Monaco was more of a Riviera side trip for us than a standalone destination. During our digital nomad stretch living in Nice and Cannes, we rented a car one afternoon and drove up the coast to spend the day exploring the tiny principality.
Monaco is exactly what you'd expect it to be: spotless streets, luxury cars everywhere, massive yachts packed into the harbor, and an overall feeling that someone turned the "wealth" setting up to maximum. We spent the afternoon wandering around Monte Carlo, walking through the famous casino area, and stopping for cocktails overlooking the marina while watching boats that probably cost more than small countries drift in and out of the harbor.
By coincidence, the Monaco Yacht Show was happening while we were there, which somehow made the entire experience feel even more over-the-top. Every direction you looked there was another superyacht, another exotic car, or another storefront where you instinctively stopped checking price tags.
At the same time, Monaco almost feels too polished to fully relax in. That's not necessarily a criticism — more just part of its personality. Compared to places nearby like Nice, Cannes, or the smaller towns along the Riviera, Monaco felt less charming and more curated.
Still, I'm glad we went. Even if you don't stay overnight, Monaco is worth seeing at least once simply because there's nowhere else quite like it. It's one of those places that feels slightly surreal in person, almost like a movie set built around luxury and Formula 1.
For us, though, half a day was about the right amount of time before heading back down the coast to France.