4 Days in Monaco: The First-Timer Itinerary
Days 1-3 of this plan are the same ground as our 3-day itinerary : Monaco itself, then Eze. Day 4 adds Menton, the gentler, flatter Riviera town on the Italian side of Monaco, easily done as a single extra day. Want even more coast? The 5-day version pushes on into Italy.
Book these before you go
- Check Monaco or Nice hotel rates early, prices triple during the 5-7 June 2026 Grand Prix
- Reserve Oceanographic Museum tickets ahead during any event week
- Book an Eze and Monaco day tour to skip solving Eze’s infrequent connecting bus yourself
Day 1: Le Rocher and the old town
Arrive on the 22-minute train from Nice, roughly EUR 5-7, into Monaco-Monte-Carlo station, fully underground since 1999. Spend the morning on Le Rocher: the Prince’s Palace exterior, the free Changing of the Guard at 11:55am, and the Cathedral, free, home to Princess Grace’s tomb in the Grimaldi crypt. Between 30 March and 15 October 2026, add the Palace’s State Apartments for EUR 13. Spend the afternoon at the Oceanographic Museum , founded in 1910 by Prince Albert I and later run by Jacques Cousteau, EUR 22.50 adult, 90 minutes to two hours. Evening: walk Port Hercule and eat at the Marche de la Condamine’s Halle gourmande, EUR 10-12.
Day 2: Monte-Carlo and the free stuff that isn’t actually free
Start at the Casino de Monte-Carlo ’s free Atrium, then the EUR 20 morning heritage visit (10am to 1pm, last entry 12:15) into the actual gaming rooms. Casino Square outside is a real corner of the Grand Prix circuit. Walk to the Jardin Exotique , reopened 30 March 2026, EUR 12, best clifftop views in Monaco. Round out the day at Larvotto Beach or the gaming rooms themselves (18+, from 2pm, EUR 20 with a EUR 10 credit).
Day 3: Eze, the perched village next door
The train reaches Eze-sur-Mer in about 7 minutes, but the clifftop village sits well above it, and the connecting bus runs infrequently, budget 20-30 minutes total, or hike the steep Chemin de Nietzsche trail instead. Once up top: cobbled lanes, sea views, and a free 30-minute guided tour of the Fragonard perfumery. The Moyenne Corniche, the fastest of the three coastal roads, runs right past the village on the way back.
Day 4: Menton, the easier old town
Why add Menton if you’ve already done Eze? Because it’s a genuinely different trip, not a repeat. Menton is a direct 11-12 minute train from Monaco-Monte-Carlo, roughly EUR 3-4, with 46-66 trains a day, the most frequent of any Monaco day trip. The old town is flatter and easier than Eze’s climb, fronted by a gentler Belle Epoque seafront and built around a genuine local obsession with lemons, celebrated every February at the Fete du Citron. Spend the morning wandering the old town’s pastel streets, the afternoon on Menton’s own beach, and head back to Monaco by early evening. No advance booking needed for any of it, the whole day is walk-up.
Getting here, getting around, staying nearby
Every arrival routes through Nice Cote d’Azur airport, then the train, the Zou Express bus 80 (45-60 minutes, EUR 20-22), or a 7-minute helicopter transfer around EUR 160-195. Inside Monaco, free public lifts and escalators handle the steep terrain. Monaco hotels run EUR 550-650+/night; Nice or Beausoleil are the honest budget base for a trip this focused on day trips.
For the full sight-by-sight rundown, see our Monaco places guide ; for the complete logistics picture, our Monaco travel guide .