Monaco Madness - Twizy Time

So each time I go to Monaco, I come back thinking what exactly have I done all day and what is there to do there? Spend an hour on the train, see stunning views all the way from Cannes - Villefranche is in a world of its own for views - and then I find myself walking a bit aimlessly around Monaco for a while, go for lunch and then head back to Cannes.

Monaco last November

But now everything has changed! We have discovered the Twizy rental company. For those that don't know, the Renault Twizy is a small car that fits two people, one behind the other and are kind of like a car version of a motorbike. The doors raise up sideways like a Lamborghini and you can park them in very small spaces. They're electric, so supposedly eco-friendly; yes if you used it to commute I suppose they are, if you use them as we did just instead of walking, I might disagree.

The rising doors!

Port Hercules

The Twizys cost €25 and hour, €10 for each hour over unless maybe you choose a full day or half day etc. MC Eco Rental is located right next to Stars 'N' Bars on the edge of Port Hercules, which is a great restaurant, if a little americanised with its Hard Rock Cafe / Planet Hollywood theme, but focusing on sports and of course Formula 1 instead.

Generally, walking around Monaco for the day can be quite tiring ... Oh you want to go to see the Hôtel de Paris and Casino Square? Hill! How about the Prince's Palace? Back down the hill and up an even steeper one! Walk the GrandPrix circuit? Far quicker in an F1 car funnily enough. But the Twizys solve all of your problems! All you need is a driving license and common sense that you drive on the right-hand side if you're used to the left. So we 'Twizyed' away.

The grid lines

Hello Twizy!

First stop, the Grand Prix track - what else? Through Casino Square, where you can battle it out with all the supercars, and Twizys are papers just as much we realised! Around the hairpin, getting in everyone's way while they try to pose touching the red and white stripes at the edge of the track opposite the Fairmont and through the tunnel. There's a speed limit here, but going through in a Twizy is just as exhilarating I think - fast like an F1 car would be scary!

Papped!

The Hairpin

We spent a good 2 hours tootling around Monaco and went up to the Palace and enjoyed the amazing views over the port. The best thing is that because ours had no windows, you can just chat with the pair in the other Twizy while you wait at traffic lights, and also do the Twizy version of the 'Mobot'. They're quick to get around in and also mean you explore more of Monaco than you generally would get to, because roaming the streets does get quite tiring.

La Poste

Place de Casino

My Trust Fund

Unfortunately the two hours had to end, so we headed out along the port and in to the Hôtel Miramar for Happy Hour. €6 mojitos in Monaco, not bad! Plus you get a gorgeous view over the yachts, and they were good mojitos!

Mojito time!

Pink skies as the sun sets in Nice

We headed back to Cannes, stopping in Nice an ice cream stop at Fenocchio in the old town, which we ate as the sky turned pink along the Promenade desAnglais. A lovely end to the day!