Monte Carlo a Must See?

[vacationhappy]

Hi - Monte Carlo is one of the ports that we are visiting. Is it a "must see"? We are traveling with our kids so we will not be visiting the casino. We are not that interested in seeing the changing of the guard becasue we have seen similar rituals in other places. I get the feeling from this board that there other places in the South of France that are more interesting - all opinions welcome!

[wwinfl91]

We included Monte Carlo when we did our only Med cruise so far but neither my wife or I were very impressed with what we saw. I would think especially with kids that there might be better excusions to take. The view of the yachtes in the harbor in Monte Carlo was worthwhile.

 

Our trip that day included a trip to St. Paul-de-Vence, a small walled medieval city, a stop in Nice and a drive by the beach in Cannes. Because the area is relatively small you can probably do more than one thing.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[NH Cruiser]

We visited Monte Carlo as part of our French Riviera tour with Allain (Dream Tours). We went there from Monaco, driving along the Grand Prix roadway which was still set up from the race earlier that week. The casino is beautiful outside, but there wasn't a lot to see/do. A small square, a very ritzy hotel, some very expensive cars with drivers, and a small park at the far end of the square. There was another terraced garden behind the casino that led to the yachts. Other than the yachts, I wouldn't bother with Monte Carlo if you have children with you. They charged to go into the casino and we also had to pay to check our backpacks. Once inside, all you can see (and use) is a smaller room full of slot machines unless you pay more to go into the main casino. If you don't gamble once inside, they ask you to leave.

 

I would include Monaco. Eze, and St Paul de Vence on your itinerary. We drove through Nice on the way home, originally intending to tour there but we were worn out from our full day. Try to make it to Monaco for changing of the guard. When we visited, there was a very nice self-guided palace tour. We ate lunch in a small plaza behind the government buildings. The cathedral is very close to the palace and you can go inside to see where Princess Grace is buried.

 

We also went to Eze and St Paul de Vence. I loved both of these places, each for different reasons. Check out the pictures of our French Riviera excursion (http://community.webshots.com/album/79552418VpKDxf). The pictures will give you an idea of the scenery you will see. Walk to the top of the mountain in Eze (not a hard climb) and you can see a beautiful panorama of the harbor and the ship.

 

Here's the contact information for Allain (infos@dream-tours.com). I recommend him highly. After I worked with him to customize the itinerary, I posted on our cruise thread to find others who wanted to join us. We ended up with a full van.

[Bruin Steve]

I've been to Monte Carlo three times...there are some cool things about it, other than the casino (You can tour the Royal Palace and it's pretty neat that there are Public Elevators from the beach to the main part of town high on the hill)...but, to be truthful, although a very nice city and very glamorous, it can get a bit dull...and things there are very overpriced...

 

Both Eze and St. Paul de Vence are much more interesting...Nice and Cannes also have some charm...With kids, I might opt for St. Paul

[Trixsea]

I really enjoyed the Jacques Cousteau museum.

[babylene]

I don't know how old your kids are, but the Oceanographic museum would probably interest them. I don't think St. Paul de Vence or Eze would be particularly interesting for them. You may want to go the beach at Juan les Pins, which is sandy and family-oriented. It is smaller than Cannes, and more "walkable".

[ijkh]

There is an elevator up to the museum through the parking garage. You can walk there easily from the dock where the tenders land.

 

We also though the little tourist train which is really a tram ride through the city was great. It starts and finished right in front of the Cousteau Museum. We loved not needing a guide nor a tour to have a perfect fun day. It is very much like Beverly Hills, California only with an ocean view and a castle.