Monte Carlo, Monaco brings to mind images of James Bond movies, Formula One Racing and the famous Monte Carlo casino. This little Kingdom is governed by a prince, is the second smallest country in the world, has only one small beach and citizens of Monaco (Monegasque) may not enter the Casino gaming rooms. Is the country going Bankrupt?
This exclusive destination is a playground for royalty, movie stars, the rich and the famous! Extravagant yachts fill the harbour, luxury cars tour the streets, doormen open doors and chauffeurs wait for passengers; and a small pizza costs (at time of publishing) 16 Euro!
When we visited, they were in the midst of setting up for the world famous Formula One race. Bleachers were being set up, security being organized and there was an exciting vibe permeating in the streets. Important people were coming to town to meet more important people who were hoping to be seen by even more important people!
The luxurious Monte Carlo Casino is an architecturally charming building with an electrifying buzz constantly encasing it. People are coming and going, hoping to catch a glimpse of someone famous or trying not to be recognized. It’s irresistible pizzazz made it a James Bond favourite; it was also an Oceans Twelve film location.
The world famous 5 Star Hotel de Paris offers 106 rooms; prices start at around (at time of publishing) $500 USD for a standard room and go as high as $3,800 USD for one night – and is usually booked out in the high season! This 1864 beauty has bedded many illustrious personalities.
French is the official language, Euro is their currency, they are not a part of the European Union, unemployment is less than 2% and it boasts the lowest poverty rate in the world. It is a major banking centre with over 100 billion Euro worth of funds, a GDP per capita of $153,177.00, and the main income source is tourism. So is the country going bankrupt? Probably not anytime soon!
Monte Carlo, Monaco – Photo Album
Monte Carlo – YouTube
Foreign Travel Advice – UK Government
Alerts and Warnings – USA Government
