CASINO MONTE CARLO
CASINO
92 16 20 00 www.casinomontecarlo.com
The renowned gambling house was infamous well before it was Ian Flemming’s inspiration for the first book in the James Bond series, Casino Royale, and continues to this day to conjure up images of Charles Wells breaking the bank at the turn of the century. While the well-dressed and optimistic can try their luck at any of the casino’s table games or slot machines, the less intrepid can get a drink and hang out in the Atrium du Casino and marvel at the casino’s opulence, which rivals the Royal Palace. Dress code is not in effect until 8pm, but jeans, sneakers, and T-shirts are frowned upon. 18+ gambling is strictly enforced. bring photo ID.
€10 cover. Slots open July-Aug daily from noon, Sept-Jun from 2pm, Sa-Su from noon. Roulette daily from noon.
JARDIN EXOTIQUE
62 bld. du Jardin Exotique
GARDEN
93 15 29 80 www.jardin-exotique.mc
This garden of rare plant species from around the world has been growing since the 16th century, when New World explorers brought over cacti and rainforest plants. Accompanying the garden are the Observatory Caves and the prehistory museum, which takes visitors through a series of underground passageways and grottos through the local limerich cave system. Forget which ones are stalagmites and stalagtites? So do we.
Adults €7, students €3.70. Open May 15-Sep 15 9am-7pm, Sept 16-May 14 9am-6pm (or until nightfall).
La Condamine
PORT OF HERCULES
La Condamine
PORT
Home to more money floating on water than a Kevin Costner flop, this port is the main service center for the mega yachts that visit the area. Surrounding the port is the famous stretch of the Monaco Grand Prix, as well as a series of cafes and bars ideal for escaping the sun.
breaking the bank
If you feel the need to throw your hard-earned euro at one of the richest institutions in the world, do yourself a favor and go for the Roulette wheel. Several resourceful (read: cheating) men have made out quite successfully, including Joseph Jagger (distant cousin to Mick) in 1873.
Joseph discovered a slight advantage—one particular wheel landed on 7, 8, 9, 17, 18, 19, 22, 28 and 29 more often than on the other numbers. After placing 7 bets, he quickly made over $1 million on the first day. The casino figured out the flaw and quickly moved tables to throw Jagger off. He was able to find the wheel again in the sea of tables by identifying a chip in the wheel, continued winning, and left with over two million francs, or $5 million in 2005 USD.
Con man Charles Wells worked a similar steal, again on the Roulette wheel, in 1891. Wells broke the bank (winning more than the chips on the table) 12 times, winning $2.5 million in 11 hours. In one particularly absurd run, he bet the number 5 for five consecutive turns, and won each time. Despite hiring private detectives to investigate, the casino never found out his system. Wells chalked it up to “luck.”
Fontvieille
HSH PRINCE RAINIER III’S CAR COLLECTION
Terrasses de Fontvieille
MUSEUM
92 05 28 56 www.palais.mc
If you thought that the cars parked in front of the casino were impressive, think again—Prince Rainier III’s antique car collection puts them all to shame. Highlights include the Cintroen Torpedo that crossed Asia for the Yellow Expedition race in the 1930s, and the sexy ’56 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud that carried the prince and Grace Kelly on their wedding day. Don’t miss the oldest specimen, the 1903 De Dion Bouton, one of the first widely manufactured steam engine cars. Adults €6, students €3. Open daily 10am-6pm.
LOUIS II STADIUM
3 av. des Castelans
SPORTS FACILITY
92 05 40 11
One of the best-funded sports facilities in the world, the stadium is the home feild of AS Monaco, as well as an Olympic swimming pool and multisports hall surrounded by a world class althetic track.
Adults €4, students €2. Tours M, Tu, Th, and F 10:30am,11:30am, 2:30pm, and 4pm. W 10:30am and 11:30am.
MONACO ZOO
Terrasse de Fontvieille
ZOO
93 50 40 30 www.palais.mc
Home to 250 animals and 50 different species, this zoo was once the private animal collection of Prince Rainier III before he opened up the grounds to the public in 1954.
Adults €4, students €2.. Open Oct-Feb 10am-noon, 2-5pm, Mar-May 10am-noon, 2-6pm, Jun-Sep 9am-noon, 2-7pm.
BEACHES
PLAGE DU LARVOTTO
av. Princess Grace
BEACH
Well, it’s the best and worst beach in Monaco, since it’s also the only one. Comprised of two man-made lagoons separated by a divider, this convenient sandy beach does not require a long hike or a daring leap over jagged rocks or cliffs to get to. Larvotto is also one of Monaco’s few great equalizers, since everyone in the country who wishes to sunbathe must either come here or, you know, stick to their private yachts’ sunbeds.
Lifgaurd, toilets and handicapped access.
FOOD
Monaco-Ville
CHOCOLATERIE DE MONACO
pl. de la Visitation
CHOCOLATIER
97 97 88 88
Chocolatier specializing in Monaco-themed chocolates and a Viennese chocolate drink that is richer than the Prince himself.
Average of €1/10g of chocolate. €4.10 chocolate drinks. Open daily 9am-6:30pm.
U’CAVAGNATU
12 Comte Felix Gastaldi
MONEGASQUE
97 89 20 40
Traditional monegasque cuisine that blends both French and Italian influences into a fusion of Mediterranean styles. Obscure foods include fried zuccini, and olive and onion omelets.
Lunch plates €12.50-15, €25.50 fixed menu. Open daily 12-5pm, 7-1pm.
COSTA MONACO
8-10 rue Basse
CAFE, CRÊPERIE
93 50 60 85
Small and relaxed cafe with low, blue couches in a low ceilinged room. Serves tarts, crêpes and drinks.
Crêpes €3-3.60, Pizza €5.40, Sandwiches €2-5.70. Open daily 6am-8pm.
Monte Carlo
SAKURA
1 av. Henri Dunant
SUSHI
93 50 87 33
Sushi restaurant and bar in the Carre d’Or or Monte Carlo. All white interior serves a specialty of fatty tuna and a variety of California rolls. You’ll want to dress up to go anywhere near the Carre d’Or, and this chic sushi bar is no exception. Dress to impress. €13 rolls, €5 pieces of sashimi. Open daily 12-2pm, 7-10:30pm.
IL TERRAZZINO
2 rue d’Iris
ITALIAN
93 50 24 27
Highly praised restaurant known for its festive interior, which is designed to look like an outdoor market. Enjoy fine Italian cuisine while taking in a great view of the casino.
€45 prix-fixe, €12 plat du jour. Open M-Sa 12-2:30pm, 7:30-11pm.
La Condamine
LA PROVENCE
22 rue Grimaldi
PROVENÇAL
97 98 37 81
Upscale Provençal restaurant in the Condamine. Enjoy specialties like beef tartare in a classy atmosphere. You’ll dine at wrought iron tables that give La Provence a mix of traditional flair and modern architecture. Don’t worry about getting too dressed up, but make sure you look “nice.”
Lunch menu €16, plates from €9-18. Open daily 12-3pm, 7-10pm.
NIGHTLIFE
Monaco-Ville
Do you really want to be the backpacker that woke up the royal family? Didn’t think so. Monaco-Ville is the sleepy side of town, with no bars or clubs to note.
Monte Carlo
This neighborhood hosts some of the glitziest parties and expensive bars and clubs in all of Monaco, not to mention the world. If you’re not dressed like a count, be prepared to be turned away at the door (especially if you are a guy or group of guys). While the glam of the casino seems to rub off on the surroun
ding clubs and bars, there are some holdout low-key establishments here that still accept jeans and T-shirts; if it’s a pub, you’re probably in the clear. The beach is lined with lounges, and the Princesse Grace boasts some of Monaco’s mot expensive bars. The more laidback pubs and wine bars run along rue Portier.
MCCARTHY’S
7 rue du Portier
IRISH PUB
93 50 88 10 www.mcpam.com
The last bastion of normalcy in the ritziest area of Monaco. This laidback Irish pub serves Irish cocktails (read: whiskey and Baileys inspired) and some staple Kilkenny and Guiness in a welcoming atmosphere filled. Whiskey barrels are used for tables, and the walls are covered with Irish road signs.
€6 beer, €9-12 cocktails. Happy hour prices up to 30% off. Open daily 5pm-5am. Happy hour M-F 5-8pm.
COSMOPOLITAN
5 rue Portier
WINE BAR
93 25 78 60 www.cosmopolitan.com
Upscale wine bar where elite patrons blow the bank on €600 bottles of Bordeaux, and backpackers like us sit around and look classy with a €4 glass. Quiet outdoor seating provides an ideal space for a casual conversation and a laidback start to a wild night.
€10-14 cocktails, €4-5 glass of wine. Open daily 12:30-2pm, 6-11pm.
LA NOTE BLEUE
Plage du Larvotto
PIANO, JAZZ BAR
93 50 05 02 www.lanotebleue.mc
For those who as a general rule don’t leave the beach if you can help it, this classy jazz and piano bar is spitting distance from the water. The whitewashed walls and low couches make for a comfy place to sip your “Pure Happiness” (vodka, peach) or “Pure Pleasure” (vodka, strawberry, champgane) cocktails. €12 cocktails, €7 beer. Open daily 6:30pm-3am. Wed-Sat concerts from 6:30pm-12am.
KARE(MENT)
10 av. Princess Grace
CLUB
99 99 20 20 www.karement.com
Located in the Grimaldy Forum, this enormous homage to debauchery is comprised of 3 bars and a dance floor, and hovers 100ft over the water. The views of the ocean from the third bar are particularly dramatic, and the nightly live DJs keep the party hopping. Thursdays are “Salsa Ladies Night”—and features heavily discounted drinks—until 11pm, when the theme changes abruptly to “80’s Night.” Think those two themes fit well? Neither do we.
Prices. Open summer daily 8am-5am, Winter M-F 8:30am-5am, Sa 6pm-5am.
THE LIVING ROOM
7 rue Speluges
PIANO BAR, CLUB
93 50 80 31
Old school piano bar and throwback to the 1920s and ’30s, with a particularly casual patio deck. DJ music gradually incorporates modern music into the bar’s repetoire as the night goes on, and expertly syncs modern mixes with the jazz piano.
€10 beer, €15 cocktails. Open M-Sa 11pm-5am.
La Condamine
The slacker hub of Monaco, La Condamine doesn’t require you to dress up completely, though a collared shirt or heels would be nice. Most of the ex-pat bars are located in this area, as well as some of the best Happy hour deals.
SLAMMERS
6 rue Saffren
BRITISH PUB
97 70 36 56
The name says it all. British-run and Morrocan-designed pub with an open mike jam session every Sunday. Low couches on outdoor patio are packed with disaffected youth. Owner encourages ordering takeout for delivery to the bar from neighboring restaurants.
€4 beer, €10.50 alcohols. Happy hours almost half price. Open M-F 5pm-1am, Sa-Su 1pm-1am. Happy hours 5-8pm.
STARS AND BARS
6 quai Antoine 1er
BAR
97 97 95 95 www.starsnbars.com
The ideal guy hangout, Stars and Bars boasts an awesome collection of auto sports memorabilia, a collection of fooseball tables, and crowds that regularly overflow onto the port. The bar serves killer beer cocktails—we recomment the “Exotic,” a combo of light beer, pineapple and Malibu rum that will knock you on your ass.
€8 beer cocktails, €5 beer. Half priced happy hour. Open daily 5:30pm-3 am. Happu Hour from opening to 7:30pm.
RASCASSE
Antoine 1er
BAR, CLUB
93 25 56 90 www.larascasse.mc
One of the most upscale bars and clubs in this neighborhood, the Rascasse is well known for its 5hr Happy hour and nightly DJs. The bar is located on the famous turn of the Grand Prix, and remains a sure bet for those who want some class in their evening without feeling intimidated or ripped-off.
€6 beer, €10 cocktails. Half prices for happy hour. Open daily noon-5am, Happy hour 6-11pm M-F. Music F-Sa (Th Jul-Aug)11:30pm til close.
BRASSERIE DE MONACO
36 route de la piscine
BAR
93 30 09 09
Young, fun hangout for travellers and locals. Right on the port, this bar and pseudo-club has all the traits of a strip club, from the dancing girls to the flatscreen TVs playing looped taps of models’ photoshoots. Don’t worry; it isn’t. The fun crowd gathers around long cafeteria style tables for easy conversation and making friends.
€6 beer, €15 cocktails. Open daily 11am-3am.
Fotvieille
The only popular bar here is in the Columbus Hotel, but it’s for stiffs and rich people, and probably not your idea of a good time. As multiple Bond movies suggest, the Columbus serves wicket martinis, but you need to dress up for it and be prepared to leave and catch a bus back to the fun side of town.
ESSENTIALS
Practicalities
• TOURIST OFFICE: 2A bl. des Moulins (92 16 61 16), uphill from the casino. English speaking staff provides city maps, extensive pocket guides for restuarants, hotels, nightlife, and attractions, rendering Let’s Go almost obsolete. Open M-Sa-9am-7pm, Su 11am-1pm. Annexes in the train station at the ave. Prince Pierre exit, in the chemin des Pecheurs parking garage, in the port and outside the Jardin Exotique (open mid-Jun to Aug).
• EMBASSIES AND CONSULATES: Canada. (1 av. Henry Durant 97 70 62 42); France. (1 chemin du Tenao 92 16 54 60); UK. (33 bl Princess Charlotte 93 50 99 54). Nearest US embassy is in Nice (04 93 88 89 55).
• CURRENCY EXCHANGE: Bureau de Change, in Compagnie Monegasque de Change, in the chemins des Pecheurs parking garage. (Ave. de la Quarantine 93 25 02 50 Cash advances €50 min. Open M-Sa 9:30am-5:30pm.)
• INTERNET ACCESS: FNAC, 17 ave. des Speluges (93 10 81 81) in Le Metropole Shopping Center. ( Frequent lines. 20min. free. Open M-Sa 10am-5:30pm.) D@dicall Cyber Point, 1 impasse General Leclerc (Beausoleil), has Wi-Fi. (04 93 57 42 14 Internet €4 per hr. Open daily 10:30am-8pm.)
• POST OFFICE: 23 ave. Albert II (98 98 41 41 Open M-F 9am-7pm, Sa 8am-noon.) All mail posted in the principality must bear Monegasque stamps. Annex at av. Prince Pierre train station exit. 4 additional branches.
• POSTAL CODE: MC 98000 Monaco.
Emergency!
• EMERGENCY NUMBERS: Ambulance: 93 25 33 25.
• POLICE: (3 rue Louis Notari 93 15 30 15). 5 other stations in Monaco.
• HOSPITAL: Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace, Ave. Pasteur (97 98 99 00). Accessible by bus #5 (dir. Hospital).
Getting There
By Train
Gare SNCF has 4 main access points: galerie Prince Pierre, pl. St-Devote, bl. de Belgique, and bld. Princesse Charlotte. ( Open daily 4am-1am. Info desk and ticket window open M-F 5:50am-8:30pm, Sa-Su 5:50am-8:10pm.) Trains run to: Antibes (1 hr., every 30 min, €6.30); Nice (25 min, every 30 min., €2.70); Cannes (1 hr. 10 min., every 30 min., €7.50); Menton (11min., every 30 min., €1.70).
By Bus
Buses leave from the bl. des Moulins and ave. Princesse Grace, near the tourist office. TAM and RCA (93 85 64 44). To Nice (45 min) and Menton (25 min). Cap d’Ail, St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and the -sur Mer’s via route to Nice. There is also a direct line from the Nice Airport (RCA) via the A8 motorway (45 min., every hour between 9am-9:15pm, €16.10, under 26 €11.50, return €26).
By Helicopter
&nb
sp; Hey, you never know. It is Monaco, after all. Heli Air Monaco lands in Fontvielle at the Monaco Heliport. ( €7 min. €120 per 30min.)
Getting Around
The bus system in Monaco is a godsend from its hilly terrain built onto the side of a steep shoreline. The six lines run pretty much to wherever from wherever. ( Individual ticket €1, 24hr. pass €3. M-F every 10min., Sa-Su every 20-30min.) Buy tickets on board. Taxis (93 15 01 01 €10 min.) run 24hr. and wait at 11 taxi stands throughout the city, including the casino, pl. des Moulins, and the train station. If you like control of your own wheels, you can also rent a scooter from Auto-Moto Garage, 7 rue de Milo. (93 50 10 80 Credit cards accepted. 50cc scooter €40 per day, €45 per 24hr., €260 per week. €1000 credit security charge. Open M-F 8am-noon and 2-7pm, Sa 8am-noon.)
Let's Go Europe 2011: The Student Travel Guide Page 75