Monaco oozes wealth, glamour, and glitz. It’s where you’ll see some of the most expensive cars in the world (we did), drink some of the most expensive coffee in the world (we didn’t) and see the biggest super yachts in Europe (we did). Monaco beams with sun-kissed Mediterranean weather, a celebrity status casino, resorts, groomed gardens and beautiful beaches. From shopping (or window shopping depending on your budget) in the streets of Monte Carlo, to attending iconic events like the Grand Prix, there’s perhaps no place like Monaco.

Monaco is not a part of France although you’d wonder why it has retained its sovereign status since 1861, when it is bordered by France on three sides and the Mediterranean on one. But it is a seperate country- my number 50… and hopefully many more to come as my goal is 70 by 70. So for this reason alone we had to visit! And we figured that even if you’re not a billionaire with a megayacht, it would still be a very interesting place.

It is the world second smallest country… covering a mere 485 acres, but it packs a lot in its small square mileage and truly feels like a place that isn’t even located on Earth. Monaco is the world’s richest country due to its lack of income tax and residency requirements… and also has the highest number of millionaires per capita in the world… which you can see just by looking around. It’s also has the worlds lowest poverty rate… is the most densely populated country in the world… and had the highest number of police officers per capital (The country is packed with fascinating statistics such as these!)

So… we started the day literally being jammed like sardines onto the train. I’m surprised Anne could even breathe (reaching, as she does, only to most people’s shoulders!). The trains around here (French Riviera) are really crap and I totally cannot understand why in such a crowded tourist area they don’t either put on more trains or add extra carriages as every train we have caught has been pretty much the same. Bad start to the day!

Monarco is one country that can apparently be explored on foot entirely in a day- so we thought we’d find out. Our plan was to head straight to ‘The Rock’ which is the oldest section of Montecarlo, arguably the most picturesque and it’s quite simply a maze of alleyways perched on a rocky promontory rising steeply from the sea on both sides. It is also home to the Prince’s Palace… and our Monaco trip wouldn’t be complete without seeing where the royalty lives… would it? The palace was built in the 12th century and is the home of the current prince of Monaco.

So we left home in time to get to the palace in time to see the changing of the guards… which we thought would be an entertaining sight. But neither of us seemed to be able to get any internet reception to find our way there (it was super confusing just getting out of the train station)… so we got lost and subsequently missed it. No trumpeting, drumming and marching for us today! 😩

It’s a steep climb up to the palace along the Rampe de la Major, but we were certainly rewarded with some of the most incredible views of the city… ummm… country and over the Mediterranean Sea from up high.

As we’d missed the Changing of the Guard, the palace was not really our thing…

… so we just wandered the pretty streets of the old town which are filled with cafes and restaurants… and about a thousand souvenir shops- it felt like a real tourist trap.

I had heard of a really cool museum here and we strolled around looking for it. Wandered into a really beautiful park… filled with sculptures

… Jardins de Sainte-Martin that offers some incredible views over Port de Fontvieill with those luxurious yachts that Montecarlo is famous for… that iconic view of Monaco.

We were tired and looked for a seat to rest and eat some lunch which we had bought with us (yes we’re on a budget)… but there were so many tourists that a seat was impossible and we settled for some hard concrete steps that were at least in the shade. Yes it is still unseasonably hot and I still have nothing to wear!

The park is also apparently opposite the Cathedrale de Monarco… a stunning white Roman-Byzantine style building that we wanted to see (we both love visiting the churches and cathedrals)…

… but I hadn’t done my research properly and was confused about where it was and we missed it. So far… not so good!

We did find the museum we had been looking for earlier- pretty hard to miss actually but then, so was the cathedral. The Temple of the Sea, or better known as The Oceanographic Museum, located on a rocky cliff is one of the oldest aquariums in the world. The museum sits 90m above sea level and took 11 years to construct just the foundations to keep it from toppling into the water.

It focuses on everything involving the ocean and marine science and there are 3 aquariums inside with over 6,000 marine creatures across 100 pools.

We decided to catch the bus down as we had already walked about 10kms… and as we knew that our itinerary wouldn’t be complete without visiting the famous Monte Carlo Casino, we hopped off there. Fun fact: locals aren’t allowed to gamble in the casino, it’s considered to be illegal! Instead, the casino is entirely for visitors to Monaco. The Monte Carlo Casino is said to be the most popular casino in the entire world. This is probably because it’s featured in quite a few of the James Bond films, among other pop culture phenomena.

The casino dates back to the 19th century and is absolutely breathtaking on the outside, as I’m sure it is on the inside… although we didn’t even attempt to go in.

There was a constant procession of ridiculous and expensive cars coming and going from the Hotel de Paris in front of the casino… Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Porches, Audis, BMWs, Maseratis, Aston Martins… you name it! Just a magnet for 6-digit priced vehicles. I couldn’t personally tell the difference (although Anne could) but even I could tell they were probable worth more than my house and I know nothing about cars.

We then walked down towards the harbour, via a beautiful cascade of buildings everywhere we looked…

…to gape in awe at the enormous yachts… one even had a helipad complete with helicopter on board.

More than just super yachts, the harbour itself is very beautiful and is one of the most famous harbours in the world.

We were tired, thirsty and hot and thought it was wine time. Found a lovely little restaurant overlooking the harbour but they wouldn’t let us in just for a drink. They suggested we try the yacht club (quite a walk back in the direction we had come) but when we got there we were told it is members only. Trudged back down to the next suggested place and once again it was for meals only. No one wanted to give these two grannies a drink! Too tired and fed up to keep trying we found an ice cream place that actually served wine and sat by the harbour to rest and replenish. Our plan was to stay for dinner but both of us were really over it and we decided to head back to Villefranche sur Mer.

So… with buildings each more stunning than the last… manicured gardens filled with public art projects… wide boulevards along a waterfront vista rivaling any in the world… palatial homes, expensive cars, yachts filling the harbor… this is pretty much anyone’s definition of paradise. But honestly… I absolutely did not like it. Is it ok to say that? Am I the only one (although Anne felt the same)? Everything I read talked about how amazing everything was… and I get it… because it is. But it also isn’t! It’s noisy, fast-paced… hectic. A bit like the Gold Coast on steroids meets Europe. But beyond that, there is just something that you feel at every moment here… this is a place in which money rules, and where only the wealthy truly matter. The opulence everywhere you looked felt kind of immoral if I can use that word… at the very least it messed with my head. There are different kinds of beauty I guess… and this just wasn’t my kind!