How Formula 1 Racer Valtteri Bottas Spends an Off Day in Monaco

“Racing puts me in a lot of cities every year,” says Valtteri Bottas, the Formula 1 racer who started karting as a kid growing up in Finland.

Now, he lives in Monaco, “one of the most famous stops in Formula 1.”

“But it’s also my home,” he says, “and that version of it is quite different.”

Bottas likes how quickly the energy shifts as you travel across Monaco, from the noise of the harborfront scene to the quiet hills. “The coastline is genuinely beautiful. The roads are interesting. And there are spots—a market, a small café, a pétanque court—that have nothing to do with the Monaco people come for, which is exactly why I like them.”

Bottas says racing is still at the center of his life, but his other hobbies—cycling, photography, travel for its own sake, coffee—give him “a different way of seeing the world than sitting in a cockpit.”

That’s why he looks for places he can “get outside and move” when he has time off, opting for experiences that give him “a sense of how a place actually works,” he says. “Finding somewhere that feels like it exists for the people who live there, rather than just the people passing through.”

Check out Bottas’s recommendations for an Off Day in MonacoOpens overlay, from a market doling out fresh socca “pancakes” to an iconic shopping center where you can find everything you didn’t know you wanted.

Where to Eat 

On his Off Days in Monaco, you can usually find Bottas enjoying his personal routines (taco Tuesdays, for example) and dining at restaurants and cafes that are easygoing and unhurried. 

Le Bar Américain
Monte Carlo

“If you want to understand what people mean by old-school Monaco glamour,” Bottas says, “this is where you find it. It's not about being seen, which makes it more relaxing than most places in Monaco.” Come here to enjoy a live band, sea views and a proper cocktail.

Trinity Cocktail Club
Monte Carlo

Arrive here early in the evening, Bottas says, and “it's a proper restaurant—Mediterranean food, good wine.” But “by the end of the night,” he continues, “it’s closer to a club. The music gets louder and the crowd gets bigger.”

Seaside Juicery
La Condamine

When Bottas is training, you can find him here most mornings, placing the same order every time: beet juice and a flat white.

Marché de la Condamine
La Condamine

“Socca is very Monégasque,” Bottas says of the simple chickpea pancake with olive oil and black pepper that’s considered one of Monaco’s most traditional dishes. He recommends purchasing socca from the historic Marché de la Condamine and eating it with your hands. “That’s the whole thing, and that’s the point,” Bottas says. “When a well-known socca spot in Monaco closed a while back, locals actually campaigned to bring it back, which tells you something about what it means to people here. Go to the market, get a slice and eat it right there.”

Les Perles de Monte-Carlo
Fontvieille

This oyster bar is perched on a pier and has wooden benches right on the harbor. “No dress code, no scene,” Bottas says. “The oysters are the whole point, and they’re exceptional. Briny, cold, straight from the water.” Bottas adds that “Monaco isn’t short on flash.” But Les Perles de Monte-Carlo he says, “is the opposite of that, and I think that’s exactly why I keep coming back.”

Sexy Tacos
Larvotto

Welcome to Bottas’s “Tuesday spot.” “Most weeks, if I’m in town, you’ll find me here around lunchtime with tacos on the table and a mezcalita,” Bottas says. This unfussy taco joint sits right on the beach and offers dishes that are made fresh. “In a city that runs on schedules and reservations,” Bottas says, the laid-back vibe at Sexy Tacos is rare.

What to Do

For a leisurely day off, explore the Place du Casino by foot.

During an Off Day, Bottas ditches the high-speed racing in favor of pursuits like strolling, cycling and classic French bowling.

Beaux-Arts Shopping
Monte Carlo

Bottas may not be a shopper in the “traditional Monaco sense,” but he still recommends the Avenue des Beaux-Arts for “walking around to check out all the smaller boutiques and galleries.” He says such spots are especially suited for when you’re “not looking for anything specific,” because “sometimes that’s when you find the best things.”

Musée Océanographique de Monaco
Monaco-Ville

The views of the Mediterranean below “are reason enough to visit,” says Bottas. “But once you’re inside, it’s genuinely interesting,” he says of the museum, which even has an open-air sea turtle exhibit. “You walk out and look at the harbor a little differently than when you walked in.”

Walk the Old City
Monaco-Ville

To learn about Monaco’s history, head over to the Old City, whose narrow streets and stone buildings look out over the harbor. “It’s quiet if you go early or late, and it’s the easiest way to understand Monaco as an actual place rather than a concept,” Bottas says. All it takes is five minutes of walking around, Bottas says, and “it feels like a different century.” Yes, the Grand Prix track is right below, “but somehow it all feels very far away.”

Club Bouliste Monégasque
Fontvieille

Pétanque, a French bowling game, “hasn’t changed much in generations,” Bottas says, “and there’s no reason it should. I like coming here because it has nothing to do with the Monaco most people visit. You throw the ball, you argue about who's closest, you have a pastis, you throw again.” For Bottas, this scene feels like the truest version of his Monaco.

Take a Bike Ride
La Turbie, France

“If I have a free morning, I’m usually on a bike. The climb to La Turbie starts right out of Monaco and goes up above the coastline. It’s hard enough to feel like proper work, but the views make it worth it,” Bottas says. At the top, grab a quick coffee or lunch, and wander around the old city. Make sure to see the Trophy of Augustus, Bottas adds.

Where to Stay

With its central location and impressive design, it’s easy to see why Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo is one of the most popular places to stay in Monte Carlo.

Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo
Monte Carlo

“The Hôtel de Paris has been here for a long time—and you can feel it,” Bottas says. “It’s not stuck in any era, but there’s a weight to the place that newer hotels don’t have.” And, as Bottas says, the location—right on Casino Square—is “impossible to beat.”

“You walk out, and you’re in the center of everything,” Bottas says, “with the harbor, the cafés and all of Monte Carlo’s energy right there. During race week, the circuit literally runs past the entrance.”

Bottas says if you want to get the full Monaco experience, this is where you should stay, whether it’s your first or 10th visit: “It holds up every time.”