Monaco during Grand Prix weekend is a 2km principality with 200,000 visitors. If you are not on the grandstand or a yacht every minute of four days, the smart play is to leave town. The Riviera between Menton and Cannes hides a dozen better days than another lap of Casino Square. Here are the 12 things to do at Monaco GP weekend that locals actually pick, with train times and honest prices.
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The 12 things to do at Monaco GP weekend
1 Walk Eze village and the Friedrich Nietzsche path
The medieval village clings to a cliff 400m above the sea. The cobbled walk to the Exotic Garden takes 20 minutes and the view from the top is one of the most photographed on the Riviera. Cocktail or lunch at Chateau de la Chevre d’Or if you want to stretch it. 15 minutes from Monaco by train, then a 20-minute shuttle bus uphill from Eze-sur-Mer station.
Free to walk, Exotic Garden around €82 Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat coastal walk
The Pointe Saint-Hospice loop is one of the cleanest 2-hour walks in France. Pine, rock, and a sea so clear it does not look real. End at Plage de Paloma Beach for lunch (around €60 to €90 per person) or at Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild for the formal gardens (€18).
Walk free, lunch €60 to €90 pp3 Villefranche-sur-Mer old town and harbour
The closest postcard. Five minutes by train from Monaco, then you are inside a fishing village painted yellow and ochre. The Chapelle Saint-Pierre is decorated by Jean Cocteau. The harbour beach is small and useable. Lunch on the quay or a coffee at Cafe du Pirate.
Mostly free, lunch €30 to €50 pp4 Larvotto beach and Japanese Garden (in Monaco)
If you do not want to leave the principality, Larvotto is the public beach on the east side. The renovated promenade is open year-round. A 10-minute walk west, the Japanese Garden is free and gives shade. Useful before evening clubs on Avenue Princesse Grace.
Gratuito5 Boat day-trip from Villefranche or Cap d’Ail
The smart move if you want sea without GP weekend yacht-party prices. Skipper-driven half-day charters from Villefranche, Cap d’Ail or Beaulieu run from around €450 to €700 for the boat (up to 6 to 10 people), not per person. Swim at Plage Mala, anchor off Cap-Ferrat. See our guide to renting a boat in Monaco.
€450 to €700 for the boat (split among group)6 Antibes old town and Picasso Museum
The old town is a square mile of yellow ramparts, a daily market on Cours Massena, and one of the best Picasso collections in Europe at the Chateau Grimaldi. Lunch in the market or seafood at Le Brulot. 1h train from Monaco, but worth it.
Museum €8, market and walk free7 Cannes Croisette and Iles de Lerins
If you have a Sunday morning before the race (or, better, a Monday after), Cannes is 1h by train. Walk the Croisette, then a 15-minute ferry to Sainte-Marguerite island for forest, beach and the Man in the Iron Mask fortress. Round-trip ferry around €18.
Ferry €18, lunch €30 to €50 pp8 Saint-Paul-de-Vence and Fondation Maeght
The most famous hilltop village in France, plus one of the great modern art museums. Calder and Giacometti in a Mediterranean garden. La Colombe d’Or is the legendary lunch (Picasso, Chagall, Matisse paid in paintings). 1h drive or bus from Nice, less straightforward from Monaco without a car.
Fondation Maeght €19, lunch from €509 Menton and the Cocteau Museum
East of Monaco. Italian-coloured houses, lemon trees, a long pebble beach and the Bastion museum that Jean Cocteau redesigned himself. Quieter than Nice and prettier than Cannes for a slow lunch. 12 minutes from Monaco by train.
Museum €10, beach free10 Oceanographic Museum of Monaco
The Albert I building, the aquarium, the shark tank and the rooftop terrace over the harbour. The smart choice with kids in Monaco. Tickets are around €19 adult, €13 child. Combine with a walk on Le Rocher and the Prince’s Palace square.
Around €19 adult, €13 child11 Plage Mala swim (below Cap d’Ail)
The hidden beach Niceois know. A 10-minute steep staircase below Cap d’Ail station gets you to a tiny cove with the clearest water within 10km of Monaco. Two restaurants, day beds in summer. Closes at sunset.
Free beach, day bed approximately €30 to €5012 Watch the race from a chartered boat (no grandstand needed)
If you do not have a yacht-party ticket but want to see the race from sea, a skipper-driven charter can anchor outside the harbour exclusion zone. You do not see the cars, but you hear them and you watch the broadcast on board. From around €700 for a half-day with 4 to 6 people. See our Guida al noleggio barche a Monaco.
From around €700 for the boatWant a private boat day during GP weekend?
Skip the shared yacht party. For 4 to 10 people we can connect you with vetted skippers in Cap d’Ail, Villefranche and Cannes. Half-day charter from around €450, race-day boats book out fastest.
Request a private boat quoteLogistics from Monaco
| Destinazione | Train time | Ideale per |
|---|---|---|
| Eze-sur-Mer | 15 min + bus | Couples, photo, sunset cocktail |
| Villefranche-sur-Mer | 10 min | Old town, harbour swim, lunch |
| Beaulieu / Cap-Ferrat | 25 minuti | Coastal walk, Paloma lunch |
| Mentone | 12 min east | Lemon coast, Cocteau, quieter |
| Cap d'Ail | 5 min | Plage Mala swim |
| Nice-Ville | 25 minuti | Promenade des Anglais, Old Town, restaurants |
| Antibes | 60 min | Picasso Museum, market, ramparts |
| Cannes | 75 min | Croisette, Iles de Lerins ferry |
| Saint-Paul-de-Vence | 1h via Nice + bus | Hilltop village, Fondation Maeght |
Train tickets from Monaco Monte-Carlo cost €2 to €8 depending on the destination. During GP weekend, trains run roughly every 20 minutes and stay open until around midnight. Sunday afternoon return trains east-bound are packed: leave by 4pm or after 9pm.
Day-trip map
FAQ
What is there to do during Monaco Grand Prix weekend besides watch the race?
Can you watch the Grand Prix without buying a grandstand ticket?
Are the beaches near Monaco open during GP weekend?
Is it worth doing day trips during the Grand Prix?
How do you get from Monaco to other Riviera towns during GP weekend?
More Monaco GP and Riviera guides
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- Noleggia una barca a Monaco con skipper: the smart alternative to shared yacht parties.
- I migliori tour in barca a Nizza: shared and private options compared.
- I migliori punti panoramici per ammirare il tramonto a Nizza: where to end the day before the race.
Tommaso
Sono Thomas, fondatore di Nice Party Life. Condividiamo i migliori consigli, dalle gemme nascoste alle cose da vedere assolutamente, per rendere il tuo soggiorno a Nizza indimenticabile. Che tu stia cercando la vita notturna o avventure in città, siamo qui per guidarti! 🌴✨
