Monaco

Dining in Monaco

French and Italian cuisines dominate the restaurants of Monaco. Monegasque specialties, which focus on seafoods and specialty breads are available in few restaurants. Pasta, meats (including game), poultry (especially duck), fish and other seafood, foie gras, salads that serves as a whole meal and wonderful desserts (creme caramel, mousse, tiramisu) are among many delicious food you can taste here.

The best value is the plat du jour, or menu of the day—posted outside restaurants. Brasseries are good options, but look for one that's crowded with locals. For a quick bite, try take-away filled baguette at Casino supermarket on Boulevard Albert 1st.

Around the streets along Boulevard des Moulins in Monte Carlo you can find good meals at reasonable prices or you can try Italian trattoria-style menu with wine on Quai Albert 1er, where you can admire the collection of boats and yachts. House wines are excellent and reasonable priced.

Luxury dinning: Hotel de Paris has three of the best restaurants in the country. The priciest—and finest—is Le Louis XV with one of the best French Chef Alain Ducasse. Le Grill offers panoramic views from the top floor. Less expensive alternative (though still pricey), is the buffet lunch at the hotel's Le Cote Jardin, with wonderful Mediterranean views. Jacket and tie are required at many of Monaco's best restaurants.

Romantic; If you are after the view of Port Hercule, and the Rock, try the Restaurant du Port, serving excellent fish dishes. One of the best traditional restaurants where you can taste the local and Italian cuisine is Le Castelroc, in the old town of Monaco-Ville on the palace square. Le Bistroquet at the Galerie du Metropole, just off the Casino square, serves great brasserie-style food, including a good fish and seafood selection. There is live entertainment on some evenings. On the roof of the Grimaldi Forum, you’ll find a great bar/restaurant with stunning views of the sea

Shopping in Monaco

Monaco is the international capital of luxury where you can find everything you wish for. At the heart of the city in the famous Cercle d'Or (Avenue Monte-Carlo, Avenue des Beaux Arts, Allées Lumières) has elegant luxury boutiques with the latest haute couture, perfume and jewellery.
Other great luxury shopping can be found on Boulevard des Moulins, Boulevard d'Italie, Avenue Princesse Grace, La Condamine, Rue Grimaldi, Rue Princesse Caroline, Rue Millo, Rue Terrazzani and Fontvieille Shopping Centre.

Night life in Monaco

A night in Monaco offers such variety that you will need to spend more than one night to fully appreciate it an take away unforgettable memories with you. Spend an evening at the Casinos between the Café de Paris, the Sun Casino and the Salle des Palmiers. See international cabaret shows at the Cuban bar at the Casino, have a drink and party until dawn in the clubs with music and glamorous atmosphere.

The Principality of Monaco, a historic City of Princes, will dazzle and amaze you at each turn, from the old town, a veritable open air museum, to the Place du Casino, unique in the world.

A modern town, Monaco has extended its territory by reclaiming land from the sea; do not miss the Fontvieille district rising up from the water, where technology sits side by side with art. Immerse yourself in the heart of the town by strolling around the typical market of la Condamine and discover the Moneghetti area. There are many ways to discover the Principality. Here are a few

Monaco Town, the Rock

Discover the old town through the narrow alleyways, that lead you to the picturesque Place Saint Nicolas and Placette Bosio, the Chapel of Mercy, Palais de Justice and the Cathedral, built in 1875 in a Roman-Byzantine style. Continue to the Place du Palais, where every day at precisely 11:55am the changing of the guard takes place in front of the Prince’s Palace, built in the 18th century.

Open daily form June to September, 9.30am – 6pm, and October, 10am – 5pm. The first floor is dedicated to the history of the Principality and the southern wing, host the Museum of Napoleonic Souvenirs and Collections of the Historical Archives of the Palace.

Further on, at the Place du Palais, enjoy the exceptional panorama while strolling towards the Saint Martin Gardens, that surrounds the Oceanographic Museum, on Avenue Saint Martin. Website: www.oceano.mc

In front of the Oceanographic museum on the Avenue St Martin, catch the “Azur Express” tourist train, to discover the Port, Monte-Carlo and its palaces, the famous casino and its gardens.

Located close to the Oceanographic Museum, Monte-Carlo story presents “Monaco the Film” on the parking terraces of the Chemin des Pecheurs. Screening in 6 languages is available every hour and the film explores the origins, history and future of the Principality.

Visit the Museum of the Chapel of Visitation, located on the Rock at Place de la Visitation, to discover the remarkable collection of sacred works of art belonging to Mrs. Piasecka Johnson, with masterpieces by Rubens, Zurbaran, Ribera and masters of the Italian Baroque.

The Monaco Town walk will take around 2 hours (excluding museums).

More things to do on and close to the French Riviera

Monaco

From la Condamine to Moneghetti

To experience the traditional Monaco, visit in the morning the local market at la Condamine, located in the heart of town. Not far away, the pedestrian area of the Rue Princesse Caroline is dotted with pleasant landscaped gardens, and attractive boutiques and gently slopes towards the sea. At Port Hercule , you can go sailing on a 55 minute trip around the Bay of Monaco aboard a catamaran equipped with two underwater viewing chambers. Have a drink in one of the many bars in the port area, then, head for les Moneghetti, where you will discover private villas from the early 20th century, and the Parc Princesse Antoinette with its hundred year old olive trees.

Visit the Exotic Garden, on France-Monaco border, containing remarkable species of cactuses from Africa and Latin America, from the aloe plants of Cape Town to the giant agaves from the Aztec regions. Go underground and discover the immense chambers of the Observatory Prehistoric Cave, with illuminated stalagmites and stalactites. Website : www.jardin-exotique.mc

On the Boulevard du Jardin Exotique, stop by the Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology, containing a series of priceless tombs originating from around the Principality. This museum, founded in 1902 by Prince Albert 1st, retraces the most important stages in the history of the human race, from Australanthropus to Pithecanthropus and Homo sapiens fossils.

The walk from la Condamine to Moneghetti (excluding museums) lasts for 2 hours

Getting To Monaco

By rail - All trains stop at the Monaco/Monte-Carlo station : The TGVs to and from Paris (journey time 5.5 hours). Trains to Milan, Genoa or Basel during the day and overnight trains to Strasbourg, Paris, Toulouse, Milan, Venice, Pisa and Rome are available as well as the Regional Express Trains, that connect the towns on the Côte d’Azur. To save time, purchase the tickets online on Raileurope.com

By plane - The Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport links the Principality of Monaco to more than 86 worldwide destinations. Rent a car and reach Monaco in 25 minutes, take a 15-20 minutes ride on SNCF train or fly by a helicopter in 6 minutes.

More information can be found at

Direction du Tourisme et des Congrès
2 A bd des Moulins, 98030 - MONACO CEDEX

and online
www.visitmonaco.com

Useful links for Monaco>>>

Fontvieille, the high tech district

Fontvieille is a district completely reclaimed from the sea, and accommodate high-tech and non-polluting companies. You will find the Stade Louis II was opened in 1985, a football pitch, a sports hall and an Olympic sized heated fresh water swimming pool. Embark on the Sculpture Path and discover beautiful contemporary works, created by the sculptors living in Monaco (Arman, Blake, Botero, Calder, César).

On Esplanade Rainier III, you will find four museums and parks to familiarize yourself further with the Principality. Don’t miss the Exhibition of HSH The Prince of Monaco’s Vintage Car Collection, where you can admire around a hundred vehicles, from the De Dion Bouton 1903 to the Lamborghini Countach 1986, as well as the 1929 Bugatti, the Citroen Torpedo of the Croisière Jaune or the 1952 Rolls Royce. Esplanade Rainier III also houses the Museum of Stamps and Coins and the Naval Museum.

The Fontvieille walk excluding the museums and sculpture path will take around 1 hour.

Monte-Carlo Casino and Opera House

Monte Carlo Casino, at the Place du Casino, has been designed by the famous architect Charles Garnier, who has also designed the opera house in Paris. Built in 1863, the Casino has been built around an atrium surrounded by 28 onyx columns, behind which the Salle Garnier, an Italian theatre decorated in red and gold that is the veritable miniature replica of the Paris opera house. Every season, the most beautiful opera shows are staged here. Further on, the gaming rooms are decorated with stained glass windows, sculptures, and unique allegorical paintings. Don’t forget to spend some time, exploring the Casino Gardens and Terraces with their magnificent flowerbeds, overlooking the sea. Website : www.casinomontecarlo.com and www.opera.mc

Around the Place du Casino, you can window shop the famous Cercle d'Or: jewelers, haute couture boutiques, antique dealers and more.
Walking down towards the sea and the Grimaldi Forum, high tech conference and events centre, you will discover the National Museum, Automation and Dolls of Yesteryear and the Japanese Garden, located on the Avenue Princesse Grace.

The Monte-Carlo walk will take around 1 hour (excluding museums).

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More information about Monaco

Film to watch

To Catch A Thief

Cary Grant plays John Robie, reformed jewel thief who was once known as "The Cat," in this suspenseful Alfred Hitchcock classic thriller. Robie is suspected of a new rash of gem thefts in the luxury hotels of the French Riviera, and he must set out to clear himself.

Meeting pampered heiress Frances (Grace Kelly), he sees a chance to bait the mysterious thief with her mother's (Jessie Royce Landis) fabulous jewels. His plan backfires, however, but France, who believes him guilty, proves her love by helping him escape. In a spine-tingling climax, the real criminal is exposed.