The unique Mediterranean spot of Monaco can be enjoyed by families as well as the rich and famous
With the F1 season just around the corner, now is the time to take a trip to French Riviera
THE F1 season is revving up, so it must be spring.
And if there’s one destination in the world that’s defined by fast cars and F1 folklore it’s Monaco.
This tiny nation hosts the only Grand Prix that literally stops traffic — each year in May the Monte Carlo district closes the roads and lets the elite cars roar around tight bends and speed along coastal stretches.
It is considered the most demanding track on the circuit.
But even non-petrolheads and their families can enjoy this unique Mediterranean principality.
Sure, there is Prince Albert’s motor museum and the wealthy residents’ Ferraris to swoon at, but there’s also one of Europe’s best aquariums at the Musee Oceanographic, lots of beautifully-kept gardens, and the palace, which is straight out of Disney’s Princess Diaries.
Most surprisingly, if visited out of season and with a careful choice of hotels and restaurants, this is a holiday that needn’t break the bank.
At heart, Monaco is a millionaires’ tax haven on the French Riviera.
F1 drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, right, plus other stars such as Novak Djokovic and Bono live here for the perfect climate and easy glamour.
Although we stayed at the 4H Fairmont Hotel and ate at mid-priced cafes and restaurants, it is surprising who you bump into.
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At one bistro, we were on the next table to Top Gear host Matt LeBlanc and former F1 driver Eddie Irvine.
Not only is the Fairmont — one of Europe’s biggest hotels — right next to the “world’s most famous hairpin bend” but the annual race speeds through a tunnel under the building.
Around the lobby are photos of Grands Prix from the 1930s onwards.
You can even splash out on a suite overlooking the hairpin during the race itself.
Otherwise you’d be better going out of season, picking an ocean view and watching the sun rise over Italy just to the east.
Le Grand Tour, a circular route open-top bus tour, is one of the best ways of getting orientated in Monaco.
The hop-on, hop-off bus passes through the Monte Carlo centre, past the famous Casino, around the harbour and up to the palace and old town, which is where you will find the aquarium and the cathedral.
Fans of European footie can tour the AS Monaco Stade Louis II on the edge of the city centre.
It is a club once graced by Thierry Henry, Glenn Hoddle and Jurgen Klinsmann.
If retail therapy is your thing but, like me, super luxury brands are merely for window-shopping, you can hop on a train to Nice, which is only ten minutes down the Cote D’Azur line.
The fare is a few euros. Nice has a massive beach plus lots of shops, cafes and restaurants.
Meanwhile, Monaco offers a more intimate charm.
The best family eateries are on the roads running off La Condamine marina, particularly Rue Princesse Caroline.
The old town has nice, affordable restaurants, which are quieter in the evenings once the tourist coaches have left.
For international haute cuisine it’s back up the hill to Monte Carlo where Joel Robuchon has an outlet, there is also a Cipriani, Fairmont has a Nobu, and Hakassan-owner Alan Yau has opened an upmarket Chinese, Song Qi.
But you don’t have to keep spending to enjoy Monaco.
It is gorgeous simply walking around the gardens or the marina, trying to work out which yacht belongs to Sir Philip Green.
And you can still stroll into the baroque lobby of the 150-year-old Casino de Monte Carlo without actually joining the high rollers.