Hotel de Paris: Celebrity Champagne

Churchill, Cary Grant, Rita Hayworth - the guest list reads like Hollywood history. The hotel wine cellar holds 350,000 bottles. The bar overlooks the Casino square.

What to do there

3 things to do

1. 1 Enter the Lobby History · Free

   Walk into the Hotel de Paris lobby (free to enter, just walk in with confidence). Find the bronze horse statue in the lobby - rub its leg for luck. The leg is shiny from generations of gamblers touching it before heading to the Casino across the square. The lobby ceiling depicts Belle Époque Monaco.

   Backup: If you feel awkward, pretend you're meeting someone and take photos.

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2. 2 Visit the Wine Cellar (Book Ahead) Wine · Price: high · Optional

   The hotel offers wine cellar tours with tasting (book via concierge, from €150). The cellar holds 350,000 bottles including rare vintages. It's one of the largest hotel wine cellars in the world.

   Backup: If tours are unavailable, order from the cellar at the Louis XV restaurant (Alain Ducasse, 3 Michelin stars) or Bar Américain.

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3. 3 Champagne at the Bar Wine · Price: very high

   Order champagne at Bar Américain or the terrace overlooking Casino Square (from €25/glass). Churchill was a regular. Cary Grant and Rita Hayworth drank here. You're continuing a century of celebrity champagne moments in a lobby where a swashbuckling figure once strode in with his shirt open and gun at his hip.

   Backup: The terrace is more relaxed than the bar interior.

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