Travel to Monaco

Flying to Monaco

There is no airport in Monaco. The nearest airport is Nice (NCE) (Nice-Cote d'Azur) (www.nice.aeroport.fr), 22km (14 miles) from Monaco. There is a direct bus service from Nice Airport to Monaco (journey time - 45 minutes). A helicopter service run by Héli-Air Monaco (YO) (www.heliairmonaco.com) links Monaco with the airport (journey time - 7 minutes).

Airlines operating direct flights to Nice from the UK include British Airways (www.ba.com), easyJet (www.easyjet.com) and Norwegian (www.norwegian.com). Delta (www.delta.com) offers direct flights from the USA.

Flight times

To Nice: from London - 2 hours; New York - 8 hours 10 minutes.

Departure tax

None.

Travelling to Monaco by Rail

An extensive train service, including daily and overnight through-trains, runs through the principality to all neighbouring towns. The TGV Méditerranée line runs between Paris and Monaco (journey time - 6 hours). High-speed trains on this route run through the beautiful Burgundy and Provencal countryside. Direct trains also run to Genoa and Milan in Italy.

French rail operator SNCF (tel: 3635, in France only or +33 892 353 535, in France; www.sncf.com) runs most trains to Monaco. Trenitalia (tel: +39 6 6847 5475, in Italy; www.trenitalia.com) runs trains from Italy.

Rail passes

InterRail: offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 29 European countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The Global Pass allows travel for 15 days, 22 days, one month, five days in 10 days or 10 days in 22 days across all countries. The One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month in any of the countries except Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro.

Travel is not allowed in the passenger's country of residence. Reductions are available for travellers under 26. Children under 12 are free when travelling with an adult using an Adult Pass. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Voyages-sncf.com (tel: +44 844 848 5848, in the UK; www.voyages-sncf.com).

Eurailpass: offers unlimited train travel in up to 28 European countries. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, one month, two months, three months, five days in 10 days, 10 days in two months or 15 days in two months. The Global Pass allows travel across all participating countries. The Select Pass is valid in four bordering countries. The Regional Pass lets you travel in two bordering countries. The One Country Pass offers travel in one of 27 countries.

Adult passes are valid for first-class travel, while youth passes (under 26) are valid for second-class travel. Children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult using an Adult Pass. The passes cannot be sold to EU citizens or residents. Available from Eurail (www.eurail.com).

Driving to Monaco

Getting to Monaco by boat

The main harbours are at Condamine (Hercule port) and Fontvieille, which are equipped to handle yachts of all tonnages.

Cruise ships

Intercontinental liners are able to anchor in the bay of Monaco.