Monaco Day Trip From Nice: Everything You Need to Know!
Here is everything you will need to know about taking a Monaco day trip from Nice! Monaco is actually its own country, or a sovereign-state, located in the French Riviera. So, if you are headed to the South of France, you can actually add one more country to your list by visiting Monaco!
Monaco is known for its famous Monte-Carlo Casino and high-end super yachts, but it is more than just these two things. It truly is beautiful with its clear, blue waters, mountainous terrain and aesthetic architecture towering above the harbor below.
Its hard to believe you can just hop over to another country for a quick day trip, but you definitely can here! AND, you can see a LOT of Monaco in one day!
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Why Add a Monaco Day Trip from Nice to your Itinerary?
Monaco gets the wrap for being boujee and high-end, which can be a turn off for some people. But can’t we say the same for other parts of the South of France?
Despite its “glamorous” reputation, Monaco is beautiful and not just because of the yachts sitting there. The small country consists of harbors along the coastline and then quickly gains elevation up the mountain towering behind.
This gives a beautiful, stacked look of uniform architecture and it really is pretty! Plus, it is super cool to see the streets of the Formula 1 racing!
How to Get from Nice to Monaco
You can take a straight-shot train ride from Nice to Monaco in about 30 minutes! This is one reason people opt to take day trips from Nice to Monaco; it is quick and easy to get to.
You will travel from the Nice-Ville Station to the Monaco-Monte-Carlo Station, which costs about 6-8 euros.
Keep your eyes peeled if you exit at Gare de Monaco; the views from up near this train station exit are some of the most unique views in Monaco!
Book a train from Nice to Monaco!
How to Get Around Monaco
Monaco is a very walkable country (crazy, right?!), but know that it is also a very HILLY country. Therefore, if you opt to explore Monaco on foot, lace up your COMFY shoes and get ready to climb!
- You can walk from one end of Monaco to the other in around an hour (without stopping), so it really IS walkable. You will just get your STEPS IN.
If you aren’t up for walking up and down hills all day, you can also get around via a sight-seeing train called La Petit Train de Monaco (you will see them driving around)
- The tour lasts about 30 minutes
- Tickets can be purchased at the Monaco Tours office across from the Oceanographic museum (also where the tour starts)
Or you can do a hop on-hop off bus tour, where the bus will stop at major attractions throughout Monaco and you can stop and explore at your own pace.
What to do on Your Monaco Day Trip from Nice: A Self-Guided Walking Tour
A day trip itinerary! If you are up for the walk, here is a great way to see the highlights of Monaco in one day! I recommend starting on the west side of Monaco first to see what is considered “Monaco City.” This is the old town, historic district sitting on a rather high elevation compared to the rest of Monaco. Here you will find the Prince’s Palace of Monaco, a beautiful cathedral, great views from above and more.
From here you will explore the main harbor portion of Monaco before heading to see the famous Monte Carlo and eastern side of Monaco.
Keep reading for details!
Morning: Monaco City and the Harbor
Again, I recommend starting your day on the west side of Monaco and working your way east before heading back to Nice!
From the Monaco Train station (after taking in the views here!) head toward Monaco City on the west side of Monaco!
- This walk will be about 25 minutes
Monaco City
Begin at the Prince’s Palace of Monaco (Palais Princier de Monaco). If changing of the guard is your thing, it takes place around 11:55 am, so you may have to adjust your schedule a little to fit everything in. (I.E. take this mornings itinerary and work backwards probably).
Before leaving the Prince’s Palace area, head to the “Palace terrace” or Terrasse du Palais, to get a great view of the harbor from below!
From here, take a stroll through the streets of Monaco City to the Monaco Cathedral (Cathédrale de Monaco)! It is beautiful on the inside and out and worth seeing. The Palais de Justice (courthouse) is also right beside it, which has really cute and unique architecture!
Just across from the cathedral is an incredible viewpoint overlooking the Port de Fontvieille. (literally Point de vue Port de Fontvieille 🙃), located right off of Avenue Saint-Martin.
After getting your view feels, take a stroll down Avenue Saint-Martin. Your coastline views will continue and you will pass by a beautiful garden as well as The Oceanographic Museum.
P.S. You will also pass by two public, FREE restrooms on this stroll!!
Continue down Avenue Saint-Martin until you get to the “frame” photo spot. Whether you take a photo at the frame or not, the views from this end of the peninsula are beautiful!
Your last must-see spot in this area is the Panoramic view of Monaco (I know, another viewpoint??). However, this will probably be your most unobstructed view of the harbor below, the architecture on the hillside, and you get a cliffside view of the Prince’s Palace!
Monaco Hercule Harbor
From the panoramic viewpoint you can take a trail that leads straight to the Monaco Hercule Harbor. Here you will find some of the worlds nicest yachts and super yachts docked in beautiful blue waters.
You can stroll pass the Monaco Yacht Club and then make your way to the Jetée Lucciana where you can find Sassona Norton Et Purus 1 sculpture and a more south-to-north view of Monaco.
Afternoon: Monte Carlo and The East Side of Monaco
After you get your fill of the yachts and the harbor views, make your way to the Monte Carlo Casino!
- The walk is about 15 minutes. It is kind of confusing when trying to use the GPS due to going underground, etc, so just follow the signs that say Monte Carlo and/or the people that are likely headed that way as well
- In this area you will find high-end shopping, the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo and Café de Paris.
Once you get your fancy feels, walk to the Fairmont Monte-Carlo to see the famous Formula 1 Fairmont hairpin turn!
Complete your grand Monaco tour by ending your day at Plage de Larvotto (Larvottto Beach). The beach is nice and there are several beachside bars and restaurants where you can enjoy happy hour and/or dinner before heading back to Nice!
- The walk from the hairpin turn to Plage de Larvotto is about 12 minutes
- However, be aware that you will be ending on the east side of Monaco, so the walk back to the Monte Carlo train station will be about 28 minutes.
- If you don’t want to walk all of this at once you can either 1) choose to have dinner a little closer to the center of Monaco after exploring the beach or 2) taxi to the train station
Want a full list of things to do in Monaco? Click here for free things to do, tours, places to see, etc organized by the 4 districts of Monaco!
Afternoon Alternative
Monte Carlo is a must-see, but if you are a big Formula One fan then you can opt to do a Formula 1 Walking Tour instead of heading to Larvotto Beach.
- This highly rated guided tour takes you along the Monaco Grand Prix track, a 3.3 km (or about 2 mile) walk and gives you a lot of history about the race and the track.
Formula 1 Walking Tour
-Time: Either 10:30 am or 2:00 pm depending on the day (you’ll have to adjust your schedule accordingly)
-Length: 2 hours and 15 minutes
-Price: $53 per person
-4.9 star rating of 730 reviews on Viator
Cost of a Monaco Day Trip from Nice
Honestly, if you don’t go crazy at the high-end shopping stores you can take a day trip from Nice to Monaco for a pretty affordable price!
- Train tickets, as I mentioned, are less than 20 euros round-trip
- We bought sandwiches (6.50 euros) and chips (2.93 euro for a big bag) for a little picnic for lunch and prices were the same as everywhere else we had been in the South of France (we expected them to be higher!)
- Food and drinks at restaurants were no more than what we found in Nice (50ish euros for 2 for dinner at a nice Italian restaurant called Norma)
- There is a lot of free sightseeing to do here, so unless you opt to do a guided tour you shouldn’t spend much on activities
Total throughout the day, we spent around 80 euros per person on train tickets, lunch, drinks at happy hour, a nice dinner and ice cream 🙂
And, little secret😬. We had originally planned to do a day trip from Nice to Monaco, but we found a hotel in Monaco for 145 euros a night in September! So, we opted to stay one night in Monaco so we could have plenty of time to explore and be able to take in the lights of Monaco at night.
An Affordable Hotel in Monaco!
We stayed at Hôtel de France and paid $145 for a night in September 2024. The location was GREAT, the room was clean and it was great for us!
How Much Time Do you Need for A Day Trip
You are trying to see a WHOLE COUNTRY in one day! 🤪
But really, if you want to be able to see the most of what Monaco has to offer, you really need to make it a WHOLE day trip.
I recommend leaving Nice by no later than 9am-ish so you can be exploring the west side of Monaco by about 10-10:30am-ish.
- If you get to Monaco by 10am you can explore Monaco City, the main harbor, Monte-Carlo and the surrounding area, the beaches on the west side of Monaco, have wiggle room to explore whatever you find and have dinner in Monaco by 6 or 7pm (if you wish)!
Monaco Day Trip From Nice Final Thoughts
A day trip to Monaco from Nice is worth adding to your South of France itinerary (or even staying for one night!) Either way, you can spend a day in Monaco and see a lot of what it has to offer! We really enjoyed seeing the beautiful buildings, the Monte Carlo Casino and seeing how crazy the Formula 1 track really is!
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