Monte Carlo is it worth the trip

[brianwood]

My husband and I will be in Cannes the middle of July. We are trying to decide if it's worth the trip to Monaco / Monte Carol or visit somewhere

else.I do not think we have time to go to St. Paul de Vence by public transportation - could be tricky.

 

Any suggestions?

[cberge]

My husband and I will be in Cannes the middle of July. We are trying to decide if it's worth the trip to Monaco / Monte Carol or visit somewhere

else.I do not think we have time to go to St. Paul de Vence by public transportation - could be tricky.

 

Any suggestions?

I assume you are talking about Monaco( Palace/Couteau muesum/garden/quaint streets/etc) as well,and if so I think it is worth a vist as well as Monte Carlo.Some people do not like it and go elsewhere,but I have stayed in the area and liked going there as well as having been there on a cruise. If you are not going to St.P you could go to Eze if you wanted to see an old walled town.There is plent of info on this board about it and how to get there.I suggest you Google both places for info and see what you think.

[bobalink]

My husband and I will be in Cannes the middle of July. We are trying to decide if it's worth the trip to Monaco / Monte Carol or visit somewhere

else.I do not think we have time to go to St. Paul de Vence by public transportation - could be tricky.

 

Any suggestions?

 

If you must choose between the two, I would go to St. Paul de Vence (and Eze.)

 

I am glad I was able to visit all in one day, but we used a private tour guide to maximize our time. Revelation Tours was fabulous and we saw so much in our short time in port.

 

I was "underwhelmed" by Monte Carlo, but I LOVED the French Riviera and St. Paul and Eze.

 

Your mileage may vary, and you will get lots of different responses. Just depends on what you want to accomplish on a port stop. (I assume you are in port for one day?)

 

Whatever you decide, enjoy!

[Hlitner]

We would be among those that do not think Monte Carlo is as interesting as many other places in the region. Sure, the place has a magic name and its hard to ignore the romantic image of Grace Kelly becoming the Princess. But that being said, we are always amazed that some tourists (and most of them seem to be from cruise ships) will adhere to the dress code and pay money just to go in a casino! The shops seem to fall into two categories...those that are high-end Rodeo Drive type stores (some have doorbells you must ring for admittance) and other stores aimed at the typical tourist (and avoided by the wealthy that enjoy this city). We think the Palace is OK as a tourist stop, but it's not high on our list. So what do we like in this region (and we have stayed in the area many times)? St Paul de Vence is very high on our favorite list. Eze Village is pretty nice, Nice (particularly the old town area) is also Nice and it's Flower Market a regional gem. Antibes also has lots of charm with plenty of cafes/restaurants and a pretty nice market. And all this is just for starters :)

 

Hank

[dritan]

I agree - it really depends on what "floats your boat". For example, I personally preferred the harbour area of Marseille as it was filled with normal local boats and small sailing ships and dislike the ostentatious yachts in Cannes and Monte Carlo. I think Monaco/MonteCarlo is great if you plan to shop or window shop and want to see the jet set lifestyle.

 

We have just been to Cannes and decided to use if as our chill out day ( yes public transport only makes a visit to St Paul etc, very difficult). We climbed up to the fortress and walked a little along the Croisette, but probably spent about one hour there in total.

 

I would suggest only going to Monaco if you think it will appeal ( it's really a supped up version of Cannes). Another option would be to try one of the ship excursions to the local villages.

[Cornishpastyman1]

My husband and I will be in Cannes the middle of July. We are trying to decide if it's worth the trip to Monaco / Monte Carol or visit somewhere

else.I do not think we have time to go to St. Paul de Vence by public transportation - could be tricky.

 

Any suggestions?

I made this from my short time in Monaco

as I had heard so much about it. I enjoyed seeing it and don't think I made a mistake, but was not "blown away" and tend to agree that there are more interesting places in the area.

All the best, Tony

[KirkNC]

We had Monte Carlo as a port a few years ago. The highlight was the Exotic Garden high up in the city. The "rock" was interesting as well. I also don't understand paying 20€ just to go in the casino:rolleyes:. While we enjoyed our day in MC I don't think it is worthy of traveling from another port to see, I believe there are better alternatives as mentioned.

[Suzieanna]

I actually quite liked Monte Carlo. We took a walk around the F1 racetrack, had an ice cream, gawped at some superyachts and then I went to the Casino, but not "in", properly. To the right just as you go in there is an area with slot machines so I put in a bill, WON on the first go, cashed out and then ran out to my family outside shouting "I WON"!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great fun!!!

 

It is very very hilly though! - there are elevators, I believe, but they are impossible to find.

[numbersix]

I wouldn't go to Monaco from Cannes--if the stop was Monaco, then fine.

 

Cannes is just glamour and high prices, but worth a stroll nonetheless. to get out of town, why not Nice? It's a real town/city, nice promenade, great market /old town, great sights (terrific, and, mostly, free museums--Chagall, Matisse, Picasso (in Antibes)), great lunch spots, some glamour, too (Hotel Negresco, the Promenade des Anglais), all with an interesting Italo-French vibe. Only 30 minutes by train.

 

Enjoy your day!