The Larvotto beach will be crowded again in a few weeks. What is there to do there? Monaco Tribune went to reconnoitre.
It is the biggest beach in the Principality. Located to the east of the country, in the Larvotto district, the stretch of sand and gravel also boasts a promenade, with shops, restaurants and other establishments of all kinds.
The esplanade
Whether you arrive by car, bus or on foot, you’re pretty much obliged to go by the Larvotto esplanade. It overlooks and provides access to the beach by stairs or lifts. There are a number of restaurants, but it is above all a place to sit in the shade and enjoy the view of the sea. It is also a cycle path, with a handy Monabike station on site.
At the end of the esplanade there are open-air sports facilities, equipped with a number of machines and fixed bars looking out to the Mediterranean Sea. Next to it, water cascades from the Lartigue fountain into its 9.5-metre diameter base. Emblematic of the Larvotto promenade since 1970, the Lartigue fountain was reinstalled in Place Josephine Baker in May 2022, after a three-year absence.
The stars of the show, the beach and its promenade, are a few metres below us. Let’s head down there.
A busy promenade
A tiled promenade that is a few metres wide runs along the entire beach. Apart from the many beach restaurants, all the shops are located on this promenade, directly under the esplanade.
Restaurants: spoilt for choice
There are many beach restaurants. Miami Plage, La Note Bleue, Marco, Neptune Monaco Beach, Giacomo.. There is a wide choice, to say the least, from Mediterranean to Italian by way of Mexican cuisine, which recently arrived on the promenade in the shape of Sexy Tacos. It has been in Monaco for 6 years and came to the resort in autumn 2022. Prices also vary, from 20 to 40 euros per main course depending on the eatery.
Alongside the restaurants, other establishments offer their wares. The Costa bakery, an institution in the Principality, arrived in May 2022. The inauguration was attended by Prince Albert II. The shop moved premises to the waterfront complex from the Estoril building opposite Larvotto beach, over the road. There are also ice-cream parlours on the promenade, which will no doubt do a roaring trade in the forecast hot summer weather.
Gym, beauty salon, shops…
The resort has continued to develop and provide more services as the years have gone by. After the Larvotto Gym Center closed in September 2019 because of the works in the resort, there was nowhere for gym goers to work out (by the beach). Fit Factory opened on the promenade in the spring of 2022. Open from 7am to 9.30pm on weekdays and from 8.30am to 1.30pm at weekends, the gym provides 600m² in which to keep fit. Annual membership costs 1860 euros.
If you’re after some pampering, Beauty Angels Monaco provides beauty treatments and hairdressing services. The salon is open Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 7pm.
The 14,000m2 Larvotto beach is visited by thousands of tourists and locals every summer. But what if you’ve forgotten your bathing suit?! Don’t panic, the Palais du Maillot has everything you need, from swimwear to flip-flops, as well as beach toys and floats. There are several clothes shops nearby, as well as an interior design store.
FYI every summer, the Jardin d’Eveil premises also becomes an activity centre during the summer period, with a capacity of around fifty children aged between 3 and 12. Applications are still open for summer 2023. At the ends of the promenade are also the premises of the water rescue and diving centre, the Académie Monégasque de la Mer (Monaco Sea Academy), as well as a play area with a number of wooden structures.
Source: Monaco Tribune
