Nice & Monte Carlo
 

I've always wanted to go to Monte Carlo for some reason =) I figured I could stay in Nice and take a bus to Monte Carlo for the day. What is there to do in these towns besides the beach in Nice and the casino in Monte Carlo. I'm not a big gambler and I'll be with someone under 21. Are they really strict about the age limit? Should I even bother?

Samar: Monte Carlo is well worth a visit. A tour of the Palace and Cathedral is worthwhile. The aquarium is the best I have ever visited. The Casino is surprisingly sedate. I don't know about the age restrictions or enforcement of them. The Chagall musuem in Nice is worth a visit also.

If you are interested, they also have changing of the guard ceremonies at the palace.
The train from Nice to Monte Carlo is easy too.

I actually was just in nice and we went to Monaco(monte-carlo is the part of monaco where the casino is)It is a totally cool place to walk around in. We drove there, but there it is like a 25 minute train ride as well.

We did not go to the casino - beacause it has a strict dress code. but There is plenty of things to see just walking around - head up to the palace on the rock. we had a great time just walking around the city

I too always wanted to go to Monte Carlo. My parents had gone on a trip there when I was young & my Mother said it was the most romantic place. Well it took me 2 visits to the south of France before I got to Monte Carlo. My husband said I would be disappointed after St Paul de Vence, Nice, Antibes, Cap Ferrat, Villefranche, Beaulieu etc. He was sort of correct. The train ride from Nice is awesome because it goes along the coast where you can see the sea & magnificent villas tucked into the mountains.

Monte Carlo itself is very nice but lacks the charm & reality of some of the other places. I agree with Nankar about the palace & the aquarium. The yachts in the harbor are pretty amazing. The Hotel de Paris, where the European casino is, is really magnificent-a bit "over the top" as the English say. There are evidently 2 casinos. The European one is very formal, fancy dress & you have to pay to get in (& show your passport). It's something out of a James Bond movie (I think they've shot there). If you've seen the movie "To Catch A Thief" with Grace Kelly, the casino shots were done there.

Others on this board have posted there's also an American style casino which I didn't know. It's less formal. I don't know about the under 21 question.

Back to Nice, it has open air markets (fruit & veg, flowers & antiques) on different days of the week. The food is great.

As to "what is there to do"-there are wonderful art museums (the entire area is famous for the French Impressionists living & painting there), beautiful gardens & villas that are open as museums (the Ephrussie Villa in Cap Ferrat is spectacular), great history because the area has been inhabited by so many different people

Even if you don't gamble, it's worth it to gambol over to the casino in Monte Carlo. A gorgeous building, it was designed by Charles Garnier, the architect who also designed the equally gorgeous Paris Opera.

The gardens leading down to the casino are also beautiful.

"The Rock" was interesting, but I got tired of seeing Grimaldi-this and Grimaldi-that everywhere I looked.

In Nice, the fairly-extensive old town is great for exploring.

Re: "The European one is very formal, fancy dress & you have to pay to get in (& show your passport)."

Just to clarify what McLaurie wrote, while this is true for the actual casino itself, one can still enter the Garnier casino *building* without paying or wearing formal attire.

There are loads of museums in Nice - The Chagall and Matisse and others. In the old town Cours Salaya every day flower and fruit market and loads of bistros line the streets.

You can buy a train pass that allows you to get on/of (not sure if it's a day pass or can buy for longer) any numberof times and can discover all the towns between Nice to the Italian Border. If it's Friday morning, you can cross into Italy at Ventimiglia for the market there - they sell everything.

Monaco is so small (smaller than Central Park in NYC) you can walk the entire country - but lots of hills. The train stops a a block away from the Rock where the Palace is located. You can walk the hill or take a bus. It's lovely up top. Palace tours are done regularly, by language (on tape mostly). Changing of the guard is at 11:55am, and nice photo op. The Jacques Cousteau "fish place" is great, one of the best. The Cathedral where Princess Grace is buried. Great little streets with restaurants and shops.

Down into Monte Carlo proper, lots of people watching opportunities "rich & famous, or think they are" (but you never know), bistros, the main Casino (have to be 21)and men must have on a jacket (& tie?), there's also casino at the Monte Carlo Grand Hotel (no dress code last I was there). Some charming architecture, the marina with all the big yachts, shops and the beach is nice (sand w/fishtank-type gravel), but clean.

You can stop at Cap Ferate (sp) - the Rothschild Museum w/ gardens in rear is interesting and a quiet stop. Also stop at Eze, atop the mountain with great views and quaint (a bit touristy, but why not). For some sites if taking train, you have to walk or take a short taxi ride to site.

In the hills above Nice are lots of charming "perched" villages - Vence, St. Paul de Vence - believe you can take bus to these. You can do a 1/2 day tour to Grasse, the perfume capital of the world.

The beach in Nice is not the best - mostly boulders, though the public beach in Cannes has sand. The train can get you there also.

I find Nice to be a good base to discover areas East or West and North into the hills. It's also a more eclectic town than Cannes. Though we based in MC, we had a car and went everywhere. There's lots to discover even using rail or bus.

Go and enjoy.

Thanks for the help everyone! I'm really excited about going to Monte Carlo. I'll keep you updated when I get back =D
Thanks again!