I vividly remember visiting Monaco. It was 2008 and Emma and Sam and I were reaching the end of our Interrail trip. Our clothes were definitely not freshly laundered, our shoes disintegrating and our finances critical.

I was incredibly psyched to take a day trip to Monaco though. As a cash-strapped student getting a glimpse into the world-renowned playground of the rich and famous was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.

My friend Sam however was not so keen on Monaco. I get it. Also as a student, voluntarily having the lavish excesses of billionaires rubbed in your face doesn’t sound massively appealing. Over 30% of Monaco’s 38,000 resident population are millionaires and it’s estimated that there will be over 16,000 millionaires in Monaco by 2026. All, obviously, paying no income tax.

Sam did perk up though when we started to trace out the Formula One circuit. Oh and he got told off by the Monaco police for taking his t-shirt off. Apparently Monaco has a nationwide dress code.

One thing that surprised me most about Monaco was despite having almost zero funds, we were still able to buy some very cheap supermarket lunch. We also managed to walk around all day and take in the sights without spending anything.

Monaco is a ridiculous spectacle, but you should absolutely visit for a day, even if you’ve got no money.

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