – bef. midnightOk

Night – aft. midnightNo

Pricing
Free

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