Monte Carlo, Monaco Thursday 4/30/26 Day 4

Today we woke up in beautiful Monaco, the land of the rich and famous. The French Riviera is dotted with small terraced villages, and pictures just do not do them any justice. Monaco is an independent city-state, bordered by France on three sides, and the Mediterranean Sea on the fourth. It is one of the wealthiest and most expensive places in the entire world. Its harbor is full of yachts bobbing in the sunshine. Monaco is famous for many reasons, but Grace Kelly, the Monte Carlo Casino, and the Formula One race are three of the biggest.

We joined the included walking tour of Monaco this morning, which took us from the harbor up the hill past the jail (it has very few inhabitants as crime is quite low here), through the Saint Martin Gardens, and past the Oceanographic Museum, and to the top of the hill known as The Rock. At the top of The Rock is the beautiful Monaco Cathedral, a lively district full of tiny streets with cafes spilling out into the streets, and shops that sell everything. Monaco is literally built into the hillside, and there are a series of escalators and elevators that take you to the top.

From the Prince’s Palace, we grabbed the Hop On Hop Off Bus, which was a great decision. It took us all around the city and we hopped off at the famous Monte Carlo Casino. We are not rich enough to gamble here, not to mention we were woefully underdressed. The lobby is free so we snapped a couple photos. There is a €20 entrance fee to gamble, and passports are required, because Monaco residents are not allowed to gamble, but they also pay no income taxes. We grabbed a glass of wine at an outdoor cafe near the casino before walking around a bit.

We grabbed the HOHO bus again and took another lap around the city. The whole country is only about 0.8 square miles, or about the size of New York’s Central Park, but with the hills, the crazy drivers, and the tiny streets with even tinier sidewalks, you definitely want to take the HOHO. It drops you directly at the pier. Plus, the infrastructure for the coming Grand Prix races is being set up right now, and many streets are closed or blocked, and lots of fences and grand stands are everywhere. Our guide said it takes over a month to set it all up and a month to tear it all down when the races are over.

Monaco is a lovely little enclave and definitely worth a visit. We didn’t talk to anyone on the ship who actually gambled at the casino, but I’m sure a few did. We’ll keep our ears open to see if anyone won any money.

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