YeinJee's Travel Journal

Monaco is the most densely populated country in the world, and the second smallest country in the world, after Vatican City.

We had a night visit to Monaco, which was about an hour journey from Nice. The bus dropped us by the famous F1 tunnel (tunel); we walked by some buildings and gardens on our way to the Grand Casino of Monte Carlo.

It was just a short tour at Monaco… honestly I can’t remember much of it besides some of its stories and the casino, the cruises and boats at the harbour, and the song we played on our bus journey (Kenny Roger’s “The Gambler”).

Le Grand Casino de Monte-Carlo

The Monte Carlo Casino, sometimes referred as the Grand Casino, or simply The Casino, is arguably Monaco’s biggest attraction. The casino was built in 1878, and has featured in numerous movies, including the recent Bond’s movie, “Casino Royale”.

Me and my sister paid 10 euro each to get into the casino area; it’s not really an entrance fee as we were handed with wager chips of equivalent value. The casino was not as grand as I anticipated, probably because we didn’t have the time to wander the whole casino area. I preferred casinos that are a bit noisier and crowded, more Vegas style.

One thing that you shouldn’t miss at the Monte Carlo is its toilet. Even if you are not a gambler, remember to use their toilet (and the flush)… it’s a wonderful bit of experience.

Some history and background of Monaco

Monaco has been ruled by the House of Grimaldi since 1297, when François Grimaldi seized the fortress of Monaco from a rival Italian faction. Disguised as a Franciscan monk, he successfully led a small army into the fortress reclaiming it in the name of the Pope.

According to our guide, Monaco got its name from the monk disguise, as a Franciscan monk is known as Monaco in Italian. There are however another saying that Monaco already got its name before the Grimaldi’s reign, that the Monaco-monk is merely coincidence.

You can read more history of Monaco from Monaco’s Official Site and Wikipedia.

Some people are confused with Monaco and Monte Carlo… fact is Monte Carlo is just one of Monaco’s 5 wards (quartiers), namely Monaco-Ville (the oldest part of Monaco), Monte Carlo, La Condamine, Fontvieille and Moneghetti. Monte Carlo is probably the most famous area for foreigners, for being the location of the famous casino.

Monaco is an independent country, but is closely linked with France in their administration. Monaco has a small troop of soldiers, as France is responsible for its defence for both nations’ interest.