Clear blue water, beautiful rock beaches, and yachts galore – welcome to your weekend in Nice and Monaco. The two cities are just a 20 minute train ride away from one another with the trains running continuously every day. With tons to do in each city, I highly recommend adding these cities to your study abroad itinerary.
Castle Hill iNFOShops:
Down by the water are streets filled with shops. With some tourist focused stores and some boutiques, there is a ton of shopping around to do. Place Massena is the main historic square with shops and restaurants on all the side streets. While abroad, I collected keychains from each city I went to. Nice was pouring with shops and options for me to pick from. I spent hours just walking around the streets of the town and taking pictures of every single corner.
Food:
The best pizza I have ever had came from a little pizza shop in Nice. The food scene is incredible. With tons of seafood options due to its coastal location and a million french pastry shops, you will not go hungry in Nice. Nice is also relatively affordable when it comes to food. With Italian, Seafood, and some classic French eats, our website has the best recommendations for food you can imagine!
Beaches:
To this day, I still have never seen such beautiful beaches. At the end of September, it was slightly too cold to swim, but sitting on the rocks, reading a book, and people watching was the perfect way to spend a few hours. The beach culture in Nice itself is very big. Getting to see local families interact with one another was one of the most beautiful things I saw in Europe. The most popular public beach is Plage Des Ponchettes, which is right by the main historic square. For even better views, take a walk up Castle Hill, one of the most popular parks in Nice. It takes you higher up, giving you stunning views of the water.
F1:
Home to the Monaco Grand Prix and many famous F1 drivers, Monaco is the city of F1 racing. Walk the entire course of the race to tour the city and see the iconic hairpin turn, located right behind the Monte Carlo Casino. It is no lie when people say the course is the city. You’ll have opportunities to walk all around and detour to see everything you want to see. The Prince of Monaco also has a large collection of cars in a museum right near the water. To see Charles Leclerc’s car and Louis Hamilton’s helmets up close, buy a ticket to the museum. If you are a huge F1 fan, this city is a must, and if you aren’t following the course is still a great way to see the city! We offer an F1 Walking tour for booking on our website! Take a look!
The Environment:
Monaco is an extremely rich city. With the cheapest looking car being a BMW, there are some insane things to see by just walking around. There are also yachts everywhere. Sitting in the beautiful water it really is no surprise why rich people tend to spend their money by living in Monaco. With a lovely walk up to the Prince’s Palace, you’ll get ideal views of the city allowing you to truly take in what Monaco has to offer.
If you truly want to experience Monaco, you MUST go to the Monte Carlo Casino. Whether you enter to play some games or simply to sit in the lounge and sip a glass of wine, it is a must see. With insane cars parked out front and beautiful architecture, no trip to Monaco is complete without a peek inside. For more information, check out the link.
Food:
Monaco is a bit more expensive, but their cuisine reflects that. With perfect fresh seafood and incredible Italian food, you truly cannot beat the food in Monaco. For F1 fans, I recommend checking out Planet Sushi (IFYKYK). I also highly recommend the Carlton Beach Club. They have a wide variety and everything is incredible. We also offer a ton of other suggestions on our website! Take a look.
A trip to Nice and Monaco is the perfect weekend getaway. With beautiful things to see and do in each city, you truly will get the most out of your weekend. For affordability purposes, I highly recommend staying in Nice and traveling to Monaco for the day but if you want to splurge and stay in Monaco, you won’t regret it. Both cities are unique to the area and will truly make you feel like you have traveled internationally. This was one of my favorite trips I took and I highly recommend you look into taking it too.
Written by: Jillian Kotin
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