St Tropez & Monte Carlo: South of France Pt 2

We are back from where we left off , still South of France but we’ve moved on from Nice and Cannes, now we are going to explore St Tropez and Monte Carlo! Whoop Whoop!!! St Tropez is still considered to be geographically located in France but if you make it to Monte Carlo, my friend you are now in a different country. Hello, Monaco!!

But before we continue, have you read up on Part 1 of the South of France series yet?

• Nice & Cannes: South of France Pt 1

Ready to explore St Tropez and Monte Carlo? Let’s get straight into it.

ST TROPEZ

When you think St Tropez, you think luxury, yachts and glamour right? Well, it does live up to its hype I have to say.

St Tropez is one of those places you go to spend all your coins on all the pricey food, drinks and everything. I was not sure what to expect because out of the 4 cities I visited, St Tropez was the only one I was visiting for the first time. Of course, I had seen pictures on instagram so I had an idea but pictures are never quite the same as going to the place and experiencing it yourself.

Getting to St Tropez from Nice

There are various ways to go from Nice to St Tropez. You could get the boat, a helicopter, drive down or take the longest bus ever! Because we always love a little boat cruise, I did my googles and chose to go with Trans Cote d’Azur.

Getting the boat to St Tropez currently, will set you back 67 euros per person and that gets you a round trip. I reserved our spots via their website and rang them to confirm my spots and to advise that I was going to pay on arrival.

On the morning of our trip, we took a taxi from our hotel to the harbor (we could have walked tbh but, laziness), paid our fare and hoped on the massive boat to St Tropez. We went mid September which meant that the boat was almost empty. There were probably a total of 20 people on board – yes, that empty but this meant we had so much fun on our journey; going from deck to deck, enjoying different views of the scenery and taking a million pictures lol let’s not forget that’s why we are here…

I had seen pictures but I was not quite sure what to expect. We got to Port de Saint-Tropez 2 and a half hours later and it was time to explore.

In 5 hours, we walked around Vieux Port, visited the Chanel store and took a taxi to Eden Plage for lunch and to people-watch on the beach.

5 things to do In St Tropez

1.Stroll along the Quai and marvel at the yachts that cost thousands of £. No big deal! If you manage to find one of the yacht cleaners or captains, strike up a conversation and they will tell you how much the yachts cost. Be friendly, they know all the tea.

2. Take a taxi to Plage de Pampelonne (or any other Plage). There are a few plages to choose from but I wanted to see the vineyards and this was a way to pass through them. You can ask your taxi driver to stop for a few minutes for a better view of the vineyards as you drive by! 

3. Visit the Chanel store that is 5 minutes walk from the port and trust me; it is magnifique and even has a pool in its court! This one is a must. There is none like this one around the world. You’re not allowed to take pictures once you’re inside and I was quite chicken to take any but don’t be like me when you go. Take pictures inside until someone tells you not to (its worth getting told off for) or just be discreet lol

4. Walk through the streets on the Vieux Port which is what I would call their city center with the international and local designer stores perched side by side. There are so many local designers with high quality merchandise and as much as you are spotting the Bulgari and Gucci stores, look out for them as well.

5. Choose a spot (always over priced), buy some drinks, have some lunch and people-watch! We decided to have lunch on the beach (Eden Plage) as we found a cute beach restaurant and were too tired to continue walking. The food was so lush. Seafood in these coastal areas are worth all your coins!

MONTE-CARLO

Lights, Lights and More Lights!

This was our 2nd time in Monte-Carlo. The first time was on Valentine’s day in 2015. We were in Cannes for a long weekend and took the SNCF to Monte-Carlo for the day. It was raining and cold but was actually a lovely day out. 

Anyway, this time, the sun was shining, my skin was flourishing and my hair was laid so it was off to Monte-Carlo for another boujee day out!

Getting from Nice to Monte-Carlo

Nice to Monte-Carlo was just a train ride away. Again, you can drive or get the boat or bus but as we were already quite familiar with the rail route, it was hello SNCF! It was a cheap option as well plus you can stop on the little islands along the coast.

The first thing you see once you arrive at the station is quite basic. Just your typical train station and you have to get out to see a difference. There is a stunning backdrop of the city just across from the station which kind of introduces you to what you Monte-Carlo should look like (basically what you have imagined it to look like).

We took a bus into the center and it stopped us just outside the Casino. Now, this is where you get all the vibes. From people casually walking around with their croc Birkins to the most exclusive super cars you would find in the world parked on the streets. We took a bus from the center all the way to the Prince’s Palace and we had a stunning postcard view of Monaco.

We wandered around for a while and when we got back to the center we decided to have an early dinner at Café de Paris, which is just in front of the Casino de Monaco and we chose to sit outside on the terrace. Just as we were about to leave the restaurant, we saw Prince Albert’s entourage pass by in their cars and we caught a 5 sec glimpse of the Prince himself. Turns out he was attending an event in the Casino that evening.

5 things to do In Monte Carlo

1.Visit the Jardin Exotique de Monaco – It’s a botanical garden, which is quite unique. It’s literally just outside the station (or in the station depending what route you follow). There are signs once you get off the train on how to go there.

2. Try tracing the formula 1 racetrack; super cool! Mr E is a big Formula 1 fan so this was his thing. From the back of the Casino, you can trace the tracks!

3. Take a bus from the center and head up to Prince Albert’s castle for the most spectacular view of Monaco. Tbh the Palace is quite underwhelming; I had seen pictures online but it does look even more bland in reality. It’s painted in an off white kind of yellow colour and does not have any grand vibes at all. However, just off the rails, you can catch the best views of city with yachts dotted on its coast.

4. Go into the Monte-Carlo Casino. You don’t need to spend your coins, just sight see! The Casino is possibly the  focal point on Monte-Carlo so you cannot come all this way and not go in. If you are feeling lucky, make a bet!

5. People-watch. People-watch. People-watch. By now you understand this is our favourite thing to do. Find a nice spot preferably in front of the Casino and fingers crossed there is an event; you get to see the most boujee of all the boujeeeeees! Cafe de Paris is a nice spot, grab a sit on its terrace, get some drinks and dinner and watch the excitement unfold around you!

Travel Details

• Hotel – Mercure Nice Promenade Des Anglais (sea-view room which overlooked the promenade) we were able to watch the best sunsets from our room!
• Flights – British Airways (direct) flights into Nice. The flights were about 2hrs either way.

Booked both hotel and flights as a package via Expedia.

To Note

• Transport – Trams, Buses, Trains (SNCF especially to go out of Nice) and of course, by Boat.
• Best Time to go – We went in September. Not busy at all as most tourists had left but the weather was still gorgeous enough to enjoy the beaches.
• Level of Expense – Splurge!! South of France is a place where you need to actually spend your coins to enjoy. No halves, no pauses, you go all in!

• Top Tip – Stay in Nice. It’s the cheapest of the 4 cities.

Which of the 4 cities are you the most interested in?

Bisous, ‘Bugo x