A Perfect Day Trip to Monaco: Luxury, Views, and the French Riviera’s Most Glamorous Escape

Monaco is a beautiful country with a rich history and stunning views, just a few miles from the south of France. It is luxurious and boasts extreme wealth while also maintaining an almost quaint charm amongst its extravagant yachts, casino, cars, and shops.

How to Get to Monaco From Nice (Train, Cost, and Tips)

When I went to Monaco, I had been spending my holiday staying in Nice, France. With this in mind, the only way to get into Monaco is by driving, by train, or by boat. It is also important to be prepared for how you will plan to get to Monaco as Uber does not operate within the country.

My friends and I decided to take the train, which was incredibly easy. We walked to the station, which was about 15 minutes from our Airbnb, and bought our tickets there. One important thing to keep in mind is to make sure you board the correct train time that is listed on your ticket, otherwise you can face quite a large fine.

For the train we took, the cost was only about 14€ round trip. We made sure to book the lowest fare and take an early train in to avoid massive crowds as the trains can get quite busy. The journey itself was only about 30 minutes long, with stops in many popular French towns and villages along the coast.

Exploring Monaco’s Old Town & The Prince’s Palace Views

Monaco’s historic district offers a unique charm, featuring medieval highlights, stunning small streets, and, of course, the Prince’s Palace. The walk to get there is essentially a hike from the marina, but it is oh so worth it. The views overlooking the water will take your breath away, and there’s so much to see and do. 

Getting lost in the beautiful winding streets can lead you to shops, restaurants, and cafés rich in history. We enjoyed a great spritz at a little café in the sun after our hike, taking a break in the shade before exploring the sights. The palace is only accessible through ticketed appointments, so we did not go inside, but if that’s something you would enjoy you can book a ticket online starting at 10€.

It was a bit too early in the day to eat at the top of the hill, but the restaurants we passed by looked stunning, and I was truly a bit disappointed to have skipped a bite there.

Strolling the Saint-Martin Gardens for the Best Views in Monaco

The Saint-Martin Gardens offer the perfect setting to accompany the terrain up and down the hill to Monaco’s historic district. Featuring a stop at Princess Grace’s rose garden, stunning lookout points, and exotic flowers, it’s not a walk to pass up.

The walk itself is quite steep, but worthwhile because it teleports you to a tropical land of the past. The greenery along the way is so vivid and tropical at times it almost made me forget I was in Europe at all. And as a pop culture buff, it was exciting to come across beautiful sculptures, especially one of Princess Grace of Monaco?.

My favourite part, though, was the end of the Saint-Martin Gardens and the beginning of the historic district, with some of the most beautiful views of Monaco’s mega yachts and the expansive sea views.

Port Hercule Marina: Super Yachts, Sea Views, and Monaco’s F1 History

Once we finished our descent from Saint-Martin Gardens, we walked towards Port Hercule, a marina famous for docking super yachts. As an F1 fan, and in my case a Charles Leclerc/Ferrari fan, this marina also has a historical landmark within Apple Maps for where he took his memorable dive into the water after his Monegueque Grand Prix win in 2024. This was exciting for my friend and me, but for those not into motorsport, it does not change the experience.

With beautiful weather and views, this was a great place for people to watch some of the world's wealthiest in their day-to-day lives. Some were dining at local spots while others were sunning on the decks of their yachts. And these truly were some of the biggest boats I’ve ever seen for personal use. I even noticed some were carrying smaller charter boats or jet skis on board.

Inside the Prince of Monaco’s Car Collection (A Must for F1 Fans)

Right by Port Hercule is Monaco’s Private Cars Collection of The Prince of Monaco. This is a museum of sorts that holds dozens of cars and motor vehicles the Prince of Monaco has come into owning over time. For F1 fans, this is not to be missed. Even if you aren’t one for motorsports though, this is a really cool place to look at various cars from the past century and admire how the vehicles has changed over the years.

If you are a Formula One fan, this place has some really neat F1 cars to showcase from years past. Some of my favorites were Aryton Senna’s McLaren and Charles Leclerc’s 2019 Ferrari, with which he won two races that year.

This was also a great place to cool down on a hot day, as it had air conditioning and plenty of coverage from the grueling sun. After about an hour to an hour and a half of taking our time through the car collection, we sought out a place nearby for some nibbles and continued our journey.

Monte Carlo Casino & Luxury Shopping in Monaco

Heading back to our train to Nice, we stopped at Monte-Carlo’s famous casino. We only went into the lobby, but the views really were stunning. The outside was littered with supercars and the ultra-rich. We think we might have even seen one of Lando Norris’s McLarens!

Scattered around the casino were also loads of luxury shops, where I decided to treat myself to something to remember the trip by. In the market for a new wallet, I first stopped in Hermès as I liked some of their smaller pieces. Based on the store's stock though I took a pass and opted for a Twilly, a narrow silk scarf, instead, as I’ve gotten a few from various Hermès stores as souvenirs from trips. I then went into Prada, as I always enjoy shopping there and found the perfect wallet. With many card compartments, a section for coins, and it being compact it was the perfect buy for me. We also stopped into Chanel and Louis Vuitton for my friends to look around, but they left empty-handed.

Is Monaco Worth Visiting? Final Thoughts on a Riviera Icon

Overall, Monaco was exactly what I expected. A beautiful city where the uber-rich exist as inconspicuously as they can while still showing off their cars, yachts, and Birkins. It’s definitely not a city for everyone, but it was somewhere I truly loved. Maybe it made me feel like someone else. Perhaps it was the charm of the city. Maybe the views and the beauty. Whatever the case, I can’t wait to go back and don’t regret my visit for a moment.