Epic Europe Road Trip Day Four: Monaco

We only had one full day in Monaco and wanted to make the most of it.

As I alluded to in the last post, our accommodations were… dated. We were staying in an older building, and the kids’ bed (a pull-out couch) wasn’t going to win any awards for comfort.

The views were spectacular, though!

Starting the downward climb; this was the first of many, many flights of stairs we’d tackle that day.

We did manage to find one elevator on the way down. I’m fairly certain it was the only time the kids took an elevator while we were in Monaco. Apparently there are just under 100 public elevators (and over 30 escalators) scattered throughout the city. They’re built into cliffs and buildings to help people deal with so much vertical terrain, but they were either out of our way or impossible to find.

In the interest of transparency you should know that our day did not start particularly well. As soon as we left the apartment you could tell everything was slightly off-kilter.

My confidence was bolstered a bit by the fact that I had a plan for the morning, including a specific breakfast stop. (I tend to “wing it” when it comes to food while traveling, so this was unusual for me.)

Unfortunately, when we got to the cafe, THE COFFEE MACHINE WAS BROKEN. The horror. We were all counting on coffee and hot chocolate. They told us it would be fixed in 15–20 minutes, so we grabbed some pastries and waited for liquid emotional support.

To be fair, the pastries were incredible and it was easily the best pain au chocolat I’ve ever had (from a little spot called Art Cafe in the train station). But emotionally it was a tough stretch.

While we were sitting there, we ended up unpacking everyone’s feelings. One kid was really missing home and feeling hurt by a friendship situation. By the end of the conversation, two out of four members of the family were in tears (hint: both were female).

In the moment, it felt pretty heavy but it cleared the proverbial air.

Like a good rainstorm, everything felt fresher afterward. We got to the bottom of some lingering mood challenges, and while none of us would have chosen to start the day that way, the hugs at the end felt redemptive.

Looking back, that emotional reset was a turning point for me on the whole road trip. It wasn’t one single issue, just an accumulation: lack of sleep, sadness over leaving Vienna (which had started to feel like home), homesickness (for Canada), weather changes (cold/hot; foggy/sunny), travel fatigue, mismatched expectations. It had all built up, and we needed that release.

With dry eyes and improved mental states, we headed out again. On the way, we passed Marche de La Condamine, which I’d originally planned to visit later. Since breakfast hadn’t gone as expected, we pivoted and grabbed brunch at the market.

And it was delicious!

I got a chicken shawarma, the kids got burgers, and John found a little grocery store nearby and came back with a handful of the most incredible clementines and a giant bottle of water. We sat, ate, and people-watched.

The kids were worried we wouldn’t find any arches for their photos, so we grabbed these shots just in case. I’ll have to do a roundup of statue poses at the end of our trip. We haven’t managed to capture them in every country, but it’s definitely adding up to a respectable number!

Next, we climbed up to “The Rock” (Le Rocher), which is the historic heart of Monaco that juts out into the Mediterranean.

We passed the Prince’s Palace which is home to the Grimaldi family. They’ve ruled Monaco for over 700 years!!! If you time it right, you can catch the changing of the guard at 11:55 am. I’d originally planned to fit this in, but we ended up missing it which was no big deal.

We grabbed a few souvenirs; Indy collects snow globes and so we said he could get one on the trip. He chose to pick one from Monaco—it’s a race car with a snow globe on top. Both kids also got slot-machine key chains that actually work, in a nod to the famous casino.

From this vantage, you get incredible views over Port Hercule, Monaco’s main harbour. It’s lined with enormous superyachts, owned by royalty, tech moguls, celebrities, and anyone else with a lot of money to fritter away. It’s also the central hub for the Monaco Grand Prix, one of the most famous (and glamorous) races in Formula 1, and our personal favourite to watch on TV. Seeing the grandstands and starting grid being set up in real life was so cool.

The Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate, where Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier III, is also on The Rock. (They’re both interred inside the church, too.)

We passed the famous Oceanographic Museum, dramatically built into the side of a cliff, but decided to skip it this time.

But we did stop at the viewpoint overlooking Port Fontvieille. Gorgeous!!!

This statue, called The Cloak of Conscience, was so cool! It’s carved out of a single piece of marble.

At one point, we ended up near a public bathroom with a giant sign saying they were free, but inside there was a woman cleaning who was clearly expecting tips. I usually carried cash, but had zero with me at the time.

After using the bathroom, as I went to leave (feeling stressed and self conscious), she yelled after me in French. I’m not great at translating, especially when someone is talking aggressively at a fast pace, but her tone said it all.

The bathrooms were free! I had no cash! But the whole situation was so awkward and unsettling.

Gah.

I had to reset my emotions yet again…

From there, we made our way toward Fort Antoine. It has a great view over the harbour and zero crowds.

The kids were thrilled to sit down, and we entertained ourselves taking ridiculous perspective photos. (For the record, John approved me publishing these shots.)

I was DYING of laughter at the ones of Indy picking his butt.

Indy has eagle eyes for screws on the ground and he’s always so concerned a car will go over them and get a flat tire. Here he is picking up yet another screw! There are many strangers in the world that have Indy to thank for their intact tires 🙂

We walked down toward the marina and wandered along a big chunk of the Grand Prix circuit itself. If you’re even mildly interested in Formula 1, this is so cool. The race happens on city streets, and we were walking on them which felt totally surreal.

The 2026 race is happening in early June so preparations were in full swing.

We wanted to get to the main beach (Larvotto) on the outskirts of the city. The easiest way to get there was via a tunnel (which also happens to be part of the F1 circuit).

It was hot and we were so thirsty. We came across a convenience store in the tunnel. Usually, I’d opt for water, but this time I grabbed a Coke Zero and it was one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. Not only did it quench my thirst, but that little hit of caffeine helped propel me through the rest of the day. Also, the shade of the tunnel felt AMAZING after the unrelenting heat and sunshine.

En route we stopped at the famous Fairmont Hairpin outside the Fairmont Hotel, which they claim is the “world’s most famous bend.” It’s definitely the most famous corner in Formula 1. While we were sitting there watching traffic navigate the turn, we’re 90% sure we spotted another driver (Fernando Alonso) drive past in an Aston Martin. SO COOL!!!

From there, we headed to the beach. Larvotto is Monaco’s main public beach and it was undergoing some pretty extensive “renovations.”

We weren’t exactly prepared for a beach day, but Indy and I decided to at least put our feet in the Mediterranean. Belle and John stayed back in the shade with our shoes.

It was early April but HOT. The water was cool, but Indy kept going deeper and deeper, and eventually asked if he could swim.

I knew what that meant… a wet kid for the rest of the day. But I also realized I’d likely never be back at a beach in Monaco with him.

So I said yes!

It was absolutely the right call. He swam, did handstands, and had such a great time!

Eventually, we made our way back to the downtown core (spotting several fancy cars along the way), climbed 100s of stairs to get back to our apartment, got Indy to shower, fed the kids, and then John and I headed back out for a twilight walk.

Monaco at night is a completely different experience. Cooler, quieter, and it was almost eerily empty. It felt like we had the city (country?!) to ourselves.

This was the back of the casino (not a single person in sight).

The colourful roof of a building on the waterfront.

There are so many sculptures in Monaco!

We retraced most of our route from earlier in the day, but definitely walked faster (no kids in tow, no crowds, and a better sense of direction). This part of the F1 track was empty.

The yachts in Port Hercule looked even more impressive at night. These things are huge, and the one I’m standing by was not even close to being the biggest.

Where’s an “h” when you need one?

We went back to all the same viewpoints we had visited in the afternoon, but this time they were ALL empty.

We stayed at Fort Antoine for a while and watched the sky change colour.

This statue looked even cooler at night!

As did the cathedral.

Port Fontvieille.

The route we took to get off The Rock dropped us back to the same market where we ate lunch. I bought a salad, but John wasn’t overly hungry and opted to get a gelato. When he came out raving it was the best gelato he’d ever had in his life, I decided I had room for dessert, too.

OH MY GOODNESS.

The chocolate mint gelato was AMAZING. For anyone visiting Monaco, I admittedly only tried gelato at one place, but I would 1000% recommend Santo Gelato. It felt like the perfect end to an unforgettable evening.

Alas, what comes down has to go back up even though I had zero desire to climb another stair for the foreseeable future.

We went on a wild goose chase trying to find some escalators and elevators (no real luck, but did get a cool picture of a seemingly endless moving sidewalk).

One stair at a time we tackled the climb and eventually got back to the apartment tired, but very satisfied.

Your turn.

• Does a “good cry” usually help you reset your mood?
• What’s your favourite flavour of gelato? I think it’s impossible to beat a delicious scoop of chocolate mint.