Monaco is the smallest country in the world, except Vatican. Despite its size, the Principality is very wealthy and has a variety of industries, such as tourism and construction. Price per square meter of prime property in Monaco is $58,000, and by this indicator the Principality holds the first place in the world.
Monaco is also known as an offshore zone and the residence of wealthy immigrants. It's very beneficial to move here because of zero personal income taxes! However, a one-bedroom studio costs a million euros.
Monaco is well known among tourists due to a very picturesque location. Excellent views open from the French mountains. But it's not easy to find the viewpoints. The first is on the way from Italy near the Vista Palace Hotel (here). This place can be reached by car or by foot (5 km from casino).
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| View of Monaco ©Yuriy Buriak |
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Better come here in the morning (the picture above is made at 3 pm). But there can be mist in the morning :)
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| Fog obscures Monaco ©Yuriy Buriak |
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The second viewing point is more interesting. Located near the village of La Turbie (here), it's less known but more picturesque. If you are traveling with GPS, search for Restaurant Les Santons 700 Route de la Tête de Chien 06320 La Turbie, France. There's a bus #116 from Nice. In Monaco there's a bus #100X (schedule) from the Fontville area or bus #11 (schedule) from the casino.
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| View of Monaco ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| View of Monaco ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| View of Monaco ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| ©Yuriy Buriak |
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It's quite simple to walk around Monaco. Just go along the sea and you'll find all interesting sites. You should start from the old city (Monaco-Ville). Here you'll find the Prince's Palace, the 700-year-old residence of the royal family, an aquarium and a viewpoint overlooking the harbor. At 11:55 am there's a change of the guard near the palace.
From the Oceanographic Museum starts a tourist train, which goes around the country. Besides, a tourist bus with audio guides in different languages starts from the port. Nevertheless, better walk on foot, the distances are small.
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| View of Monaco from the old city ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| View of Monaco from the old city ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Sculpture in the old city ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| The best photo point in Monaco ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Sculpture in the old city ©Yuriy Buriak |
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Harbor of Monaco holds an annual international yacht show, the largest in Europe. At the time of our visit the biggest yacht in the marina was Lady Moura with a length of 105 meters.
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| View of harbor in Monaco ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Yachts in Monaco ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| View of the harbor and old city in Monaco ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| The biggest yacht in the harbor at the time of our visit ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| And in such way it is loaded ©Yuriy Buriak |
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One of the most famous casinos in the world is located in the area of Monte-Carlo. It's well known not only to adults from the James Bond movies, but also to children from the cartoon "Madagascar-3." Starting from 2013, you can visit guided tours in the casino for 10 euros. The casino is surrounded by a beautiful park. Because of the country's tiny area, there are not many parks. Another one can be found on the shore near the stadium, behind the old city.
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| Casino in Monte Carlo ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Distorting mirror in front of the casino in Monte Carlo ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Distorting mirror in front of the casino in Monte Carlo ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Park near the casino in Monte Carlo ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Typical inhabitants of Monte Carlo? :) ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Park near the casino in Monte Carlo ©Yuriy Buriak |
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From the casino you can reach the public beach (Larvotto Beach) along the alley of football stars.
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| Alley of football stars in Monte Carlo ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Alley of football stars in Monte Carlo ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Alley of football stars in Monte Carlo ©Yuriy Buriak |
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The beach is spotless, with clear water, one of the best urban beaches we have seen.
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| City beach in Monaco ©Yuriy Buriak |
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In addition to luxury yachts, supercars are popular in Monaco. They are everywhere, even in the parking lot we were surrounded by Porsches. In general, Monaco is the most "luxurious" European city we've ever seen.
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| Expensive cars in Monaco ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Hotel in the heart of Monaco ©Yuriy Buriak |
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Monaco is located on the mountain slopes, so many free lifts were built. They are all marked on the map below. Otherwise you'll have to walk on such stairs :)
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| Monaco is located on the mountain slopes, such stairs are everywhere. ©Yuriy Buriak |
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More photos of Monaco
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| Tribunes of Formula 1 ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Monument to Juan Manuel Fangio and his car Mercedes-Benz 196 ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Tourist map of Monaco ©@ |
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Useful links:
Monaco Tourist Map (pdf)
Route of Formula 1 in Monaco
Parking in Monaco
Casino of Monte-Carlo
Tourist website of Monaco
The Oceanographic Museum
Transport of Monaco (map is here)
The Prince's Palace in Monaco
Tourist Bus
Getting there: Monaco has no airport, the nearest one is in Nice (22 km). Bus from Nice goes for 45 minutes, train for 30 minutes. A taxi from the Nice airport costs 80 euros. The nearest airports in Italy are Turin, Milan, and Genoa, then go by train. There's a railway station and a heliport in Monaco, 7 minutes to fly from Nice. |
