Monaco

Journey Times

The following chart gives approximate journey times (in hours and minutes) from Monaco to a selection of other cities in Europe.

* Time by helicopter.

Getting There by Water

The main harbours are at Condamine (Hercule port) and Fontvieille, which are equipped to handle yachts of all tonnages.

Intercontinental liners are able to anchor in the bay of Monaco.

Getting There by Rail

An extensive train service, including daily and overnight through-trains, runs through the principality to all neighbouring towns. The TGV Méditerranée line runs between Paris and Monaco (journey time – 6 hours 5 minutes). High-speed trains on this route run through the beautiful Burgundy and Provencal countryside. For more information, contact Rail Europe (tel: 0844 848 4064, in the UK; website: www.raileurope.co.uk). Trains run to Genoa, Milan and Basel. Night trains are available to Strasbourg, Paris, Toulouse, Irun, Port-Bou, Milan, Venice, Pisa and Rome.

The Regional Express Trains (TER) connect with all the towns on the Riviera. SNCF Métrazur (tel: (8) 3635 3535; website: www.sncf.com) stops at all towns on the Côte d’Azur between Cannes and the Italian frontier at Vintimille, including Monaco.

Rail Passes

Inter-Rail:offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 30 European countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The Global Pass allows travel for 22 days, one month, five days in 10 days or 10 days in 22 days across all countries. The One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month in any of the countries except Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro. Travel is not allowed in the passenger’s country of residence. Travellers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children’s tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Rail Europe (website: www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).

Eurailpass: offers unlimited first-class train travel in 17 European countries. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, one month, two months or three months. The Eurailpass Saver ticket offers discounts for two or more people travelling together. The Eurailpass Youth ticket is available to those aged under 26 and offers unlimited second-class train travel. The Eurailpass Flexi allows either 10 or 15 travel days within a two-month period. The Eurail Selectpass is valid in three, four or five bordering countries and allows five, six, eight or 10 travel days (or 15 for five countries) in a two-month period in one of nine regions (usually two or more countries). Children receive a 50% reduction. The passes cannot be sold to residents of Europe, Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia or the Russian Federation. Available from TheEurail Group (website: www.eurail.com).

Getting There by Road

Cannes and Nice are 50km (31 miles) and 18km (11 miles) west of Monaco. The French/Italian border and Menton are 12km (7 miles) and 9km (6 miles) east of Monaco. No formalities are required to cross the frontier between France and the Principality of Monaco. The European motorway network is 8km (5 miles) away from the city centre linking Monaco with France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Benelux, Austria and the UK. Between Monaco and Nice there are three attractive roads: Highway 98, Basse Corniche; Highway 7, Moyenne Corniche; and the Great Coastal Road, Grande Corniche.

Bus: There are good connections with the surrounding areas, with regular services as outlined. Nice: Seaside route with stops at Cap d’Ail, Eze-sur-Mer, Beaulieu-sur-Mer and Villefranche-sur-Mer. Middle Corniche route with stops at Cap d’Ail, Eze-Village and Col de Villefranche. Menton: Seaside route with stops in Roquebrune and Cap-Martin. Service to Saint Roman/Rocher de Monaco, Jardin Exotique/Rocher de Monaco, Gare SNCF/Larvotto Beach and Rocher de Monaco/Parking Touristique Fontvieille. 

Taxi: Available from Casino Square, Monaco Monte-Carlo Railway Station, avenue Princesse Grace, Fontvieille, Métropole, Place des Moulins and the Post Office of Monte-Carlo. There is a surcharge after 2200. A 15% tip is usual.

Documentation: As for France, a national driving licence will suffice.

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Monaco has a mild climate throughout the year, the hottest months being July and August, and the coolest being January and February. Rain mostly falls during the cooler winter months and there is an average of only 60 days’ rain per year.

Required Clothing

Lightweights are worn, with a warm wrap for cooler summer evenings. Light- to mediumweights are advised for winter.

Hotels

Some of the most luxurious hotels and conference facilities are centred in Monte Carlo, and all are equipped with extensive modern amenities.

Grading: Hotels in Monaco are graded 1- to 4-star deluxe.

Self Catering

Apartments are available to let. For further details, contact the Monaco Government Tourist & Convention Office (see Contact Addresses).

Youth Hostels

There is one youth hostel in Monaco, Hotel le Versailles. It is located close to the railway station and overlooks the bay.

Accommodation Information

Association de l’Industrie Hôtelière Monégasque

Hôtel Tulipin, 9 avenue Prince Pierre, MC 98000, Monaco

Tel: 9205 6491.

Website: www.monte-carlo.mc

Passports

The passport and visa requirements for persons visiting Monaco as tourists are the same as for France. For further details, see the France section. Monaco is not a member of the EU, however, so residency and long-stay requirements differ and are liable to change. For further details, contact any French consulate (or consular section at embassy).

Health Care

Health insurance is recommended. There are high standards of medical care.

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Food and Drink

Restaurants in Monaco offer a wide choice of food. Service and standards are excellent. Cuisine is similar to France.

National specialities:

•Barbagiuan (a type of pastry filled with rice and pumpkin).

• Fougasse (fragrant orange flower water pastries decorated with nuts, almonds and aniseed).

• Socca (chick-pea flour pancakes).

• Stocafi (dried cod cooked in a tomato sauce).

Tipping: Hotel and restaurant bills generally include a 15% service charge; however, where this is not added it is customary to leave a 15% tip.

Nightlife

The world-famous Monte Carlo Casino is a perennial attraction. The building also houses the Casino Cabaret and the Salle Garnier, the delightful gilded Opera House offering a winter season of ballet, opera and music. There are further gambling venues in the Monte Carlo Grand Hotel and the Monte Carlo Sporting Club and the Café de Paris. There are also several nightclubs, cinemas, discos and variety shows.

Shopping

Monégasque products include perfume, chocolates, ceramics, clothing, hosiery, shoes, books, jewellery and embroidery. Handcrafted items are sold at Boutique du Rocher, a charity of the late Princess Grâce de Monaco. Monégasque stamps are highly prized by collectors.

Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0900-1230 and 1500-1830.

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• In Monaco-Ville (the Old Town), hop on the Azur Express Tourist Train, which offers commentaries in French, Italian, German and English.

• Attend the world-famous Monaco Grand Prix Formula One race, which takes place every year in the principality’s narrow winding streets, attracting thousands of spectators. Another favourite is the Historic Grand Prix, which is held every other year.

• Practise all types of watersports, with facilities for waterskiing, parasailing and windsurfing all provided. The Diving Club of Cap d’Ail (outside Monaco) organises diving sessions (tel: (4) 9378 3174). Sailing and yachting are generally popular and the Yacht Club de Monaco offers sailing lessons during July and August, while the harbour also offers extensive facilities.

•Gamble in style at the Grand Casino in Monte Carlo. The casino is located in Monaco’s most famous quartier known as the Golden Circle, where all the most luxurious and fashionable hotels, restaurants and boutiques can also be found (including the famous Hôtel de Paris). The building’s style is distinctively grand and luxurious and the casino is linked to the Salle Garnier Opera House by an impressive atrium lined with 28 Ionic columns made of onyx. The minimum age for entering any of Monte Carlo’s casinos is 21.

• Relax at Monaco’s health spas and beauty centres, the most famous one being the Thermes Marins de Monte Carlo (website: www.montecarlospa.com).

• Take a panoramic flight over the principality and the surrounding area with Heli-Air Monaco (tel: 9205 0050; website: www.heliairmonaco.com). Trips last from 10 to 40 minutes.

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.

• At Monte Carlo’s spiritual heart is Monaco-Ville (old town) where the Place du Palais houses the Prince’s Palace and State Apartments. Built around 1215, the palace’s focal points are the Throne Room and the Main Courtyard with its horse-shaped marble staircase, adorned with millions of geometric patterns. Attend the Changing of the Palace Guard (admission free), which takes place daily, just before noon (1155).

• There are a number of museums of varying degrees of interest located in the Old Town, including the Oceanographic Museum and Aquarium, whose grandiose facade rises spectacularly out of the sea and houses a world-renowned collection of marine fauna and interactive exhibits. Other museums and attractions include the Museum of Napoleonic Souvenirs and Collection of the Palace’s Historic Archives, which exhibits thousands of objects relating to the First Empire (Napoleon I) and provides a colourful history of Monaco; the Wax Museum of the Princes of Monaco, Monaco’s answer to London’s Madame Tussaud’s; and the Monte Carlo Story, a multivision show about Monaco’s history.

• Chill out at the serene and sea-facing Saint-Martin Gardens (also in the Old Town), which inspired the poet Guillaume Apollinaire between 1887 and 1889.

• Alternatively, visit the Japanese Gardens, right next to the sea; the National Museum of Dolls and Clockwork Exhibits of Yesteryear; the Exotic Garden from where excellent views of Monte-Carlo’s harbour and its usual armada of luxury yachts can be enjoyed; the Observatory Caves and Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology (located in Moneghetti); and the Condamine Market, a covered market next to one of Monaco’s best shopping districts (the pedestrianised Rue Princesse Caroline and the Rue Grimaldi).

• In the Fontvieille area, discover more than 180 varieties of rose at the Princess Grace Rose Garden. The Museum of Stamps and Coins features rare philatelic items from the postal history of the Principality. The permanent exhibition of Prince Rainier III’s Private Collection of Classic Cars, with over 100 classic cars, is nearby. The Naval Museum and the Zoological Terraces are also located here.

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.

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