Monaco is a notoriously expensive and exclusive country to visit, in which the concept of ‘budget’ doesn’t exist. Whilst affluent travellers are spoilt for choice with lavish white-glove service hotels and private apartments to stay in, budget travellers will be better off finding accommodation in Nice, or elsewhere along the Cote d’Azur.
Keen shoppers and gamblers will feel at home in Monte Carlo, the glamorous clifftop neighbourhood synonymous with its famous casino. Wherever you stay in Monte Carlo, you’ll be a short walk from couture stores like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurant. No wonder it’s Monaco’s most expensive district.
La Condamine fronts Port Hercules and its glistening line-up of yachts in central Monaco. With bars and restaurants lined along the waterfront and along its manicured streets, this neighbourhood is considered to have Monaco’s best drinking and dining scene.
Larvotto, located in eastern Monaco, fronts the country’s best beach. With exclusive beachfront resorts lined along it, you can easily step out of your suite and onto the sand, and still be in the Monte Carlo shops and bars within minutes.
Families might prefer to stay in the quieter and more residential Fontvieille, an enclave which overlooks Monaco's smaller port and borders France. While it’s just minutes away from the action of Monte Carlo and La Condamine, it has its own top dining scene too.
Head to Monaco-Ville, the historic heart of the country if you prefer quaint and romantic rather than flashy and chic. Situated atop Le Rocher (The Rock) next to the Prince’s Palace, it is strategically positioned between Monaco’s 2 ports, and commands excellent views of the Cote d’Azur.
Although Monaco is a country, it is only around 3-km-long, making it very walkable form wherever you decide to stay.
