Monaco sightseeing – main attractions in the old town of Monaco: Prince’s Palace, visit Oceanographic Museum of Jacques Yves Cousteau or the Exotic Gardens.
La Principauté de Monaco is located in the South Western part of Europe at the seacoast of the Mediterranean sea and is surrounded by the territory of France.
Monaco is a constitutional monarchy ruled by Prince Albert II. There are only 35 444 citizens in Monaco, who live on the territory of 1,95 km2.
In total Monaco counts 3 districts, which were merged: Old city of Monaco, Monte-Carlo (casino district) and La Condamine – the territory near the port.
French is the official language here.
Why visiting Monaco is a great idea
Did you know, that after Vatican Monaco is the second smallest state in the world. Despite this fact this is an amazing place to visit – a dream place of luxury and special atmosphere.
Monaco Grand Prix car racing for high-speed fans
Monaco is world known for car races arranged every year in spring. Monaco Grand Prix racing is one of the most prestigious in the world. Best tickets for Grand Prix are usually sold quickly and much in advance. Prices vary, depending on place, view and day of the week.
The roads of Monaco are narrow with sharp corners, which makes this track one of the hardest in the world. The races are arranged in Monaco since 1929.
Grand Prix racing in Monaco
Places to visit during Monaco sightseeing tours
Some tourists travel to Monaco in the attempt to get rich within a day. Monte Carlo Casino is a visiting card in Monaco sightseeing tours. This is one of the main attractions, and it is open for tourists.
Most of the guides to Monaco have a photo of Monte Carlo Casino on the first pages.
Monte Carlo Casino is world known not only due to its long history records but also because this is a popular spot for many movies.
Monte Carlo Casino was built in 1910, but still has not lost its charm and beauty and remains same attractive for lots of gamblers as it was a hundred years ago.
If you have several extra pounds ready to spend in Casino you should take care of your dress code, since this is a requirement of the Casino. Also, to enter Monte Carlo Casino you must be 18 years old and have ID with you to prove your age.
Entrance fee to Monte Carlo Casino is 10 euro and even if you would not want to play you can simply buy the entrance ticket and take a self guided excursion inside the casino.
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Monaco sightseeing best spots: Monaco Harbor
In Monaco Harbor tourists will see luxury yachts and boats, docked in the port. There are several restaurants and cafes for relaxing break to enjoy the sea view. The port can accommodate up to 500 vessels. Entrance to the port is free.
Monaco port was erected from 1901 through 1926. Nowadays Port de la Condamine is used for docking beautiful private yachts. Monaco also has a prestigious Yacht Club, counting about 1600 members. Monaco Yacht Club members are from 66 different countries.
All of the members of Monaco Yacht Club own expensive prestigious yachts. The Yacht Club was founded in 1953 by Prince Sovereign Albert II. Monaco port is a nice place for a walk and a cup of coffee or dinner in one of the local restaurants.
Monaco Ville – La Rocher old town of Monaco
The history of Monaco Ville starts in 6th century BC. The founders of Monaco are the family of Grimaldis, who turned the fortress into their main location. The old town of Monaco is built on rocks, viewing Mediterranean Sea. Almost all of the streets of Monaco are for pedestrians. Note, that only local citizens can enter the territory of Monaco by car. Tourist buses usually stop nearby.
The Prince’s Palace in Monaco
The Prince’s Palace is the official residence of Grimaldi family. Tourists can visit the Palace from June to October.
Famous change of the guards ceremony takes place daily at 11:55 am. If you want to see it better – plan to come 15-20 minutes earlier since there are always a lot of people waiting for this happening.
One of the most magnificent places to see in Monaco is the Botanical garden, one of the top destinations visited by tourists. Unique collection of cactuses and succulents is widely presented in Monaco Botanical garden. The plants growing in this beautiful garden have been delivered from different parts of the world. The territory of the garden is 1 hectare.
Japanese garden – Monaco sightseeing best locations
Japanese garden in Monaco is located Princess Grace Avenue, close to the beach.
Address of Japanese garden in Monaco:
5 Av. Princesse Grace, 98000 Monaco
The author of this stunning landscape design is Yasuo Beppu, known as the winner of the Flower Exhibition in 1990 in Osaka.
It took 17 months for a team of designers to create this amazing rare landscape. All the plants were carefully selected and were planted in particular places. Peculiar location of the plants in the Japanese garden was aimed to create the landscape of 4 seasons.
In order to create this amazing oasis a lot of efforts have been put together. First of a detailed plan was created to assign precise location of each item. The stones, which form the waterfall were brought from Corsica, Auvergne and the Tinée Valley.
Everybody can learn more about the Japanese traditions from the explanatory panels which are installed near each noteworthy feature.
The access to the Japanese garden in Monaco in free, opening hours: 9:00 am to 5.45 pm or 6.45 pm (depends on season)
Opera Theater of Monaco – best architecture sightseeing spots
Opéra de Monte-Carlo, also known as the Salle Garnier, is a very beautiful building. The Opera House, in fact, is a joint construction. Till the end of the XIX century there were no cultural events in Monaco. This is why while creating a project for Monaco Casino a concert hall was planned as a joint construction. This concert hall bears the name of its creator, French Architect Jean-Louis Charles Garnie.
The theater was opened in 1879. During the period of 8 months the building of the theater in Monaco was erected. It can accommodate 524 guests.
The Opera House of Monaco is located in Monte Carlo Casino, at the following address:
Pl. du Casino, 98000 Monaco
Prince of Monaco Car Collection
Visiting Monaco is a great occasion to see a fabulous collection of rare vintage cars of Prince Rainier. About 100 of unique cars from different époques are presented in Monaco Car Museum. Even if you are not a fan of car racing or car history, plan some time to visit The Cars Collection of H.S.H. the Prince of Monaco and enjoy beautiful vintage cars.
Places for staying near Monaco
Monaco hotels are great for staying for holidays but might be a bit expensive for tourists. The best options for budget travelers are booking hotels or apartments in Nice or Menton, which are close and convenient to get from to Monaco.
To travel from Nice to Monaco you can take a bus. There is a regular bus route Nice – Monaco, departing every half an hour from the bus stop near Nice port. Whole trip from Nice to Monaco by bus will take about 1 hour, given this is not a high season. In summer and during popular events in French Riviera traffic may be a bit harder and the road from Nice Monaco may take a bit more than 1 hour. But you will be able to enjoy stunning views over Mediterranean sea.
Alternatively, it is possible to travel from Nice to Monaco by train. in this case you will save time for sightseeing Monaco and will be sure that your schedule is not impacted by traffic jams in French Riviera.
We have been visiting France a year ago and, of course went to the South of France. Monaco was in our things to do in French Riviera and we planned 1 day trip there. But it turned out this was not enough to visit all the tourist attractions of Monaco, – Casino, Museum of Jacques Cousteau, walk to the harbor and we came here 2 more times 🙂 We stayed in Nice, and this is BTW very convenient, since you can take a bus to come to Monaco from Nice and enjoy stunning sea views on your way. Wish everyone, who is planning to visit Monaco a great trip!
Thanks for sharing your trip experience, Brielle! It is good to know Monaco is worth visiting, since my husband and I are planning our trip to French Riviera in November and we are just putting together our travel schedule. We are a bit limited in time, so it is good to know where it is worth going in the South of France. Appreciate your comment, thank you again!
Could anybody explain please, why is Monaco also called Monte-Carlo? Or I am mixing things up? Please explain, thanks!!!!
Hello! In fact, Monte-Carlo is a government district and is the most famous district of the Principality of Monaco. Also, Monte-Carlo is 1 of the 9 districts that make up the city state of Monaco, which is divided into 4 main areas: Monte-Carlo, Fontvieille, Condamine and Monte-Carlo.
Monte Carlo is not the capital of Monaco.
Fabulous post, thank you for sharing! Why is Monaco so rich?
Well, the main reason Monaco is rich and wealthy is low tax. Since 1869 personal income tax on local residents was canceled in Monaco. In addition, tax rates for companies and individuals in Monaco are very low.
I have been in Monaco some time and I was very much impressed with this place. For sure, this is the place where you can find the most expensive shops, luxury yachts and more. I would love to visit Monaco Grand Racing. Does anyone know when it is going to be arranged in 2022? Thank a lot in advance.
Hey, Monaco Grand racing is usually arranged in May. If you want to attend this event better to purchase entrance tickets much in advance, because only the most expensive will be left closer to the date of Monaco Grand racing.