High end shopping is the norm in Monaco. Hermès, Gucci, Lanvin and the like are cheek by jowl near the Hôtel de Paris and the Casino de Monte-Carlo. Just west of place du Casino, Pretty You, 5 pl. Saint James (tel. 97-70-48-08), sells Oscar de la Renta and Elie Saab. Just east of this piazza, Galeries du Métropole is packed with high fashion and specialty stores. Temples of fashion of all sorts are available, as well, on boulevard de Moulins. We’re talking Baby Dior, no. 31 (tel. 97-25-72-12) and swimwear-to-the-stars brand Erès, also at no. 31 (tel. 97-70-76-50). For Repetto ballet slippers and Michael Kors satchels try La Botterie, no. 14 (tel. 97-25-80-55).
However, you don't have to be Princess Caroline to shop in Monaco, especially now with Fnac (tel. +33 825-02-00-20; www.fnac.com/Monaco) in the heart of town. A branch of the big French chain that selling all kinds of books and media, it's at the Métropole Shopping Center (tel. 93-50-15-36; metropoleshoppingmontecarlo.com/en), 17 av. des Spélugues, next to the Hôtel Métropole and across from the casino gardens. The ornate Métropole Shopping Center also has a few specialty shops worth visiting. C
For real-people shopping, stroll rue Grimaldi, the principality's most commercial street, near the fruit, flower, and food market. 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.
For a look at the heart and soul of the real Monaco, head to place d'Armes for the Condamine Markets, a collection of covered and open air fruit, flower, and food shops that open daily at 7am. 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.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
