Monte Carlo: visiting the casino and Port Hercule

What I really like is that Monaco is one of the safest places to visit in the world. And so very clean! Not sure if Dubai is cleaner and more secure. I think that there is probably a status quo there. Dubai is definitely the Monaco of the UAE. Here is really a tight security, most likely because of all the millionaires that live in the area. There are surveillance cameras pretty much everywhere. So we’d better behave. But then again we always do. 😃 Today we are pretending to be rich and famous, while wandering the streets near the Monte Carlo casino.

Monte Carlo casino

Built-in 1858, the casino quickly became a beacon of wealth and excess, and over the years it’s notability has only increased. This is largely thanks to world-renowned films featuring the casino in several famous scenes, such as James Bond’s Golden Eye in 1995. Of course we have all seen the James Bond movies. We wanted to have a peek into his world, so we took a little tour of the casino (no gambling, the only gambling I do is for love). We then had a nice coffee at the ‘Cafe the Paris’ and enjoyed the ‘people – and fancy car’ watching.

Port Hercule and the Bateau bus

Home to the annual ‘Monaco Yacht Show’, the port has been used since ancient times! However, it underwent major renovations at the start of the 20th-century so it could accommodate the evergrowing number of yacht’s visiting the Côte d’Azur.

Today the port is one of the most famous in the world, and it’s definitely the heart of Monaco as views throughout the city focus on it! For example, on our walk from Monte Carlo Casino to the harbor, we were treated to several glimpses of the magnificent boats on display. There is also a public swimming pool right next to the harbour if you fancy a dip, In winter it turns into an ice rink. A nice bar to have breakfast or brunch is Eola. Eola stands for ‘Eat Organic Live Active’, and as the name suggests, you can find all kinds of healthy dishes here like smoothie bowls, green juices, and avocado toasts.

But here was our best discovery of the day. You can pay 2 euro for a trip across Port Hercule to get a unique viewpoint and snap some photos from the water. It is a small, electric boat and you can capture some images looking back at Monte Carlo. The crossing only takes 20 minutes, depending on water traffic, but it is a fun way to cross the harbour and float quietly amongst the mega yachts.