A Glimpse of Monaco

In my mind Monaco has been a “fairy tale kingdom” ever since the marriage of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier. And now here I am in France  and close enough to make a visit to the principality a reality.

So, let’s go!

Welcome to Monaco.

The train trip along the coast from Cannes to Monaco was delightful but it is here in Monaco that I want to be today.

Leaving the train station we are immediately aware that we are on a hillside/mountainside.

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say “in” the mountain as the train station is literally inside the rocks and many roads are “clinging” to the rocks.

(Hint: Click on any photo to enlarge it.)

After a bit of searching we find the public buses and start our adventure. Silly me decides we should get off part way to the top of the mountain and walk up this famous stairway…The Major Ramp.

Good choice? Bad choice? Well…a bit of both. The views are lovely. The history of the stairway is vast. But on the flip slide the stairway is very long!

Since we walked up The Major Ramp we arrive in Monaco-ville (the area up high on the rocks, overlooking the port and Monte Carlo) in the Palace Square. If we had ridden the bus all the way to the top we would have been about a five minute walk from the palace.

We are greeted at the top of the ramp by a large statue done in black stone (marble?). This is The Black Monk, Francois Grimaldi, who played a decisive role in the history of Monaco.

Thank goodness there is a lovely little snack bar just at the top of the ramp where we can have a brief rest and a cold drink.

We sit and admire the Prince’s Palace…the pink palace where the royal family lives. (sigh!)

Aside: Not sure why it is known as the “pink” palace as the walls do not look pink to me!

Discovering the changing of the guard will be starting very soon  we decide to hang around to watch it.

An interesting observation…the new guard and members of the band that perform during the ceremony are bused up the hill to the courtyard. Perhaps I should suggest they march up that staircase we just came up and play their music as they come up. It would be quite a unique  entrance, don’t you think?  No? Oh well, it is an interesting thought!

The changing of the guard ceremony is very well done. If you are coming to see the ceremony, make an effort to be there early enough to get a good viewing spot for the ceremony which is held at 11:55 (sharp) each day.

Next we spend quite a bit of time strolling through the shops and streets of Monaco-ville...

and enjoying views of the Port of Monaco way down below us.

In front of the Musee de Oceanographique  (Costeau Acquarium) we board the little tourist train

and take a thirty minute tour of some of the highlights of Monaco…

even driving on some of the same roads that the Formula 1 Grand Prix uses. It is not a hop-on hop-off tour but it gives us a glimpse of the upper and lower levels of the principality. Later we will go back down to the lower level and explore by foot. 

Aside: Small souvenirs are much cheaper in the gift shop of the Musee de Oceanographique than they are in Monte Carlo area.

Okay, we have found most of the plagues and references to Princess Grace, and have window shopped in many of the little stores on this upper level, so let’s find bus #1 and head down to the lower level.

Continue the journey with us as we explore Monte Carlo…click here.