Monte Carlo
 

My fiance and I are taking a cruise at the end of October and Monte Carlo is our first port. I've been reading up on it and I'm just not that excited about this stop.. it seems to me like a big tourist sink hole where you can shop and blow your money away.. obviously the results I'm getting rave about the casinos and grand prix .. can anyone tell me some really interesting sites in this area or nearby areas that we could explore? We're both very easy to please, but we're more interested in having a cultural experience or visiting historical sites than anything. Any help provided is appreciated!

Lbatkins, I would suggest going to nearby Nice and visiting one of the many museums there. The Old Town is charming.

You will love the south of France.

I think Nice would be a bit of a haul for a cruise ship stop at a port.

There is not a lot to see in Monaco, maybe to the Palace and see the changing of the guard. If you have the $$$$ then you can gamble at the casino.

Parked in front of the casino will be all sorts of exotic cars, which is a trip in itself.

You might like the Prince's car museum.

Thanks for the suggestions, latedaytraveler I'd love to go there, too bad we only have about 11 hours in the port :(

If you want to get out of MC/Monaco, you might like to visit Eze Village, a touristy but still beautiful "village perché," and La Turbie, site of the impressive ruin of the Trophy of the Alps erected by the Roman emperor Augustus in 6BC. Both are very close to Monte Carlo - under 10km.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%88ze
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Turbie

This area is geographically spectacular with amazing views from the towns along the Grande Corniche. You can find many possibilities for exploration beyond Monte Carlo that can be done easily during the day you're in port.

Here's a link to information about museums in Monaco:
http://www.visitmonaco.com/us/Places-to-visit/Museums
Jacques Cousteau was a director of the Oceanographic Museum for many years.

We actually like Monaco/Monte Carlo. Except the casino, that did nothing for us.

The tour of the Palace is quite interesting, the gardens are nice, and the yachts in the harbor, exceptional.

The J. Cousteau Ocean Museum is interesting but in a very old building and if you've been to any of the more up-to-date ocean museums it will be disappointing in the displays.

As MaineGG mentioned, Eze is absolutely beautiful with stunning views of the coast. 2 other places of interest nearby are the Rosthchild House & gardens and the Greek House in nearby Cap Ferrat/Beaulieu area.

If I had a day there I'd either rent a car or book a tour to these places--all worth seeing IMO and very simple to drive there.

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I hope I gave you some suggestions that are helpful.

Excellent, these were the types of answers I was looking for. Thank you for your help! I'll definitely look in to all of your suggestions.

You can see the Royal Palace, the Aquarium, and just soak up the atmosphere of the uber wealthy. We like going to the casino and pretending we're in a Bond movie - just for the evening - always stay in Nice or farther west.

We find it a lot of fun - but yuo have to be in the mood - dressed to fit - and recognize that your gambling money will go VERY fast. (mostly watch while he play roulette - although I will make a bet once in a while.)

Go up to the area on the rock with the Palace and the Cathedral where Princess Grace and Prince Rainier are buried. There is a bus that will take you up for 2E.
Depending on how much time you have in port, Nice is a wonderful small city with history and character and art museums.

We like Monaco. 11 hours gives you enough time to go to Nice. I like the above idea of renting a car for the day or after Monaco take the bus to Eze and have a meal there. We love that area.

I gave you some suggestions above, but I forgot to include one of our favorite places on the coast--Villefranhce-sur-Mer.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=...7-28&sp=-1&sk=

It's the kind of small town that you picture when you think of the Riviera and it's in between Monaco and Cap Ferrat.

In your time frame it would be easy to do Villefranche, Rothschild House, Greek House, and Eze. They are all quite close together.

Happy planning!

In Venice tonight and heading to Nice tomorrow. We're driving into San Remo, Italy for lunch the day we go to Monaco. It's less then an hour away, so there's another suggestion for you.

Thanks for the suggestions, latedaytraveler I'd love to go there, too bad we only have about 11 hours in the port>

11 hours! Well then just go to the Monte Carlo-Monaco train station and get on the train and be in Nice in about 20 minutes and spend several hours there - has everything you want and return to monaco by train - lots of trains all the time.

11 hours in Monaco - proverbial watching paint dry IMO