Monaco
Smaller Than You Think,
Better Than You'd Expect
During my trip to the French Riviera, we took the train from our base in Menton to spend a couple of hours in Monaco. It was a short and incredibly scenic ride that made our visit to an entirely different country easy. Even though flashy cars and luxury aren’t usually my thing, it was still neat to to see so much wealth packed into such a small setting.
We visited the famous Monte Carlo Casino, which was definitely glamorous and felt a bit like stepping onto a movie set. Note: make sure to bring your passport if you want to play!
Monaco’s compact size makes it feel more like a high-end neighborhood than a country, and it seemed that most things travelers would be looking to see or do were in close proximity to the casino.
What I loved most was how easy this country was to access from the surrounding cities in the French Riviera. Throughout our stay on the Côte d’Azur, we even ended up driving through Monaco a few more times en route to other coastal towns, which made Monaco feel less like some glamorous dream and more like another part of everyday life on the Riviera.
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