Our second day on the Riviera and we’re feeling pretty good about ourselves. Flattering sunlight? Check. Ocean breeze? Check. Sidewalk cafes? Check. Giant suite overlooking Croisette? Check.
So it was incredibly difficult to pick up and leave this morning for Monaco and then Menton. Monaco is just a 45 min train ride fron Cannes so we headed back to the train station and bought our $17 round trip tickets to Monaco. Before we knew it we were in the Principality and had the passport stamps to prove it!
We also had this gorgeous view.
You just never get tired of looking at it. It really is just a little pillbox of a country – about 500 square acres – and just screams wealth and beauty. Just look at these yachts!
Monaco has been ruled by the House of Grimaldi since 1297 and today only about 38,000 people live in Monaco. It is the second smallest and most densely populated country on earth and about 30% of the residents are millionaires.
We walked around the Place du Casino, home of the famous Casino Monte-Carlo.
It’s not a very welcoming place if you’re a tourist. They’re most interested in people who are arriving in expensive cars and not by train like we did. But that’s okay, it was free to look.
To the right of the Casino is the Hotel de Paris. The whole square looks very James Bond.
We also peeked at the Grimaldi Palace that overlooks the country.
It’s fairly unremarkable but the little neighborhood around it is adorable. Here’s the Monagasque version of street food.
After spending some time in Monaco, we paid €1.50 to ride the bus to Menton which is another Riviera town near the Italian border about 30 minutes away from Monaco. Best bus ride ever with views like this.
It was there that we had lunch on the Mediterranean.
Before we knew it our day was over and we headed back to the train station to get back to Cannes.
Tomorrow is Nice and (hopefully) Eze!
