A Visit to Nice and Monaco for the Tour de France Finale
Visiting Nice and Monaco had always been on my travel bucket list. I had heard about vacationers flocking to the beaches of southern France and the luxury cars cruising through the streets of Monaco. So, when the final stage of this year’s Tour de France gave me the perfect excuse to explore both, I jumped on the opportunity.
Why No Paris?
This year’s Tour was special. For the first time in its history, the final stage of the Tour de France didn’t finish in Paris. Due to the Olympics, the grand finale was an individual time trial from Monaco to Nice—making it the perfect reason to check out these iconic spots. I quickly booked a hotel room in Nice, near the train center and only a couple of kilometers from the finish line of Stage 21.
A (Slightly) Unplanned Start in Monaco
The morning of the race, I took a train to Monaco, but I made a small mistake. I overshot the city center and got off at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, just one stop too far. It wasn’t a big deal since I had plenty of time, and in fact, it turned out to be a pleasant detour. The walk along the coastline towards Monaco was stunning—beautiful cliffside houses overlooking the deep blue sea, with the majestic mountains in the background. I got my first glimpse of Monaco’s high-rises gleaming in the sun, and my initial impression was how clean and immaculate everything looked.
As I strolled into Monaco, I couldn’t help but think of why cyclists like Tadej Pogačar choose to live here. Of course, the scenery is spectacular, but there’s also the fact that Monaco is a tax haven. Unlike Spain, Monaco doesn’t impose personal income taxes on its residents. There’s a small annual property tax, but it’s low compared to other countries, and there’s no capital gains tax for individuals selling property. Naturally, this comes with a high cost of living, which I noticed while wandering through grocery stores and restaurants. Surprisingly, the cost of apartments with ocean views was a little less than I had anticipated, although they are certainly expensive.
Exploring Monaco’s Iconic Spots
I made sure to visit some of Monaco’s must-see landmarks:
- Larvotto Beach for the ocean views
- The Monaco Grand Prix circuit—the streets were packed with gearheads
- The famous Monte Carlo Casino
- The beautiful Japanese Garden
- Port Hercules, where luxury yachts were docked
- The Prince’s Palace and Monaco Cathedral
For lunch, I stopped at La Condamine Market, where I got a Spanish bocadillo for lunch and took a break before heading back toward the time trial.
Basically, I followed a self-guided walking tour of Monaco that I found online. Being only 3.4 km long by 1.7 km wide (2.1 miles x 1.0 miles), it is easy to walk from one end to the other in this city-state in a few hours, even with the steep climbs.
Watching the Time Trial in Monaco
I watched the first couple of hours of the time trial in Monaco and only left after seeing Mathieu van der Poel set off—on a non-time trial bike, which was quite a sight! As the race heated up, I decided it was time to head back to Nice to catch the finish. Expecting chaos at the train station, I was fortunate to grab a seat on the train, which I later gave up to a woman holding a baby.
Back in Nice for the Finish
Back in Nice, I got to explore the city for the first time. I walked toward the port, where the finish of the time trial was. Before settling in, I stopped for a beer about 800 meters from the finish line, soaking in the peaceful moment before the excitement began.
Eventually, I found myself standing at the 1-km-to-go banner, watching the top 15 GC contenders zoom by on their time trial bikes. Seeing stars like Remco Evenepoel, Jonas Vingegaard, and Tadej Pogačar was thrilling! The atmosphere was electric, and the crowd was buzzing as they rushed to the finish line.
An Unexpected Twist
Back at the hotel, I turned on the TV expecting to see more Tour de France coverage. Instead, I was greeted by a surprising top story of the evening: Joe Biden had dropped out from the U.S. presidential race. As French is my third language, at first I wasn’t sure if newscasters were merely speculating that he was going to end his campaign. But the more I watched, the clearer it was that the news was official.
Needless to say, it was an eventful day, both in the world of cycling and international politics!
My Impressions of Nice and Monaco
Later that evening, I went for a run around Nice. While the city had a lively vibe, it reminded me of another southern French city: Marseille. In other words, it was big, a bit crowded, and honestly not as clean as I had imagined.
But I did enjoy walking by the Port of Nice at night, the lights reflecting off the water making for a beautiful view.
In the end, I absolutely loved Monaco with its glitz, glamour, and stunning scenery. Nice was, well, nice, but I enjoyed Monaco more.
This trip was a great mix of cycling, sightseeing, and surprises. The final stage of the Tour de France provided the perfect backdrop for my visit, and I certainly would love to return to Monaco to explore even more.
In the meantime, I plan on watching the 1983 James Bond movie Never Say Never Again—along with re-watching the 1995 007 film GoldenEye—to see which spots in Monaco I’d recognize!
Update (2024-10-05)
I watched Never Say Never Again, and while I would say that this was neither my favorite movie in the franchise, nor do I believe Sean Connery was the best Bond, it was a pretty entertaining film.
I immediately recognized the scenes in Monaco. In particular, the floor of the Monte Carlo Casino’s entrance was very familiar despite the movie being released 41 years before I stepped onto it!
You can see it in this YouTube clip below.
