This tiny independent city state of France is located on the Mediterranean and is famous for Monte-Carlo and the casino, luxury high end fashion and jewelry, Formula 1 racing and expensive yachts. The centrally located marina provides the ideal opportunity to sit and soak up the atmosphere in and amongst the rich and famous. The city is a well known haunt for the rich and as a result, the cost of joining in on the fun can be prohibitive. For those who may not own a Ferrari or two, there are options to experience Monaco on a budget.
Getting around: For those who may not be familiar with the city landscape, the city is located on a steep mountain that leads to the waters edge. The levels can be very steep and taxis are available to get you around. The trips are short and therefore not too expensive, but catching many cabs may start to become a drag on the budgets.
Lifts are installed right across the city to get between levels of the city. These lifts and walkways allow access from the top to bottom of Monaco. Stairs are also located across the city if this option is more your style. If you are not wearing stilettos and do not mind walking for short distances on relatively flat areas between lifts, then walking the city is a very feasible option.
Accommodation: The advantage of Monaco being such a compact location is that it is closely surrounded by France which is a substantially lower priced location to find accommodation. Some of the accommodation options actually span the border and have lifts and accesses from both the French side and Monaco side. Do your research to locate accommodation that is close to the border and enter from the French side to get the best value. The French side hotels still have magnificent views across the city and harbour locations.
Eating out: Eating out is expensive and some of the most expensive locations are located right next to the casino. Often these locations are the place to be seen which results in the higher expense. Seriously consider going into the casino and paying your entrance fee to have a cocktail or two at a reasonable price. The casino would prefer their gamblers to be less inclined to hold onto their cash.
There are limited and small grocery shops located across the city and these provide the opportunity to go with the French style of cheese and bread in a park or on the waters edge watching the sun go down as a very cheap and relaxed option. French wine will also be readily available at a reasonable price from the grocery store.
The Marina: The Marina is a spectacular location to spend a day to watch the world go by. This location is a bustling area which allows you to count the numerous entourage of black limousines and Humvees arrive on the dock side to move onto the next super cruiser. Consider going to the wine store [wine palace] that supplies the super cruisers and yachts and order a cheese platter or two and take the time to go through the extensive wine lists to eventually find a bottle or two to your taste and budget. The staff are able to make appropriate recommendations within budget ranges for very good styles and wine tastes. Before you know it, the day will have flown past.
The Monaco Yacht Club: What can I say about this location? It is sensational and generally very expensive with the exception of the buffet lunch generally held once a week. If you are able to get access to the facility, you will find the highest levels of gastronomic delight combined with being embarrassed that your suit or sports jacket is not tailor made. If you are wondering where all the photos are from inside the club, then you have mistaken this as a place that you would use a camera or be seen to take a photo.
The Monaco Yacht Club, like most other clubs has sister club arrangements that may allow you to wider access throughout the facility.
Entry into this club is very restricted but if you can manage to gain access to look through the gift shop, it is an easy place to spend a lot of money for a finer thing or a platinum or black piece of plastic. Located very close to the eastern side of the yacht club closer to the overhead roadways [yes, the under pass] you will find a number of shops that sell polo style shirts, T-shirts and a lot of marine type souvenirs. This may be the opportunity that were looking for to get that someone special a small piece of the place at a reasonable price.
