Our first stop this morning was the medieval hilltop village of Eze perched 1,400 feet above the Mediterranean Sea on the French Rivera. It has narrow, winding cobblestone streets and breathtaking views of the sea below. It’s a bit of a steep climb up. Perched on the very top on ruins of a 12th century castle is the Jardin Exotique d’Eze. This garden has a vast collection of cacti and succulents along side panoramic 360-degree views of the coastline. There is an entrance fee for the garden but it really is worth it.
Our next stop, Monte Carlo, is a short 10 kilometer drive from Eze. As soon as arrived we hopped on a little tourist train that took us on a 40 minute tour around the Municipality of Monaco. The Monaco Yacht show is on this weekend and the port was lined with over 560 exhibitors. So if you are in the market for a super or mega yacht, this is the place!
Monaco is not big and you can get around by public transportation. There’s also a number of elevators and escalators embedded into the hills and buildings to help you can around but we opted to focus our visit on the historic old town of Monaco-Ville. We walked through the Jardins Saint-Martin where we came across a statue of Princess Grace, a bronze memorial statue to Grace Kelly. This garden was created in 1816 and is Monaco’s oldest public green spaces.
Nearby is the Prince’s Palace, the official residence of Prince Albert II, his wife Princess Charlene and their twins, Jacques and Gabriella. We took a tour of the State rooms of the Palace which are opened to the public from April to October.
We visited the Cathedral of our Lady Immaculate where prince Rainer and Grace Kelly were married. This is also where they are buried and their tombs lay side by side.
We wandered around the old town before heading back to our hotel.
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