Monaco – how to get a taste of the champagne lifestyle on a lemonade budget
With a total area of 2.1 square kilometres, Monaco is the second smallest sovereign state in the world – only the Vatican City is smaller. Yet it is arguably the best and most extreme proof of the old saying that the best things come in small packages.
Monaco is famous for its yachts, its lavish casino, its famous grand prix and its huge concentration of millionaires. Expensive? Well, of course it is, but it’s still possible to visit and get a taste of that millionaire lifestyle even if you don’t have a seven-figure bank balance.
Table of contents
Where to stay
Monaco is first and foremost a tourist destination, and contrary to popular rumor, there are all sorts of accommodation options available. Yes, the famous hotels like the Hotel de Paris and the Hermitage charge outrageous prices, but you’ll also find more mundane chains like Novotel with room rates comparable to the rest of Europe. Best of all, however, are the small privately owned guest houses. Here, you can get a room at a reasonable rate and experience genuine Monégasque hospitality in an oasis of calm.
Visit the casino
It’s the most famous building in Monte Carlo, so of course you have to pay a visit! There’s no obligation to be a high roller, though. You can access the atrium and the slot games for free, but you’ll need to pay an entry fee to get to the table games, and the dress code in that area of the casino is very strict. Maybe better to just visit the atrium, play a few slots and if you’re desperate for blackjack or roulette, you can always visit a live casino online when you get back to your hotel!
Dining in Monaco
Like the accommodation, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that all budgets are catered to in Monaco. If you want to sample the wares of a Michelin starred chef and rub shoulders with celebrities, then expect to pay accordingly. But there are fabulous little cafes and pizzerias almost everywhere you turn in Monaco, and they will serve you food that’s fit for a Crown Prince.
People watching
One of the greatest pleasures in Monaco is people-watching. We’ve already mentioned the atrium in the casino, but there are two outdoor areas that are ideal vantage points too. One is just outside on Casino Square. Car enthusiasts will be enthralled by the endless parade of luxury and sports vehicles pulling up outside those famous doors day and night. The other area is down by the harbor. The superyachts are breathtaking, and the list of owners reads like a celebrity whose who, including Sir Philip Green, Rafael Nadal and Giorgio Armani.
When to go
The climate in Monaco makes it an ideal place to visit all year round. Spring is perfect, however, the weather is warm without being too hot and you’ll be ahead of peak season. Avoid the last weekend of May, when all of Monaco grinds to a halt for the grand prix, accommodation is impossible to find and prices hit the stratosphere!
Remember, never travel without travel insurance! And never overpay for travel insurance!
I use HeyMondo. You get INSTANT quotes. Super cheap, they actually pay out, AND they cover almost everywhere, where most insurance companies don't (even places like Central African Republic etc!). You can sign-up here. PS You even get 5% off if you use MY LINK! You can even sign up if you're already overseas and traveling, pretty cool.
Also, if you want to start a blog...I CAN HELP YOU!
Also, if you want to start a blog, and start to change your life, I'd love to help you! Email me on johnny@onestep4ward.com. In the meantime, check out my super easy blog post on how to start a travel blog in under 30 minutes, here! And if you just want to get cracking, use BlueHost at a discount, through me.
Also, (if you're like me, and awful with tech-stuff) email me and my team can get a blog up and running for you, designed and everything, for $699 - email johnny@onestep4ward.com to get started.
Do you work remotely? Are you a digital nomad/blogger etc? You need to be insured too.
I use SafetyWing for my digital nomad insurance. It covers me while I live overseas. It's just $10 a week, and it's amazing! No upfront fees, you just pay week by week, and you can sign up just for a week if you want, then switch it off and on whenever. You can read my review here, and you can sign-up here!
As you know, blogging changed my life. I left Ireland broke, with no plan, with just a one-way ticket to Thailand and no money. Since then, I started a blog, then a digital media company, I’ve made more than $1,500,000 USD, bought 4 properties and visited (almost) every country in the world. And I did it all from my laptop as I travel the world and live my dream.
