Insider’s guide to Monaco

What makes Monaco such a great place to live?
The weather, obviously. Monaco has seasons: you get a fairly benign winter, a spring, a glorious summer and a colourful autumn. And there’s the amazing light that all those wonderful painters enjoyed. I love the fact that I can walk anywhere: to the cinema, the opera house, the ballet, the museums and the endless restaurants and bars. The cultural offering here is as good as in any capital city. If you’re into sport, we have the Grand Prix in May, the Monte-Carlo Masters tennis in April and the Monaco Yacht Show in September. It’s also good cycling country – within 15 minutes, you can be in the wilderness.

We’re also 30 minutes from the international airport in Nice, it’s a three-hour drive to Milan and less than two hours to the ski station at Isola 2000. Then there is the education on offer. We have excellent independent schools – The British School of Monaco and the International School of Monaco – as well as strong state schools, which follow the French system. Essentially, Monaco is small – it’s like a stimulating cosmopolitan village.

Which are the best areas to buy in? And what kinds of property can you find?
It’s mostly apartment living. What people want in Monaco is large lateral spaces with views and terraces. It’s a tiny place, but each quartier has a distinct character. The glitziest is the beach area, Larvotto, which everyone’s talking about because an amazing new-build has just gone up there on reclaimed land: Mareterra.

It’s stunning, architecturally – parts of it were designed by Renzo Piano’s studio. For character and a more picturesque way of life, you have the area around the port. You feel part of a local community – and the views are amazing. Monaco-Ville, known as “the Rock”, is full of winding streets and has its own charm. You get the odd villa, but they’re few and far between. Then there’s the Carré d’Or, or Golden Square, around the belle époque Casino, which has smart apartments.

Who’s buying in Monaco, and why?
Our clients are younger than they used to be – often between 40 and 60. Monaco is no longer just a place to retire to. These are people who are still active in business. We’re seeing arrivals from London, of all nationalities. We’re also getting Belgians and Scandinavians – Swedish, Danish – and there’s a big Italian population too. What we’re finding is that where clients once had a primary and a secondary residence, now they have three, four or five, all over the world. They can work from anywhere. But Monaco is the place they consider their home.

Which are your favourite places to eat and drink?
My absolute favourite is an oyster bar in the Port de Fontvieille: Les Perles de Monte-Carlo. It’s run by a couple of great guys who are marine biologists.

They came here to see if they could cultivate oysters in the Mediterranean. Then they started opening a bottle of wine outside the lab and serving the oysters, and it became a restaurant. There’s the marketplace, Le Marché de la Condamine, which has food stalls and restaurants with long trestle tables where you sit and share. It has a super sushi bar and you can get excellent pasta. Le Grill in the Hôtel de Paris is wonderful, with a spectacular view from the rooftop. For a smart apéro after work, I’d go to Le Bar Américain in the Hôtel de Paris, or for something more casual, there’s a down-to-earth Italian called the Casa del Caffè.

What can you do for culture?
Cultural life here is surprisingly full. The Théâtre Princesse Grace puts on big plays from Paris, while the smaller Théâtre des Muses, run by Anthéa Sogno in a converted bakery, has shows that have premiered at, say, the Festival d’Avignon. Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo is a stunning company with a world-class academy. A couple of times a year they do an open house where the dance students will cook and have dinner with you, then do a little show. The Grimaldi Forum has one big art show every summer. This year it’s Couleurs! – masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou in Paris, including works by Picasso and Matisse.

How’s the shopping?
For small, artisanal shops, I head to Nice, Saint-Tropez or Sanremo, just over the border in Italy. In Nice, there’s Galeries Lafayette, a great French department store, and you get wonderful blooms at the flower market on the Cours Saleya.

Monaco is more about big labels – Celine and Chanel have beautiful stores in One Monte-Carlo, smart towers that also house residential apartments.

What do you love best about Monaco?
The people are really interesting – and you get to meet so many of them because Monaco is small. There are lots of residents who’ve done really well in their field, whether that’s music, tech or industry. Monaco is an easy place to navigate and to raise a family. It is a bit of a bubble, for sure, but it’s never dull.

Portfolio recommends…
The most famous restaurant in Monaco, Alain Ducasse’s three-Michelin-starred Louis XV at the Hôtel de Paris, is hard to top for a special occasion. For exquisite and ethical cuisine with dreamy sea views, head to the Michelin-starred Elsa at the Monte-Carlo Beach hotel in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. Or take a seat on the terrace at the Quai des Artistes for fruits de mer with views of bustling Port Hercule. End your evening with a cocktail at Maona Monte-Carlo, an open-air summer cabaret that reimagines the 1960s venue where Mick and Bianca Jagger, Maria Callas and Liza Minnelli held court. And top-tier wellness treatments are on offer at the Thermes Marins Monte-Carlo – if you can drag yourself away from the outdoor hot tub overlooking the Mediterranean.

IRENE LUKE, CO-HEAD OF SAVILLS MONACO
ILuke@savills.com