One hundred and fifty years ago, the Principality of Monaco was booming with the creation of Monte-Carlo and its Hôtel de Paris. A casino already existed, but not in the building we know today, whose construction dates back to 1879.

We had to bring tourists to Monaco. Prince Charles III is launching a major advertising campaign in the form of a large text published in the Monegasque and international press.

The climate argument comes first, of course.

“The light envelops this calm
and laughing painting”

“Among the winter resorts of the Mediterranean coast, Monaco occupies the first place by its climatic position, by the entertainments and the elegant pleasures which it offers to its visitors and which made of it today the rendezvous of the aristocratic world, the a sought-after corner of traveling Europe during those months when the wind and the frost desolate the less privileged regions. The Principality of Monaco, located on the slopes of the Alpes-Maritimes, is completely sheltered from the north winds.

In winter, its temperature is the same as that of Paris in the months of May and June. The peninsula of Monaco is placed like a dazzling basket in the Mediterranean, this vast sea of ​​intense blue. We find there the vegetation of the tropics, the poetry of great sites and wide horizons; the light envelops this calm and cheerful picture. Monaco, in a word, is the mirror of spring. »

“monte-carlo place of all leisure activities”

The advertising campaign also highlighted leisure establishments.

“Monaco has a vast sea bathing establishment, open all year round, where there are also rooms for hydrotherapy, for fresh water baths, mineral water and hot sea baths. For foreigners wishing to stay close to the Establishment of the Baths, there is in the establishment itself the Hotel of the Baths, perfectly fitted out, with table d’hôte and restaurant and which joins the rare advantage of the modesty of the prices to the most complete comfortable. Opposite the ancient and curious city of Monaco, overlooking the bay, is Monte-Carlo, a recent creation, a marvelous plateau on which rise the splendid Hôtel de Paris, the Casino and its gardens, which extend in terraces to the sea, offering the most picturesque viewpoints and pleasant walks among palm trees, carob trees, aloes, cacti, geraniums, tamarinds and all the flora of Africa. At the bottom of the gardens, the installation of a vast and magnificent Pigeon Shooting Hall has just been completed. »

Parisian elegance

The ad campaign wanted to reach the stylish audience. Above all, Monte-Carlo visits the clientele of wealthy people.

Opposite the Hôtel de Paris you can see shops containing everything that Parisian elegance can offer among luxury items and basic necessities, a tobacconist where you can find ordinary tobacco from the French state , the superior foreign cigars from the warehouse of the Grand Hotel, at Boulevard des Capucines in Paris. There are also 3 sumptuous cafes with billiards. In Monte-Carlo, at La Condamine, at Les Moulins, charming villas, coquettishly placed in the middle of orange and lemon trees, provide foreigners with numerous apartments. »

“The Holiday Season”

Of course, the holidays were highlighted. Life in Monaco cannot be imagined without a party.

“From l^uh November the Festive Season begins in Monaco and continues uninterrupted until l^uh May.

The Casino de Monte Carlo offers foreigners the same entertainment as the establishments on the banks of the Rhine, Wiesbaden, Homburg and Baden. Throughout the winter season, a troupe of artists from the best theaters in Paris plays comedy and vaudeville there several times a week.

Splendid concerts, in which the greatest virtuosos and the most famous singers are heard, add to the brilliance of this orchestra, whose duly acquired reputation is today European. The Administration frequently gives grand paré balls, dancing meetings and children’s balls. The Casino contains Conversation and Ballrooms, as well as a Reading Cabinet where all the illustrated newspapers, all the French and foreign publications, about 150 newspapers and magazines are found. »

24 hours by train to reach the games

Among the distractions are, of course, games. We must attract the public to the Casino. This is where the Principality will draw its prosperity. “In the games rooms, which are large and well ventilated, there are always tables of Trente-et-Quarante and Roulette. Roulette is played there with a single zero; the minimum is 5 francs, the maximum 6,000 francs. The Trente-et-Quarante is only played for gold. The minimum is 20 francs, the maximum 12,000 francs. »

How do you come to Monaco? By train, of course. The train has been arriving in Monaco since 1868. Useful clarification: “The trip from Paris to Monaco takes 24 hours; from Lyon in 15 hours; from Marseilles in 7 hours”.

In short, come to Monaco!