Crossing the area, you make your way quickly toward the harbor, an evocative sight with thousands of boats, masts, and rigging silhouetted against deep blue waters. Cruise ships regularly dock here, and luxury yachts belonging to celebrities and magnates are a regular presence. Place du Casino and Place Beaumarchais have preserved their original charm, offering fascinating glimpses of architecture and culture. The distinguished Hotel Hermitage, the most elegant of the Belle Époque hotels, graces the first square. Built in 1890, it’s renowned for refined features, sculpted details, and its unique Jardin d’Hiver: a winter garden sheltered by a glass dome, dotted with ferns and Mediterranean plants, overlooked by wrought-iron balconies. The legendary Café de Paris has been Monaco’s trendiest meeting spot for decades—an icon of VIP Monte Carlo. Built in 1865 and embellished in the 1920s with art deco interiors, its pastel-colored façade and beautiful fan-shaped entrance porch invite you into an atmosphere rich with floral mosaics and stained-glass designs.
The Hotel de Paris commands breathtaking views of the sea, the Casino’s lush gardens, and the peach-and-cream palette of the Café de Paris façade. Built in 1864, its vaguely rococo shapes define domes, rotundas, and colonnades. Elegant interiors are complemented by rooms furnished with English 19th-century pieces. Guests reach the gaming rooms via a private elevator and a secret passage—commissioned by Aristotle Onassis during his ownership of the Casino. The Palais du Casino itself is the irresistible focal point of Monaco. Built in 1878 by Charles Garnier—the same architect as the Paris Opera—its gaming tables have welcomed generations of the wealthy as well as everyday visitors, aristocrats, and notables from around the world.
All have tested their luck here. The marble-clad lobby, adorned with 28 Ionic columns, leads directly to the celebrated Salle Garnier, hosting prestigious international concerts and events. The space dazzles with frescoes and bas-reliefs, dominated by shades of red and gold. Overall, the Casino shines in sumptuous Belle Époque style with stained-glass windows and domes, bronze lamps, and exquisite sculptures. The grandeur begins already outside, with dramatic gardens, fountains, water features, palms, jacarandas, ferns, and magnolias. Access to the slot machine room and Salle Américaine is open to all; suit and tie are required (with an entry fee) in all other rooms.
