Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, on the Mediterranean Sea.
World-famous for its prestigious Casino and Grand Prix, the elegant principality of Monaco is one of the most attractive places to visit in Europe. While Monaco is not a part of France, it is located inside France, making it a perfect stop on any French Riviera itinerary.
We did a one-day trip to Monaco from Nice (France) in July 2024.
More details about Monaco here: https://www.visitmonaco.com/en
Few Facts about Monaco:
- With an area of 2.08 km2 , Monaco is second-smallest sovereign state in the world, after Vatican City.
- Less than 40000 people live in Monaco. Over 30% of residents are millionaires.
- Monaco has the world’s shortest coastline: 3.83 kms.
- Although, small in land mass, it’s actually one of the most densely populated countries in the world!
- Monaco uses the euro as its sole currency.
- Monaco has the highest life expectancy in the world in 2023 (Approx: 89.5 years)
- Almost 20% of Monaco city was extended over the sea a few years ago.
- There is no airport in Monaco, The nearest one is Nice Airport. It does have a heliport.
- Located in French Rivera, Monaco benefits From pretty good weather all year around. January might be the coldest and July been the hottest (It was 32 Degrees in July when we visited).
- The country does not have a military per se. The country’s defense, though, is in the hands of France.
- Unemployment rate is almost zero.
- Monaco is tax haven.
- Real estate in Monaco is considered the most expensive in the world.
- Monaco has more policemen per person than any other country in the world.
- Roman Catholic is the main religion in Monaco.
The best and easiest option to reach Monaco is to travel from Nice in France (either in train or a public transport like Bus). Train would be the fastest public transport option.
Personally, we decided to travel in Bus from Nice to Monaco and the return journey in train. This option is highly recommended as you get a chance to experience both modes of travel.
If you are ok to start your day a bit early, I would strongly suggest to start so. This way you might get some time to explore the Medieval village of Eze enroute Monaco from Nice. You can spend an hour or so in Eze and experience the stunning views.
We were staying in Garibaldi (in Nice). Garibaldi is a great location to move around as we have connectivity to tram lines and bus to Monaco from here.
We took a bus to Monaco (Bus No. 602 – Monte Carlo Casino) from a bus stop named ‘Bavastro’ (in Nice). The Bus ticket from Bavastro to Monaco was quite cheap and comes around 2.10 Euros per person (for a 1-hour journey).
The Bus goes via Eze village. The Bus route is very scenic (especially near to the Eze village and Monaco). Unfortunately, we did not know this early and hence couldn’t get down at Eze but yes could take some snaps of Eze village.
Please note that Bus 602 is not the only option to reach Monaco from Nice. You have options like Bus 110 (Express) from Nice Airport to Monaco. There is also a Bus 100 which is a slower bus compared to 110 and covers more stops enroute.
If you have one more extra day at Monaco, you can try covering ‘Menton’ and ‘Village of Eze’ on that day. Both are around 20-30 Minutes from Monaco.
Other travel options:
- Helicopter from Nice to Monaco is another option.
- You can also use your own vehicle (or rent a car) to reach Monaco, but please note that the parking charges are high at Monaco.
- Also, you can take an Uber or taxi aswell. I was told that the charges would be 60-100 Euros (one side).
- Seems boat is another option to reach Monaco from Nice (https://www.trans-cote-azur.co.uk/departing-nice/cruise-boat-monaco)
Places that we explored were:
a. Monte Carlo Casino:
This would be the obvious first place to start your itinerary. It is one of the most important spots in any Monaco itinerary. This casino has served as a filming location for many top movies and TV shows over the years (ex: James Bond: Golden Eye (1995)). The Casino was constructed after Monaco lost much of its territory to neighbouring France during the 1860s.
In order to continue drawing in crowds, the Prince of Monaco of the time commissioned this Casino. Today, it’s actually illegal for residents of Monaco to gamble in the Casino. Use of the Casino is only reserved for visitors!
Monaco is what it is today because of the Casino – everything else came after.
Its free to enter till the Atrium (of course you will have to passthrough a security check).
Seems there are some guided audio tours aswell (from 10-2 Pm or so). I have not personally tried those options. If you want to try your hand at gambling at this iconic establishment, you’ll have to dress to impress and there is a admission costs of around €17 or so. You might need a passport to enter.
To one side of Casino Square stands the Café de Paris. This famous cafe has a large sun terrace and is a popular spot for expensive cups of coffee. Facing the cafe is the equally opulent Hotel de Paris which boasts fine dining restaurants, bars and a private beach that has featured in several films including James Bond’s Never Say Never and Golden Eye.
There is a Casino on the left side of the Monte Carlo casino. You can enter this casino free of cost but you would need a passport to enter that casino aswell.
b. Car watching in front of Monte Carlo Casino:
Spend some time just outside the Monte Carlo Casino and you will get a chance to see some of the luxurious cars from Bentleys to Lamborghinis to Rolls Royce’s to McLaren’s and what not…
Taking photos of those cars is fine, but don’t try to touch any, unless you want an army of security after you!
Eventhough I have visited many parts of Monaco, I have not seen these much luxurious cars in other parts of Monaco. Am not sure how and from where all these cars reach the road in front of the casino. Whatever it may be, it’s definitely a great sight.
c. Private Car Collection of the Prince of Monaco:
The Classic Car Collection of H.S.H. The Prince of Monaco dates back to the 1950’s when motoring lover Prince Rainier III began his private collection. In 1993, a decision was made to put that collection on display. Recently it was moved to a new location at Port Hercule where visitors can see an impressive array of around 70+ vehicles including Formula 1 racing cars.
Before taking the ticket, make a decision if you will be visiting both the ‘Private Car Collection’ and the ‘Aquarium’. If you plan to do so, please ensure that you buy a ‘Combo’ ticket. It might help you to save some Euros (please see the discount details below).
d. Port Hercule:
Monaco has two ports; Port Hercule and Port Fontvieille. Port Hercule is a natural port located at the base of Le Rocher (the natural elevated rock upon which the old town was built) and is the best port to explore while in the city. This is just a few minutes away from the casino. You can see lots of boats and yachts at the harbour. In the evenings, Monaco’s main hotspot is Port Hercule and the area around the casino.
e. Centre commercial de Fontvieille
It’s one of the largest shopping centres out there. There is also a big Carrefour hypermarket available, from where you can grab some items for your lunch. The hypermarket rates are comparitively lesser. We brought some juices / snacks / fruits / pastry from the hypermarket.
The Serravalle tunnel is just outside the Centre commercial.
f. The Rock (or Le Rocher) and Royal Palace:
The Rock is the oldest part of Monaco. This is a stunning neighbourhood, and a Royal Palace is in this place. The prince of Monaco Albert II (Grimaldi family) still lives with his family in this palace. This would be the best place to get the stunning panorama of the city.
The changing of the guard happens at 11:55 am (lasts for around 8 minutes). The Royal palace is open to public (from April to Mid-October) with a ticket charge. We did not go inside the palace.
NOTE: The Hop on Hop off bus also have a stop near the Royal Palace.
g. Get your passport stamped with a ‘Monaco entry’:
There is only one “real deal” place in Monaco that can officially stamp a passport: the Mairie de Monaco or the townhall, which is found in the Place de la Mairie on ‘The Rock’. Its just few metres away from Royal Palace. This can be done free of cost and the waiting time to get the stamp is also very less.
h. Monaco old town (Monaco Ville):
Wander through the old town and enjoy the streets / sights. This is one of the busiest parts of the Principality. The Old Town is also where most eateries are located. Officially the Old Town is called Monaco City and is situated on top of a 70-metre-high hill surrounded by water in three directions.
You can also get some Souvenirs like the Fridge magnets and so on (Ex: 4 Euros for a decent fridge magnet) from the Monaco old town area.
i. Oceanographique Museum:
The Oceanographique Museum of Monaco is located on the Monaco Rock, just behind Monaco’s Old Town. This complex has a museum and an aquarium. The building itself is very impressive overlooking the sea and surrounded by beautiful gardens. Single ticket gives you option to visit both Museum and Aquarium. The Museum is renowned throughout the world for its expertise and has more than 6,000 specimens on display. As mentioned earlier, in case if you plan to visit both ‘Aquarium’ and ‘Private Car Collection’, please ensure that you buy a ‘Combo’ ticket. It might help you to save some Euros.
If you are not a museum lover and intend to visit only the aquarium, I would not recommend this attraction. The Aquarium is relatively smaller and the ticket price is not justifiable if you plan to cover aquarium only.
Note: We were running short of time and hence had to skip the Museum.
You can find more details here: https://musee.oceano.org/en/
NOTE: Monaco Tours operates a little train for the city guided tour. You will find their office just outside the aquarium. Peronally, I did not try this train tour and hence cannot comment much about their service.
j. Metropole Shopping Centre:
This high-end Metropole Shopping Centre is near to the Casino. It has a luxurious interior with its glittering chandeliers and designer stores.
After exploring all the above places, we went to the Monaco Monte Carlo train station and took a train back to Nice Ville (around 25 minutes journey and approximately 4 Euros ticket). There are ticket vending machines available inside the station.
NOTE: We spend aorund 7 hours to cover the above places.
Points to note:
- I had tough time with Mobile data services within Monaco. Mine was a Vodafone Irish network connection but not sure if it’s a common problem that others also face.
- I have seen many people mentioning that we can easily cover Monaco by foot as the place is relatively smaller. In my experience it is not that easy: Ex: walking to the old town from Port Hercule on a hot summer day is going to really test your fitness levels (not sure if I missed some elevators). My personal suggestion is get to a ‘Full Day pass (at accost of 5.5 Euros)’ or something similar if you plan to cover more attractions in the limited time. This website has more details: https://www.cam.mc/en/tarifs. The official website says that you can directly get the full day pass from the bus driver itself. I had tried this option 2 options but unfortunately on both occasions, drivers did not understand what I was asking for. So I had to swipe my bank card (2 Euros) even for a shorter distance.
- Monaco Grand Prix happens yearly at the end of May. It’s the busiest time in Monaco, with lots of parties and attractions.
- Monaco is not only a country in its own right, but also a city-state, meaning that the entirety of the autonomous state also lies within the city limits. Monaco is technically a principality, meaning that the head of State is a Prince.
- Official language of Monaco is French.
- Monte Carlo is not the capital of Monaco but a government district. The country is divided into four areas: Monaco-Ville (the old city), the Condamine (port quarter), Monte-Carlo (business and recreation), and Fontvieille (recreation and light industry).
Other places and options:
- The Cathedral of Monaco
- Monaco Grand Prix (One of the most prestigious car races in the world)
- Walk around the port of Fontvieille
- Jardin Exotique (https://www.jardin-exotique.mc/) (Eze Village)
- Japanese Garden
- La Mala Beach
- Helicopter Ride
- Princess Grace Rose Garden
- Larvotto Beach
- Opera de Monte Carlo
- Old Monaco Museum
- Fort Antoine / Princess Antoinette Park
- Condamine market
- Naval Museum
- Museum of stamps and coins
Summary:
One day is good enough to cover the important spots in Monaco and to experience the richness of this place. You can plan this trip by yourself and wont need help from any guided tour / tour companies.
Despite the flash and luxury of this tiny country, Monaco is an affordable place to visit for a day and an easy trip that can be managed from most places in the French Riviera.
