MONACO … photo diary of a Mediterranean masterpiece

Oh God! … Monaco (and Monte Carlo) … you have to see it to believe it! Honestly.

After visiting the French Riviera East-to-West and back again you get used to super chic little towns perched on the rocky shores of the Mediterranean sea. Charming and picturesque with their little houses and their “Belle Epoque” villas you feel like the 20th century avoided them.

You want a change of pace and style? … Head out to Monaco! The worlds most densely populate country and its second smallest – only 2km square!. Tiny as it may be, this minuscule piece of land nestled between some of France’s most stunning riviera towns boasts an unsurpassed splendour that makes it truly remarkable.

In true contrast with all other places on the Riviera, Monaco has reinvented itself into a modern and thriving city-state.

Glass buildings, tall and modern constructions even perky skyscrapers adorn Monaco’s skyline – a style that one would not normally go to when thinking of the Mediterranean Sea. And yet, here it blends wonderfully in the scenery.

If you are a history buff, or you’re in love with the glamorous world of princes and princesses, Monaco has also got you covered. From the immortal legend of Princess Grace to the glamorous lives of the present-day Grimaldi rulers it is impossible to miss the sense of history embedded in the walls of this place.

And then there’s Monte Carlo! The Glitzy and Glamorous playground of the world’s rich and famous, beautiful crowned by its famous Casino.

There are many rich places in this world and some of them take it to an uncomfortable level of opulence that sometimes even borderlines kitsch. The real beauty of Monaco and Monte Carlo lies exactly in the fact that however expensive and aimed at really wealthy people they are, they maintain a state of underwhelming elegance and they are very welcoming places to visit even for those that don’t necessarily afford all the luxuries and conveniences of these places.

Monaco is the country with the largest number of billionaires per capita in the world and yet it doesn’t flaunt its posh style in your face, making it, for us at least, the real proof that true wealth should be more about a very high standard of living rather than an overbearing manifestation of one’s financial power.

Tips

The entire country is set on steep mountain slopes so walking around it by foot can prove very difficult for those that are not in a great physical shape. If you want to see as much as possible we really recommend using either the leisure little train or the sightseeing bus and then stopping to those places that you are most drawn to. If you do want to mostly walk around, look for different public elevators that help you move around different platforms in the city in a much easier way.  Especially on hot summer days, you can get quickly exhausted here and it would be a shame to miss out on different places because of that. 

Monaco on Google Maps

If you have visited Monaco let us know how you feel about it, and if you haven’t tell us if this place would be on your list of future trips. Until next time,  Happy Lives and Joyful Journeys everyone!