Visiting Monaco by vehicle

If you can spend no more than half a day visiting Monaco, it’s worth taking a car or bus and this free guide. Below, I suggest where to park and how to get to see all the most interesting things. 2 to 3 hours will be enough!

Visiting Monaco by car or public transport will certainly not allow you to fully feel the unique atmosphere of the principality. However, it will give you the chance to visit some of its most interesting attractions in a short time without tiring walks during the hot summer.

Visiting Monaco & Monte Carlo by car

Once you reach Monaco by car from Nice (or any other city on the Côte d’Azur), you should go straight to the Monte Carlo Casino. The road to this district is well marked throughout the whole principality. Right in front of the casino there is a large park with tall trees that has a multi-storey car park under it. Leaving a car there is not as expensive as the area might suggest.

The first hour is free, and then it is about €2 for the next hour. When leaving the parking lot, you will immediately find yourself in the square in front of the casino. It is worth arriving in the morning, when the atrium is free and the gaming rooms can be visited from 10AM to 1PM (€20); dress neatly, as there is a dress code. Details can be found in the article about Monte Carlo Casino.

After leaving the casino, which takes about 30 minutes to explore, it’s worth taking a look around the neighborhood. On the one hand, there is the beautiful Hotel de Paris, and on the other, the Café de Paris. The prices in the hotel are of course high, and unfortunately in the café also (a large beer is about €16, a sandwich is similar). There are many more attractions nearby, and all of them are described in the article about Monte Carlo.

After visiting the most famous district in the principality, it is time to go to the other side of the Port of Hercules – to the Rock of Monaco and the Old Town. It is best to go to the parking lot, des Pecheurs, which is appropriately sign-posted. You can park your family car there as do the big tour bus. There are also toilets, and there are elevators and escalators leading up to the top (parking is partly in the rock).

This time we start the tour in front of Monaco’s Oceanographic Museum. You can visit it or go straight to the Old Town. It is worth “getting lost” in the narrow streets so as to get a feel for its climate. It is not as unusual as the medieval towns on the French side of the border (some say it resembles a movie set), but it also has its own charm.

At the end, there are two more obligatory points on the square in front of the Prince’s Palace. These are the view of Monaco and the port, and the view of Fontvieille and its port. The views are on opposite sides of the hill from each other. Now you can eat something delicious in one of the many restaurants nearby or go back to the car and go on further exploration, for example, to Menton or Eze. There is still half a day to be used on the French Riviera!

Visiting Monaco by public transport

If you want to visit Monaco by public transport, two lines are crucial: numbers 1 and 2. Both connect the Old Town with the Monte Carlo district, which makes it easier to move from one hill to the other through the port. In the summer it can be very useful if you do not have enough strength to walk in the heat. Their routes are quite similar, so it does not matter which line you choose. You just have to buy a ticket.

Bus tickets in Monaco are bought in vending machines that stand at many stops. You can pay by card or cash. A single journey costs €1.50 in the Monapass app or when you simply hold a contactless bank card to the validator (at most €5.50 a day), and €2 from the driver. You can change buses within 30 minutes of validating.

The small electric Bateau Bus across Port Hercules costs the same, €1.50 in the app or by contactless card; no tickets are sold on board. Additional information is available on the carrier’s website: cam.mc. With a whole day and no car, follow my plan for one day in Monaco on foot.