#hosted by Novotel Monte Carlo; views are my own

What a glorious weekend in my 27th country in the world: Monaco. We had no idea what to expect in Monaco, but this beautiful, luxurious country definitely wow-ed us. Only a short 30-minute train ride from Nice, France (after a 1.5 hour fight from Madrid), we left the train station and immediately entered the royalty of Monaco.

I was thrilled to be hosted by Novotel Monte Carlo and upgraded to one of their family suites which was the perfect space for a family of four. Follow along as I share all about our two great nights in Monaco as an American family.

Ease of Transportation

One of the best parts of visiting Monaco from Nice, France was how easy and affordable it was to access. For only $35, our American family got four tickets (the day of) on the train into Monaco. This 30-minute ride was easy and quick: just seven stops on the train from Nice. Because we landed late in the evening on Thursday night, we decided to stay at a Nice airport hotel for that first night. In the morning, we easily boarded the train and began our Monaco adventure.

Family-Friendly Hotel Accommodations

Just steps away from Monaco’s train station is the Novotel Monte Carlo hotel: a hip and trendy hotel ideal for families with a great location walkable around Monaco. The hotel offered free breakfast for kids (major win!), a bath tub (which is super rare in Europe!), and a great family suite ideal for four people with a large double bed pullout sofa couch and accommodations of our own.

The hotel also offered karaoke to its guests, along with having an on-site gym and work spaces. Our bros especially enjoyed the pool table and wanted to play billboards daily. Their fully-stocked restaurants and bar was a great option for our family throughout the trip.

Christmas Market Fun

We visited Monaco from January 2-5 and were grateful to be able to experience the Christmas market. This was the most beautiful Christmas market we’ve attended, with great rides, booths full of authentic food and drink and glorious lights and displays for the festive season. The bros were especially excited to find a NinjaBox event being held there (like a ninja course for kids), and the quickly joined in on the fun. This market was located walking distance from Novotel Monte Carlo.

The best part of the walk to the Christmas Market was the winding stairs down to that area. These stairs are called Escalier de La Costa and were Instagram-worthy pictures every step of the way!

Food in Monaco

Besides having a hearty breakfast daily at Novotel Monte Carlo, we had some delicious Italian food in Monte Carlo – some of the best of our lives! On the first night, we grabbed Steak n’ Shake burgers and shakes to bring back to Novotel Monte Carlo which made for the most perfect, cozy night in. We also stopped at any local local bar we saw for a cocktail (or mocktail!), with the bros.

Without doubt, our favorite meal in Monte Carlo was at Il Fornaio. Logan had researched in advance that this whole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant was a gem and it did not disappoint. We got to meet and interact with the (hilarious) chef and ate four delicious homemade pasta dishes. Still dreaming of this pasta carbonara! Do not miss Il Fornaio if heading to Monaco.

For our last meal, we ate at Maya Mia (you guessed it, more Italian) and Griffin ended this European adventure with a Nutella calzone for dessert.

Culture in Monaco

The culture in Monaco was so different than what we have experienced in Europe. A blend of France and Italy, Monaco was filled with French speakers but mostly Italian food. The culture was the most high-end we’ve experienced, with fancy cars like Lamborghinis and Porsches around every corner. We saw lots of high-end boutiques selling fancy cars and racing shops for car enthusiasts. It was a quite a sight! We also saw very high-end shopping, including a literal red carpet rolled out for guests. After a visit to the Casino de Monte Carlo, we were in awe of the richness of culture in Monaco!

Mediterranean Sea Views

While the shopping and luxury cars were interesting to see, it was the views of our favorite that we enjoyed most: the Mediterranean Sea. We walked to Lavotta Beach to take in some sun and enjoy the views of fish and crashing waves. The shoppes lining the beach town were gorgeous as well, with tons of restaurants and boutiques to enjoy. 

Monaco was a beautiful country to visit and was one that was worth several overnights. It would not have been enough to go just for a day trip to Monaco – we were glad to have two overnights there. Thank you, Novotel Monte Carlo, for making our stay comfortable and luxurious!