Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
to the end of my self-guided walk. (It's a five-minute walk through town to Palace Square
and the start of the walk.) To ride
bus #1 or #2
up to Monaco-Ville, first walk to the bus
stop near Place d'Armes (described earlier). As you exit the elevator into Place d'Armes,
turn left and cross the street, then continue up to the second, uphill street (which leads up
to the hilltop). Cross this second street and bear right to find the bus stop.
The ritzy skyscraper zone of
Monte Carlo
is basically across the harbor from the
tenderdock(casinoopensforgamblingat14:00).Youcanwalktothecasinoareainabout
25 minutes—just go all the way around the harbor. To shave some time off the hike, ride
the little “bateau bus” shuttle boat across the mouth of the harbor (to find the dock from
your tender, walk toward town, then go right along the pier extending into the harbor; €2,
€5/day pass, 3/hour). To reach the upper part of Monte Carlo—with the TI, views down
overthecasinogardens,andhandybusstops(includingtheoneforEze-le-Village)—catch
bus #1 or #2 at the top of the yacht harbor, along Boulevard Albert 1er.
Getting to Sights Beyond Monaco:
Monaco is connected to most nearby sights by
both train and bus. Monaco's
train station
is about a 20-minute walk from the tender har-
bor. From Place d'Armes (described earlier), head up to the far end, cross the busy Rue
Grimaldi, and take the narrow, angled, red-asphalt lane (Rue de la Turbie) in the middle of
theblockacrossthestreet.Goupthestairs(orridetheelevator)intothelittleplaza,where
you'll see a small TI kiosk (open only in peak season). Turn left, walk up more stairs, and
enter the train station (the big, pink building on your right; the easy-to-miss entrance is at
the far end—look for
Acces Gare
signs).
The stop for
bus #100
—which conveniently connects Monaco along the Lower
Corniche to Villefranche-sur-Mer, Nice, and more—is near Place d'Armes. From Place
d'Armes,headuptothefarend,alongRueGrimaldi.Thebusstopisacrosstheroundabout
on the left, on the right-hand side of the street (to get there, cross the street two times in
either direction). To ride
bus #112
along the scenic Upper Corniche to Eze-le-Village (6/
day Mon-Sat, none on Sun, 20 minutes), first ride bus #1 or #2 to the TI and casino (ex-
If you wish the Riviera were less glitzy and more like a place where humble locals take
their families to lick ice cream and make sand castles, visit Menton (15 minutes by bus
beyond Monaco). Menton feels like a poor man's Nice. It's unrefined and unpretentious,
with lower prices, fewer rentable umbrellas, and lots of Italians day-tripping in from just
over the border (five miles away). There's not an American in sight.
