Of course, it doesn’t always have to be Kavier, but in Monaco’s best company, the expensive is part of the good manners. However, if you go to Monte Carlo as a vacationer, you will by no means fall out of character there when you feast on a fish sandwich on a bench in the picturesque Japanese Garden. This principality is far less snobbish than most people think. For some, the city-state on the Mediterranean Sea is more like an operetta, others see Monaco as an illustrious refuge of good humour and sometimes also good taste. However, here and there the old splendor has faded and is probably getting on in years. But what remains is an affordable luxury from a world between appearance and reality.
Monaco has always afforded itself the form of government of a constitutional monarchy. In all important decisions of the miniature state, the prince himself decides. The coastline measures just 4,100 meters and the entire territory is only two square kilometers in size. If you stroll through the English Garden on the Isar in Munich , you will be on the road longer than in Monte Carlo. The small principality is rich, beautiful and sought-after. After all, 41,000 jobs await the approximately 32,000 inhabitants – that is a lonely world record.
The narrow parking space on Avenue Princesse Grace could have sprung from the flashing Who’s Who of the automotive industry, because hardly a mid-range car gets lost here between the Porsches, Lamborghinis and Ferraris. If you take a seat in one of the bars at the marina, you can order a dish of the day for just under ten euros, but when you look at the styled boats, it can also be an expensive lobster. The rental fees in the marina amount to a proud 200,000 euros per year and ship.
Monaco would like to expand by landfilling, but the sea on its doorstep is up to seventy meters deep, which would cause costs that would be disproportionate to the yield even in the principality. So they stay small and a pinch immodest…
Prince Albert’s income is estimated at a good hundred million euros. But exact figures are state secrets. After all, he also holds the majority of shares in the casino company “Société des Bains de Mer” and various luxury hotels. If you are a holidaymaker inspecting Monte Carlo, you should start your day with a cup of coffee on the terrace of the legendary Café de Paris . Caruso already treated himself to a petit noir here and Frank Sinatra had a regular place there.
This is the aura of high society, the playground of the paparazzi, a sophisticated dwarf state. But also a particularly beautiful and contrasting refuge on the Mediterranean. Those who do their business there often travel from neighboring France every day, because even Nice is not very far. Those who can afford it, however, float in by helicopter – to the airport in Fontvieille. It is said of Monte Carlo that everyone knows everyone in this illustrious spot. Most of them also know the prince, because the city is actually a village.
Many tourists are drawn to the photogenic market stalls on the Place d’Armes and in the evening to the Texan restaurant, where Prince Albert’s sister Stephanie can also be seen. Even if you don’t stay there, holidaymakers should stop by the Hotel Hermitage and admire the lobby under the glass dome. And if you try your luck in the casino in the hall of the rattling machines or even at the roulette tables, you first have to pat the knee of the bronze horse with the Sun King Ludwig at the entrance. Then, they say, luck would be on your side in the casino.
Monaco is an illustrious stage of vanities – but also one of the sunniest places in the south of the continent. A small realm of elegance and extravagance.
Travel information Monaco
| Capital | Monaco |
|---|---|
| Form of government | Hereditary Monarchy constitutional monarchy |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) |
| Area | approx. 2.02 km² |
| Population | approx. 38,400 (2015) |
| Languages | French |
| Electricity grid | 127/220 volts, 50 Hz |
| Area code | +377 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 CET UTC+2 CEST (March to October) |
