Arriving — Monaco has rail, bus, highway—and helicopter—connections from other coastal cities, particularly Nice. There are no border formalities when entering Monaco from France.
The 19km (12 miles) drive from Nice takes around 30 minutes and runs along the N7 Moyenne Corniche. The pretty D6098 coast road takes a little longer.
Lignes d’Azur (www.lignesdazur.com; tel. 08-10-06-10-06) runs a bus service at 15-minute intervals aboard line no. 100 from Nice to Monte Carlo. One-way bus transit from Nice costs 1.70€.
Trains arrive every 30 minutes from Cannes, Nice, Menton, and Antibes (www.sncf-connect.com; tel. 36-35. Monaco’s underground railway station (gare) is on place St. Devote. A system of pedestrian tunnels, escalators, and elevators riddle the Principality, and such an underground walkway links the train station to Monte Carlo.
The scheduled chopper service to Nice Airport costs 195€ via Heli Air Monaco (www.heliairmonaco.com; tel. 92-05-00-50). By bus it’s just 19.40€ (www.niceairportxpress.com; tel. 04-97-00-07-00).
Visitor Information — The Direction du Tourisme et des Congrés tourist office is at 2A bd. des Moulins (www.visitmonaco.com; tel. 92-16-61-16).
City Layout — The second-smallest state in Europe (Vatican City is the tiniest), Monaco consists of four parts. The Old Town, Monaco-Ville, on a rocky promontory 60m (197 ft.) high. It’s the seat of the Prince’s Palace and the government building, as well as the Oceanographic Museum. To the west, La Condamine is at the foot of the Old Town, forming its ritzy harbor and port sector. This area also has an open-air daily market. Up from the port (Monaco is seriously steep) is Monte Carlo, the playground of royalty and celebrity, and the setting for the casino, the Tourist Office, and various luxurious hotels. The fourth part, Fontvieille, is a neat industrial suburb housing the Monaco Football club.
Getting Around
By Foot — Aside from two very steep hills, the world’s second-smallest country is pedestrian-friendly. Hardy local Jean-Marc Ferrie at Monaco Rando (www.monaco-rando.com; tel. 06-30-12-57-03) organizes guided hikes around his hometown from 12€ per person with an interpreter in-tow.
By Taxi -- Taxis wait outside Monaco train station, or call tel. 08-20-20-98-98. Expect to pay 20€ for a journey within Monaco. Brace yourself: Uber, Bolt and Lyft don't work here.
By Public Transport — CAM (www.cam.mc; tel. 97-70-22-22) runs buses inside the Principality. Lines nos. 1 and 2 link Monaco-Ville with the casino area. CAM’s solar-powered shuttle boat hops between the banks of Monaco’s port every 20 minutes. The ride is great for kids and connects the casino area with foot of Monaco-Ville. All CAM tickets cost 2€.
By Electric Bike—MonaBike (www.monabike.mc) lets guests unlock 350 electric bikes from 35 docking stations around the city-state. Pay 1€ per ride or 3€ for a 24-hour stint.
By Open-Top Bus — Monaco–Le Grand Tour (www.monacolegrandtour.com; tel. 97-70-26-36) open-top minibuses allows visitors to hop-on and hop-off at the Principality’s 12 main sights. Day passes cost 23€ adults; 8€ children between 4 and 11; free children 3 and under.
By Electric Car — It may be the land of the gas-guzzling Grand Prix, but Monaco is a global pioneer in green technology and is justly proud of its eco-credentials. Join the club with Mobee (www.mobee.mc), Monaco’s sexy car-sharing service based around the Renault Twizy, a super-tiny electric car. Prices are 20€ per hour or 40€ for 4 hr.—enough time to whiz to some secret beaches and all the Monaco sights. These electric cars enjoy complimentary parking in 14 public spaces across Monaco, with distribution points highlighted on an app.
By Luxury Car — Of course, nothing shouts Monaco more than a rented Ferrari California (1,100€ per day) or a Lamborghini Huracan (1,600€ per day). Reserve your ride with Elite Rentacar (www.eliterent.com; tel. 97-77-17-37).
Special Events — Two of the most-watched car-racing events in the world take place here in January (Le Rallye) and May (the Grand Prix); see www.acm.mc and www.formula1monaco.com. The Monte-Carlo Masters ATP tennis tournament (www.monte-carlorolexmasters.com) takes place in April. The Monte-Carlo International Fireworks Festival lasts all summer long. The skies above the harbor are lit up several times a week as millions of euros go up in smoke, courtesy of those who can assuredly afford it.
From June to the first week of September, the Monaco Open Air Cinema (www.cinemas2monaco.com) occupies an alfresco amphitheater below the Rock of Monaco and screens nightly blockbusters in English with French subtitles. Films begin at 10pm in June and July and at 9:30pm in August and September, though you may want to come earlier to grab a good seat.
ATMs/Banks — Among many others, there are several banks along boulevard Albert 1er behind the Port of Monaco.
Mail & Postage — La Poste, pl. de la Mairie in Monte-Carlo (tel. 36-31).
Pharmacies — Pharmacie Internationale, 22 rue Grimaldi (tel. 04-93-50-35-99).
Phone calls — To call Monaco from within France, dial 00 (the access code for all international long-distance calls from France); followed by the country code, 377; and then the eight-digit local phone number. (Don’t dial 33; that’s the country code for France.)
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
