Crossing a state in a Day - Monaco

Tobias Heller
9. Feb. 2017
6 Min. Lesezeit

From Nice it is just an hours bus ride to go to Monaco, which is, following the Vatican, the second smallest state in the world with only an area of slightly more than 2 square kilometers. Also remarkable is the fact that it houses around 38.000 inhabitants, and therefor is the most densely populated country in the world. It is governed by a constitutional monarchy with Prince Albert II as the head of the state and it's emblem is the large Casino, which invites gamblers from allover the world.

Architecture & City

Architectural Stroll - Exploring the whole State

From Nice I take the Bus to Monaco from the old Harbor, the ride won't take long and leads along the coast from which I enjoy a good view onto from up the winding slopes the bus speeds through. The bus stops sideways next to a small roundabout and a tunnel, and I get off. Right in front of me is a huge shopping center, where I buy some supplies for later and then stroll upwards the steep stairs and roads in order to get a nice overview of Monaco.

I encounter many interesting buildings on the way, various styles are mixed together. Some of them are similar like the once around the old harbor in Nice, walls painted with a strong shining color and a matching accent given by the window frames and doors. Strongly decorated buildings with arches over the entrance and dome shaped roofs are just right next to large industrialized apartment blocks, balconies which zick-zack out an inwards at the facade, giving it a modern and lively look. In the middle a high building sits prominently overlooking everything and seems to be the highest in vicinity, with a structured pattern in front of the glass facade and small bridges connecting two towers in airy hight. I enjoy to stroll around while getting on higher levels constantly.

Viewpoint & Harbor

Port de Fontvieille - Viewpoint

From up there, following the street to the Botanic Gardens, one of the assumably best views down to the old harbor opens up, the Port de Fontvieille. The harbor leads deeper inside the mainland than others I have seen, therefor appearing to be a little bay, tough a very small one. To the left the old city center is situated on an uplifted platform, from which a steep cliff tumbles downwards. The water of the Cote d'Azur appears so bright and deep blue, it invites for a jump inside. An impressive sight, to the left I spot the western end of Monaco, from which the Bus has entered the state, and a little in the distance to the right, there must be the eastside end, not far indeed and in walking reach.

Architecture & Sightseeing

The Casino - Cars & Gambling

From above the street I already spot the Casino in the distance and in it's front a white large bubble shape, which I consider to be an enormous stent at first. When taking a closer look, it is actually a building, shaped like a cloud or a bubble, softly rounded and partially melt together. The surface isn't plain, but broken up by a futuristic geometric pattern in diamond shape. Not sure what it is, I stroll right in between the small streets between those bubbles, recognizing here that those are shops, but the kind of shops that I wouldn't even set foot on. From Prada, Gucci and Chanel everything can be found here, exclusively expensive and only affordable by a certain clientele. Though there are not many people around, all the small stores tend to have 2 or 3 staff members. They can be seen through the slanted glass sheets that grow upwards from the ground and which are framed by a bow of the white patterned surface. Along those tent like buildings shadowy pathways in a park lead over to the Casino, the main emblem of Monaco, and is framed by benches on which I sit down to have a snack. While sitting here, eating my two euro cos-cous from a plastic bowl with a camping fork, unkempt hair, beach shorts and a plain shirt, I feel strangely out of place. Men dressed in suit and tie, mainly in company with a woman wearing skirt, blouse and blazer or a designer dress with matching jewelry and accessories, are passing by frequently. Just by the looks you can tell that their wallet surely is figuratively weighing more than my backpack does.

Just right below the Tents, the space opens up, in the middle a round circle is nestled, with a cascade of water flowing downwards and an overlarge indented mirror in the middle, reflecting the surrounding and creating some weird fisheye effect. Looking straight on it first I think it is a ball, when circling around I see it is shaped like a bowl instead. I am now in the epicenter of luxury, gambling and money. Carefully I draw closer to the Casino and spot a row of extremely expensive cars parked directly at the entrance. I enjoy myself by watching the cars come and go. Every time a new car arrives, a guy in uniform welcomes the obviously wealthy drivers and receives the key to get it parked for them, while the gamblers get inside the casino. Impossible to imagine me doing this job, I would get a nervous breakdown if I'd be responsible to move several hundred thousand euros with my clumsy feet and hand. No way.

Beaches

Unexpectedly Empty

Following the street behind the Casino, I encounter a Japanese Garden, laid out nicely with a lake and typical accessories for entertainment and recreational matters. Then the beach opens up, and maybe it is due to the current season, as it is still february, this one is completely deserted. Assuming that the water is freezing anyways and impossible to swim in yet, though a stroll around here is nice and I somehow enjoy the loneliness. What I despise the most are overpopulated beaches with waves and waves of beach chairs, sellers on every corner trying to get rid of their stuff and hundreds of bodies of tourists from which most apparently are not able to see a limit to their tanning times and thus are being burnt and red allover. I prefer the lone beach, even if that means to be there in winter. The feeling to me is still refreshing and reviving, with the waves coming in softly and absolute peacefulness and quietness.

Though I am not sure if there is something to see behind the end of the beach, I stroll there anyways, as I want to reach the easter end of Monaco, thereby having it crossed completely. What a tiny state that is. Indeed at the end there are further casino facilities, and as I circle around those buildings I got the feeling anyone of the security staff could just right now jump out, telling me to leave from the casino grounds and facilities as I apparently and obviously am not one of their guests. Sure, they'd see that. From here I return back along the beach to the center parts which I haven't seen yet, in order to stroll around there before taking the bus back to Nice.

Beaches

Uphill - The old Center

My last stopover is the uplifted platform in which the old center and various facilities such as old Palace of Princes with a large Square in the front, that edges framed by canons and piles of canon balls that are placed in direction of the city below. To the east side it offers a view to the dozens of industrialized apartment blocks of Monte Carlo, built along the steep slope of the mountain, various cranes sticking out here and there due to continual construction and extension works. The other harbor, Port Hercule sits below with luxurious yachts and ships anchoring along it's promenade.

I stroll around here, encounter the oceanographic museum and the Cathedral of Monaco, as well as a little park and small alleys with restaurants and souvenir shops, while the street lights spring into life and the the sky begins to darken. Soon I need to return back to Nice, but in retrospect it was a a nice day, though not one of those magically appealing places, with hidden treasures on the go, Monaco turned out to be a nice day trip for a stroll. And when do you have the chance to cross a whole state on feet in one day?