Whilst we were staying at Esterel we booked a day trip to Eze and Monaco, Monaco being somewhere that we had always wanted to visit.

The drive to Monaco takes in some beautiful coast roads and every so often the coach would stop to let us out and take in the view and to take some breathtaking photographs.

Eze is a medieval village perched like an eagles nest on a narrow rocky peak overlooking the Mediterranean sea. The village forms a circular pattern around the base of the castle. The old buildings and narrow streets are very well restored, with high stone walls and narrow roadways of red-brick centered stone. The narrow roads wend their way upward to the well sign-posted Jardin Exotique Panorama.

When you finally arrive at the top, you’ll find the way to the Jardin and the amazing panoramic view. You need to know at this point that the ascent is very taxing and of course on a hot day will be even more so. The narrow streets with their various shops and restaurants are well worth seeing anyway and of course you then avoid the climb to the top.

Two Grasse parfumeries are represented in Eze village, Galimard with a shop and Fragonard with shop as well as a factory you can visit.  Both parfumeries offer a 10% discount if you have the Eze map, free from the Office de Tourisme located at the corner of the main car park.

We visited the Fragonard complex and they offer a free tour of the factory on the basis that you may well buy some of their products, it’s a very interesting place and it does have a toilet block on the outside of the building which may come in useful.

Monaco is a fantastic place that you really need a couple of days in to do it justice.  The tourist strategy of Monaco is such that you will never get ripped off being there and the prices are set at such a level that they are not cheap but affordable.  The first thing you should do is head for the Aquarium on the Avenue Saint-Martin  because from opposite the entrance you can take a ride on the Monaco Tours train that lasts around 30 minutes, gives you English commentary and takes in the key sites of Monaco.

When you return you can walk through some lovely gardens past the Cathedral and onto the Palace and there are lots of eating places serving very good food at reasonable prices.

From here you can walk down to the harbour and this incidentally is where the F1 grand prix track is, you can in fact take a ride around this in a Ferrari if you so wish, either being driven or driving yourself depending on how much you want to spend.

Monaco actually adjoins Monte-Carlo and you will see some of this if you take the tourist train.  One of the things they will show you is the famous casino where James Bond did so well and it all looks very glamorous.  Incidentally, whereas I said that Monaco is a reasonable place to spend money I think that Monte-Carlo is the opposite and you will need deep pockets to dine and shop there.

We did see a sign for motorhome parking as the coach drove into the centre so we are welcomed although I have no personal experience of using it but if anyone has and would like to comment on it then please do so.