Shopping

Bijoux Marlene, Les Galeries du Métropole, 207 av. des Spélugues (tel. 377-93-50-17-57), sells only imitation gemstones. They're shamelessly copied from the real McCoys sold by Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels. Made in Italy of gold-plated silver, the jewelry (the staff refers to it as Les Bijoux Fantaisies) costs 10€ to 1,000€ per piece.

Boutique du Rocher, 1 av. de la Madone (tel. 377-93-30-91-17), is the larger of two boutiques Princess Grace opened in 1966 as the official retail outlets of her charitable foundation. The organization merchandises Monégasque and Provençal handicrafts. A short walk from place du Casino, the shop sells carved frames for pictures or mirrors; housewares; gift items crafted from porcelain, textiles, and wood; and toys and dolls. On the premises are workshops where artisans produce the goods. The second branch is at 25 rue Emile de Loth, Monaco-Ville (tel. 377-93-30-33-99).

If you insist on ultrafancy stores, you'll find them cheek by jowl with the Hôtel de Paris and the casino, lining the streets leading to the Hôtel Hermitage, and across from the gardens at the minimall Park Palace. Allée Serge-Diaghilev is just that, an alley, but a very tiny one filled with designer shops.

You don't have to be Princess Caroline to shop in Monaco, especially now with FNAC (tel. 377-93-10-81-81) in the heart of town. A branch of the big French chain that sells CDs, tapes, and books, it's at the Galeries du Métropole, 17 av. des Spélugues, in the Jardins du Casino, next to the Hôtel Métropole and across from the casino.

The Galeries du Métropole also has a few specialty shops worth visiting. Check out Geneviève Lethu (tel. 377-93-50-09-41) for colorful and country tabletop accessories; or Manufacture de Monaco (tel. 377-93-50-64-63; www.mdpm.com) for glorious bone china and elegant tabletop items. If the prices make you want to take to your bed, two doors away is a branch of the chic but often affordable French linen house Yves Delorme (tel. 377-93-50-08-70). Royal Food (tel. 377-93-15-05-04) is a gourmet grocery store down a set of curving stairs hidden in the side entrance of the mall; here you can buy food from France, Lebanon, and the United States, or stock up for le pique-nique or for day trips. This market is open Monday to Saturday 10am to 7:30pm.

For real-people shopping, stroll rue Grimaldi, the principality's most commercial street, near the fruit, flower, and food market ; and boulevard des Moulins, closer to the casino, where you'll see glamorous boutiques. Rue Princesse-Caroline is a pedestrian thoroughfare with shops less forbiddingly chic than those along boulevard des Moulins, and it's loaded with bakeries, flower shops, and the closest thing you'll find to funkiness in Monaco. Also check out the Formule 1 shop, 15 rue Grimaldi (tel. 377-93-15-92-44), where everything from racing helmets to specialty key chains and T-shirts celebrates the roaring, high-octane racing machines.

No one comes to the Riviera for bargain shopping but, even in chic Monte Carlo, try Stock Griffe, 5 bis av. St-Michel (tel. 377-93-50-86-06). It slashes prices on Prada, Pucci, Escada, and the like. A tremendous amount of merchandise is packed into these tiny precincts. The place may be small, but not the discounts, some of which add up to an astonishing 90%. Greater reductions are for older garments that didn't move, but you can also snap up some newer fashions.

For a look at the heart and soul of the real Monaco, head to place des Armes for the fruit, flower, and food market, which starts daily at 7:30am. The indoor and outdoor market has a fountain, cafes, and hand-painted vegetable tiles beneath your feet. The outdoor market packs up at noon, and some dealers at the indoor market stay open to 2pm. If you prefer bric-a-brac, a small but funky (especially for Monaco) flea market, Les Puces de Fontvieille, is open on Saturdays 9:30am to 5:30pm on the Quai Jean-Charles Rey, immediately adjacent to Port de Fontvieille.