The wonders of Monaco on foot.
A walking guide for Monaco
Monaco has launched six new walking routes, which is encouraging because Monaco is the sort of place where one assumes walking is mainly done by impeccably dressed people crossing from a Bentley to a yacht.
The new Visit Monaco City Walk platform includes interactive maps, suggested itineraries and practical information, all designed to help visitors explore the Principality at their own pace.
Monaco is only a little over two square kilometres, yet it contains the following: a palace, a casino, a Formula One circuit, several harbours, a beach, museums, gardens and enough luxury boutiques to make a normal handbag feel ashamed of itself.
Walking from the Place du Casino
The first route runs for 1.8 kilometres from the Place du Casino in Monte-Carlo to the Prince’s Palace in Monaco-Ville. In around 30 minutes, you can leave the gold, chandeliers and determinedly elegant atmosphere of the Carré d’Or and make your way towards the medieval streets of the Rock.
Along the way, you pass Port Hercule, where the yachts are large. It’s an excellent place to pause, gaze thoughtfully at the water and wonder what sort of career decision might have led to owning a helicopter pad at sea.
Another route takes visitors from the casino to Larvotto Beach. It covers 1.1 kilometres and passes the Fairmont hairpin, the Grimaldi Forum and Mareterra, Monaco’s new eco-district.
The Fairmont hairpin is famous for Formula One cars squeezing around it at alarming speed. Walking it is much calmer, although you may still feel the need to make engine noises. This is optional, but probably inevitable if travelling with children or certain husbands.
Walks beginning at the Wurtemberg car park
Two of the walks begin at the Wurtemberg car park near Stade Louis II. A car park may not sound like the most glamorous starting point in Monaco, but this is extremely sensible. Not every outing can begin outside a casino beneath a chandelier. Sometimes you must first locate the ticket machine.
From there, visitors can walk through the modern Îlot Pasteur district, past the UNESCO Garden and towards Fontvieille, La Condamine and Monaco-Ville. The routes combine a wealth of visual elements from public art and museums to shopping streets and harbour views, allowing visitors to experience several versions of Monaco before lunch.
The Prince’s Palace walk
Another walk begins at the Prince’s Palace and descends towards Port Hercule. It starts among the historic alleyways of Monaco-Ville and finishes beside the harbour in La Condamine.
This sounds delightfully easy because it is downhill. However, there is always the possibility that at some point you will remember your hotel is back at the top.
The Oceanographic Museum walk
The final route begins near the Oceanographic Museum and heads towards Port Hercule, with dramatic views across the Mediterranean. The museum itself clings to the edge of the Rock in a manner that looks slightly nerve-racking.
The walks form part of Monaco’s effort to promote slower and more sustainable tourism. Visitors are encouraged to look beyond the famous landmarks and spend time discovering local stories.
This is appealing for Australian and New Zealand travellers, who have already spent approximately seventeen years getting to Europe and may reasonably wish to stay in one place for more than nine minutes.
Monaco has also provided escalators and public transport to help visitors manage its steep terrain. This is thoughtful because sustainability is important, but so are knees.
The great surprise is how much can be discovered on foot in such a tiny country. Monaco may be famous for royalty, racing cars and people who appear never to have worried about the price of cheese, but it is also full of neighbourhoods with lives beyond the casino.
All you need is a phone, a map and comfortable shoes.
Although, I would recommend that they look expensive.
