Wouldn't it be Nice... to be rich and famous on the Côte d'Azur

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Our train from Barcelona took most of the day to get to Nice with a stopover in Montpellier where we took turns to explore while the other watched the luggage. The walk from the train station to our hotel in Nice gave us the impression already that it was going to be an enjoyable place. The eccentric but friendly hotel owner recommended a great little restaurant in the old town and we enjoyed both the meal and the stroll through the winding streets.

The next morning we jumped a train to Monaco, the 2nd smallest country after the Vatican, which is only 20 minutes away. It's a tiny (1.95km²) and wealthy little country with high-rises packed on the hills leading down to the sea. First we wandered down to the port to marvel at all the expensive yachts before catching one of the many public lifts (It really is quite a steep hill). We then climbed up to the Prince's Palace where Albert now resides. There were some fabulous views over the blue ocean and the city as well as the Cathedral where Prince Rainer and Princess Grace (Kelly) were married and are now buried. From there we made our way through the streets where the Monte Carlo Grand Prix is held and wondered how they manage to get around the crazy little corners. We took a few photos outside the Monte Carlo Casino with all the Porches, Ferraris, Rolls Royces etc. We decided not to go inside as there's a minimum spend of 20 Euros to get in and our budget didn't stretch to gambling. We caught a train back to Nice in the afternoon and strolled the promenade along the beach soaking up the sun which we have been craving over the last year.

The following day we headed in the opposite direction to Cannes which is about 40 minutes away. There's not much to Cannes other than the famous film and other festivals that are held here but we had a look around at all the expensive shops and hotels anyway. There were more expensive looking yachts here and most of the beach is owned by the hotels so we stayed back on the street. We had our lunch up on a hill overlooking the city and the island of St Marguerite off the coast which is where the man in the iron mask made famous by Alex Dumas (and Leonardo Di Caprio) was held. As we'd done everything there is to do in Cannes, except shop in the fancy designer stores, we headed back to Nice. In the afternoon we walked up to the park on top of Vieux Nice to see the great views over the city before splurging on a seafood dinner. Next stop... Marseilles.

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Photos

Monte Carlo Casino
Where the high rollers park their cars

Princess Grace's grave
People still place flowers on it after all these years. Rainer is right next to her.