Luxury Monaco Itinerary – ICONIC RIVIERA

All of these hotels are great, and ideally you’d stay at least a few nights at each Monaco hotel, then a night or two at the hotels in Beaulieu and Cap Ferrat. If you can only pick one, then choose Hotel de Paris, as the location is the most convenient and you should definitely spend most of your time in central Monaco, so you can walk to restaurants, the beach, and shops. As always, use a Virtuoso travel agent to get a free room upgrade and other perks.

Where to Eat

There are many incredible restaurants in the area. Make sure to book a reservation well in advance.

Monaco has a very high concentration of luxury gastronomic restaurants. In fact, there is possibly no place in the world with a higher concentration of exceptional restaurants in such a small area. Most of the best ones are walking distance from your hotel, in Monte-Carlo and Larvotto.

Expect to spend at least €100 to €200 per person. Cocktails typically cost around €25 each. Many dinner spots don’t allow men to wear casual clothing (like shorts or sandals).

This is not a complete list of fantastic restaurants in Monaco… there are too many to mention here. Here are some of our favorites:

Monaco (lunch & dinner)

Monaco (dinner only)

• Song Qi has incredible Asian cuisine with veg options.
• MayaBay, but ask to be ‘in the Thai side’.
• La Vigie is a romantic seaside spot at the Monte Carlo Beach Hotel where you can arrive early for cocktails.
• Elsa is another seaside at the Monte Carlo Beach Hotel and offers a 100% organic, 1-Michelin star menu.
• Blue Bay also has a Michelin star — and a great vegan tasting menu.
• Coya is seaside, and the 9pm seating is a party scene.
• Maona is a glam spot with live music (although the music can be quite cheesy).
• The infamous Sass is a night club combined with a restaurant — only go after 9pm and only if you want to party, as it’s quite the scene (it’s famous for basically being a brothel).

Monaco (open all day)

• Have drinks at the Polo Bar-style Trinity Bar (it’s on two sides of the street, where one side is a chic lounge/bar and the other is a sport-bar setup).
• Bar Americain has great cocktails, a comfortable terrace, and a live band in the evenings.
• Have a James Bond-style martini at the bars in the Monte Carlo Casino (just remember to bring your passport for entry to the casino).
• Have afternoon coffee and snacks at Cova Plage .
• MadaOne has tea and scones, plus a well-rounded menu.
• Amù Monte Carlo is overlooking the sea.
• Outdoor summer bars: Veuve Cliquot and Mada Lounge in the square.

Nice

Nearby Towns

• Menton: Perhaps the most famous restaurant in southern France, Mirazur Restaurant is a Michelin 3-star masterpiece, with a set menu and has consistently been rated one of the best restaurants in the world. Because they were booked up for months, they opened a casual, sister restaurant across the street called Casa Fuego (“House Fire”), which is also excellent.
• Beaulieu: The restaurants at hotel La Reserve de Beaulieu : Le Restaurant des Rois has a Michelin star, or if you prefer a sunny terrace and ocean view, go to Le Vent Debout. But first, have drinks at their bar, which opens onto an exquisitely landscaped patio during warm weather, the Gordon Bennett Bar. In the port, African Queen is a secret local favorite.
• Cap d’Ail: Do the Cap d’Ail walk (a must-do) and have a fruit plate at Naos Beach (the start of the walk), then lunch at Le Cabanon , which overlooks the sea. You can continue on the walk after lunch and go to Plage Mala , or retrace your steps back to Monaco.
• Eze-sur-Mer: Go to Anjuna Beach restaurant , which is beach-side in Eze-sur-Mer, for a weekend party brunch (dancing on tables) or relaxing seaside dinner. (Note: the food is family-style and wasteful and they are very un-woke, with teenage girls Go-Go dancing in string bikinis and black men in American Indigenous people’s headdresses.)
• Eze Village: Le Mas Provencal is a luxurious fairytale-land restaurant that is completely one-of-a-kind. The views from Hotel Chevre d’Or are must-see; have dinner at their Michelin 2-star restaurant and lunch or drinks on the terrace at one of their two casual restaurants. Another hotel in the village, Chateau Eza , also has a restaurant and a bar with great views.
• Villefranche: Mayssa Beach (ask for a table on the edge of the terrace overlooking the water).
• La Turbie: Hostellerie Jerome‘s gastronomic restaurant (with a set menu) is so beautiful you’ll want to eat there twice, just so you can experience both their incredible dining room and their beautiful terrace.
• Cap Ferrat: Hotel Royal-Riviera and the Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat both have wonderful restaurants. At the Royal-Riviera’s Jasmin Grill & Lounge, you can enjoy live music every Tuesday and Friday evening from 8pm. Also lunch at Anao Plage , on the beach in Beaulieu right next to the Royal-Riviera.

Things To Do

You could dedicate a day to each of these:

• Cap Ferrat: Park at the Four Seasons’ Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat and have lunch or lounge at the Club Dauphin beach club, then do the Cap Ferrat seaside walk (this can’t be missed!) by exiting the hotel by the water (get the gate code first) and turning right.
• Eze & Villefranche: Spend a day in Eze Village (15 minutes from Monaco and a must-see) and have drinks on the terrace at Chateau Eza . Do the Nietsche hike and cool off in the waterfall, for a good workout. You should still have time to also go to Villefranche and explore that town (another must-see town). Have dinner seaside in Villefranche.
• Roquebrune & Menton: Lunch and spa at The Maybourne Riviera (a luxury hotel perched on a cliff above Monaco), then check out Roquebrune‘s old town and Menton‘s seaside boardwalk and Jean Cocteau museum .
• Nice: Go to the market in Nice (drive along the coastal road) and spend an afternoon walking around Nice. Go to the Negresco beach club for drinks or lunch.
• Cap Estel: Go to the spa, have a swim, then have drinks and dinner at the ultra-exclusive Hotel Cap Estel .
• Monaco: Get to know Monaco. Go shopping in Monte Carlo, have lunch on Larvotto Beach . Go to the St-Martins Gardens park on The Rock and tour the Prince’s Palace and the Oceanographic museum . If possible, make sure to see a show at the stunning Monte Carlo Opera house.
• Corsica: Charter a yacht and visit Corsica island for a day (or a week). Stop in Calvi and explore the town.
• Italy: Go to Italy to shop at the uber-luxury Mall Sanremo where you can buy designer clothing (Loro Piana, Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry, Brunello Cucinelli, etc.) at 50+% off. It’s about a 45 minute drive from Monaco. You can stop and check out some of the Italian towns on the way.