A responsible Getaway

Welcome to Monaco!

With 88 % of its bedrooms certified, the Monegasque hotel sector is very committed to protecting the environment. Stay at the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort! With its Green Globe label, the establishment is part of the Monte-Carlo SBM group. If you have an electric vehicle, a super charger (rapid charge in only 15 minutes) is at your disposal. Once you have checked in, take the time for a stroll through the Resort. There you will find a 400 m² vegetable garden, maintained by Terrae, where organic fruit and vegetables grow, to later be exquisitely prepared by the Hotel Chef, Marcel Ravin. With its sand-bottomed lagoon, its luxuriant garden and its Spa, the hotel is one of the top performers in terms of reducing its use of natural resources; in 2019 the hotel achieved the feat of reducing its energy consumption by 30 % in only eight years of existence. Still today, it continues to pursue its commitment for the environment by installing 1,000 m² of solar panels on its roofs.

10 am

It’s time to explore Monaco. To do so, nothing could be simpler. Line 6 of Compagnie des Autobus de Monaco, whose fleet is powered by Di-ester, stops right in front of the hotel.

Unless you would prefer to roam through the streets of the Principality by bike? Monabike is a self-service system of electric bikes. With 390 bikes and 42 stations, it’s easy to take a bike for an hour or more and put it back when you’ve finished your ride! Thanks to its electric assistance, climbing Fairmont will be child’s play and you will find yourself in Monte-Carlo, the legendary district of the Principality, in record time.

Having left your “Steed” at the Monte-Carlo station, you can wander around the famous Carré d’Or, or do some shopping in the new “One Monte-Carlo” district – a short walk from the Casino – before exploring the Jardin de la Petite Afrique home to amazing tropical species.

It’s here that the Heritage Tree Trail begins, a trail which allows you to stroll through the various gardens of Monaco and explore its Natural Heritage. For example, Wollemi’s Pine, a plant identified very recently (1994), north of Sydney in Australia, in a canyon, the precise location of the discovery has been kept secret to preserve the species. Somewhat fewer than one hundred trees are known to exist in the world.

12.30 pm

The Marché de la Condamine is located at Place d’Armes, at the foot of the Rocher.
It’s the ideal place to enjoy the Monegasque culinary specialties, like the Barbagiuàn (a fried ravioli made with chard or marrow) and get a taste of local life. More and more restaurants are committing themselves to a responsible approach and here you will find establishments labelled “Restaurant Engagé.” This indicates that they are working on a daily basis to reduce and sort waste, fighting food waste, single-use articles, supporting local initiatives, reducing energy and water consumption, and raising their customers’ awareness on all these pressing issues.

2.30 pm

Direction Monaco-Ville!
With its medieval alleyways, the old town, located on the Rocher, houses the headquarters of the Government, the Palais de Justice, the Conseil National as well as the Palais Princier, the Cathédrale, la Chapelle de la Miséricorde and the Oceanographic Museum.

Built on the side of the Rocher de Monaco, the Oceanographic Museum, established by Prince Albert I, has been watching over the oceans for more than a century. With an internationally acknowledged expertise, the Museum has more than 6000 specimens on display, from sharks to seahorses via piranhas and clownfish, etc.. Since its inauguration in 1910, this Temple to the Sea, has established itself as a benchmark at international level for informing about, loving and protecting the oceans.
It is made up of a treatment clinic and a convalescent pool. There you can look after injured turtles in trouble, all the while making these marine animals ambassadors to the public for their species. The pool, located in the open air, is part of the Museum tour. Throughout the year events are on offer to children of all ages.

4.30 pm

The Jardins Saint Martin nestled between the Oceanographic Museum and the Cathédrale.
These were the first public gardens in Monaco created at the behest of Prince Honoré, who had decided, after a famine, to give employment to the people of Monaco by suggesting that they create gardens. Like all the other public green spaces of Monaco, they are maintained organically and have the ECOCERT label. You will identify several heritage trees thanks to the panels or the Trail brochure.

Since 2019, a new trail has seen the light of day in the Jardins St Martin: “The Biodiversity Trail.” This zone is indeed very rich and the trail will allow you to explore lesser known spaces in the garden via paths which were formerly closed to the public. From the “Prairie Fleurie” to the insect hotel, the trail allows you to stroll and pass in front of the entrance to the caves (closed for safety reasons) which housed the first prehistoric people of Monaco and nowadays bats and seismic equipment.

At the foot of the cliff, you might be lucky to see cormorants fishing or basking in the sun or the pair of peregrine falcons that call these cliffs home, visible mainly in the cove of Fontvieille.

Dinner

If you’re looking for healthy, balanced and authentic flavours, the Mediterranean cuisine with Tuscan influences of the Elsa restaurant is made for you. With its stunning view of the sea, Elsa is the first 100% organic and fresh restaurant to have received a star in the prestigious Michelin guide. Monte-Carlo Beach is located near Monte-Carlo Bay and five minutes will suffice to get back to your hotel.

9.00 am

To start the day, head to the Larvotto beach located a short walk from Monte-Carlo Bay.
More than just a beach, the Larvotto zone is a protected marine reserve particularly for its Posidonia seagrass bed. So, if you go for a swim, particularly in the morning, you’ll be swimming among the rich fish fauna!

After your walk or swim you can head, still on foot, to the Japanese Garden.
This garden, created in 1994, at the behest of Prince Rainier III, in accordance with the strictest principles of the concepts of Zen thought by landscape architect Yasuo BEPPU (Grand Prix of the Osaka Floral Exhibition 1990), offers an exotic voyage to the land of the rising sun, at the very heart of the Principality. Managed by the Direction de l’Aménagement Urbain, the garden has an eco­‑label and uses only organic processes. When you leave the Jardin Japonais, take the famous Grand Prix tunnel to go to Port Hercule. Right below the Fairmont and alongside the famous tunnel, is the principality’s second protected marine area: the zone known as the Tombant des Spélugues, exhibits a corraligenous cliff rich in Mediterranean red coral.

11.30 am

By the beautiful Yacht Club building, find and use the water-bus to cross the harbour!
The water-bus is equipped with two electric engines powered by batteries and 14 monocrystal solar panels which in summer supply 15W/day. In a few minutes, you will arrive at Quai Antoine Ier, the chance for a walk on the floating pier and the Solarium offering views over Monaco and Italy in the distance.

Afternoon: Fontvieille Landscape Park and its Rose Garden

The parc paysager de Fontvieille surrounds the Monte-Carlo Circus venue and offers the neighbourhood an urban landscape park much appreciated by families. Mediterranean species such as olive trees, pines and cypress rub shoulders with many heritage trees (for example the lovely Erythrina, “the coral tree,” so-called because of its red flowers). Winding paths cross the park guide walkers along a trail of botanical discoveries as well as culture with many works of art. Thus you can discover, at the turn of a path, an educational vegetable garden, the Smart flower (an intelligent photovoltaic generator made up of 12 petals which work like a sunflower – it opens and closes depending on the sun – and supplies the energy for the park’s lighting) as well as a children’s play area.
The park includes a landscaped pond where many species cohabitate, like free-roaming ducks and geese as well as carps of all sizes which can be glimpsed from the banks of the pond or the wooden footbridge.

At the turn of the footpath, you will enjoy the beautiful Princess Grace Rose Garden, created by Prince Rainier III in tribute to his wife, Princess Grace of Monaco. The 5,000 m² of this rose garden (with the Ecocert EVE label for good ecological practice), houses more than 315 varieties of roses representing 6,000 rose plants, divided into seven themes.

Afterwork and Dinner

You can begin the evening at the Brasserie de Monaco to enjoy a beer brewed on-site using organic malt and take the time to walk along Port Hercule to explore Monaco By Night!

To get back to your hotel, several solutions are available to you: the CAM bus, Monabike bikes, or why not try Mobee? This is the service of shared electric vehicles in the Principality, based on the principle of free-floating. The fleet is made up of Twizys, Peugeot e-208s and Teslas Model 3. An easy, quick and ecologically friendly way of getting back to your hotel to enjoy the cuisine of its Chef, Marcel Ravin, a Mediterranean cuisine mixed with Caribbean flavours produced responsibly, with vegetables from the garden located in the hotel.