Riviera Day Trips from Monaco by Train

October 20, 2026

The right day trip from Monaco depends on how many hours you have, what day of the week it is and how steep a climb you want. All of the trips below start at Monaco-Monte-Carlo station, which is underground and has four exits, so pick the one nearest your hotel before you set off.

Two or three hours: Menton and Cap d’Ail

Menton is the shortest ride, about 10 to 12 minutes by train. The Musée Le Bastion Jean Cocteau costs EUR 5 (EUR 3.75 reduced), is closed on Tuesdays and is free on the first Sunday of each month. Food shoppers can look for the covered market, the Marché des Halles, on quai de Monléon. If you are planning for 2027, the town’s lemon festival, the Fête du Citron, is listed for 13 to 28 February. The Bastion’s current exhibition is on the regional tourism listing .

Cap d’Ail is just over the border to the west and works as a walk rather than a sightseeing stop. The Sentier du Littoral runs about 3.6 km from Plage Marquet to Plage Mala, and the authorities close it in bad weather. Reach it from Cap d’Ail station or by bus line 100.

A half day: Èze

Èze-sur-Mer is about 7 minutes by train, and from there you choose between legs and wheels. The Nietzsche Path climbs about 2.1 km and 400 m to the village, which the tourist office times at about one hour going up. It is free, open all year and not suited to small children, and boots are advised. Expect it to be closed in bad weather. Without the climb, bus 83 runs from Beaulieu, and buses 82 and 602 run from Nice. The village stands about 429 m above the sea.

Once up, the Jardin Exotique d’Èze charges EUR 10 for adults and EUR 4 for ages 12 to 17 and students, and children under 12 go in free. A guided visit is EUR 15. In November and December the garden closes at 16:30, and last entry is 30 minutes before that, so start the climb early in winter. The garden’s listing has the current hours. The Fragonard factory at 158 avenue de Verdun gives a free tour of about 30 minutes, and the price of its perfume workshop is not published in the sources used here, so ask when you book.

A full day: Nice

Nice is about 20 to 23 minutes from Monaco, with roughly sixty return trains a day. It is a proper city, with more restaurants at lower prices than Monaco, and it is the hub for the Èze buses and the airport. It also makes a cheaper overnight base if you want to cut hotel costs and ride in to Monaco each morning. Train fares are a few euros each way and no official table is published, so check the machine on the day. The station guide lists frequencies and exits.

Friday only: Ventimiglia

The market in this Italian border town fills the seafront every Friday, starting at 07:00. The train takes about 26 minutes. You are leaving France, so carry a passport or ID card. Services back toward Monaco are crowded late on Fridays, so plan the return earlier. See the town’s page for market details.

Not a day trip: Saint-Paul-de-Vence

The hilltop village needs a train to Nice, a second train to Cagnes-sur-Mer and then bus 655, which adds up to about two hours each way. That leaves little time on the ground, so visit it from Nice rather than from Monaco.

Trains and belongings

Thefts are reported on trains to and from Monaco, so keep bags closed and in sight, especially with luggage on a busy evening service. Organised Riviera excursions with pickup can be compared on GetYourGuide .