6 Days in Monaco: The First-Timer Itinerary
Days 1-5 of this plan match our 5-day itinerary : Monaco, Eze, Menton, then Ventimiglia’s Friday market. Day 6 goes further west to Cannes and Antibes, the biggest single-day commitment of any Riviera add-on here. Doing the full week? The 7-day version closes with an actual day in Nice.
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
- Book a Cannes and Antibes day tour if six days of DIY train transfers is starting to wear thin
Day 1: Le Rocher and the old town
Arrive on the 22-minute train from Nice, roughly EUR 5-7. Morning on Le Rocher: the Palace exterior, the free Changing of the Guard at 11:55am, and the Cathedral, home to Princess Grace’s tomb. Between 30 March and 15 October 2026, add the State Apartments for EUR 13. Afternoon at the Oceanographic Museum , founded 1910, EUR 22.50, 90 minutes to two hours. Evening: Port Hercule and the Marche de la Condamine’s Halle gourmande, EUR 10-12.
Day 2: Monte-Carlo and the free stuff that isn’t actually free
The Casino de Monte-Carlo ’s free Atrium, then the EUR 20 morning heritage visit into the gaming rooms. Casino Square is a real corner of the Grand Prix circuit. The Jardin Exotique , reopened 30 March 2026, EUR 12, the best clifftop views in Monaco. Larvotto Beach or the gaming rooms themselves (18+, from 2pm, EUR 20) round out the day.
Day 3: Eze, the perched village next door
The train reaches Eze-sur-Mer in about 7 minutes, but the village sits well above it and the connecting bus runs infrequently, budget 20-30 minutes total or hike the Chemin de Nietzsche trail. Cobbled lanes, sea views, and a free Fragonard perfumery tour up top. The Moyenne Corniche runs past the village on the way back.
Day 4: Menton, the easier old town
A direct 11-12 minute train, roughly EUR 3-4, the most frequent day trip on this list. Flatter old town than Eze’s climb, a gentle Belle Epoque seafront, and a genuine lemon obsession celebrated every February at the Fete du Citron. Morning in the old town, afternoon on the beach.
Day 5: Ventimiglia, across the border into Italy
The direct train takes 25-30 minutes, roughly EUR 4-7. The market runs Fridays only, so if Day 5 of your actual trip doesn’t land on a Friday, swap it with Day 3 or Day 4, this is the one inflexible day trip here. Arrive early, well before 8am if possible, the stalls sit a 10-minute walk from the station.
Day 6: Cannes and Antibes, the longer haul
Is Cannes worth a full day from Monaco? Only if you’ve already covered Eze, Menton and Ventimiglia and want genuinely different scenery: La Croisette’s promenade and Le Suquet’s old hilltop quarter in Cannes, then Antibes’ ramparts and the Picasso Museum a short hop further on.
Budget the travel time honestly. Cannes is a direct 1 hour to 1 hour 3 minute train from Monaco, with roughly 64 trains a day, and Antibes is a further 8-10 minutes past Cannes on about 88 daily services. That’s real transit time eating into the day, so this is the trip to start earliest and the one to skip if you’re tired of trains by day six. No advance tickets needed for either town, both are 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 week this dependent on trains.
For the full sight-by-sight rundown, see our Monaco places guide ; for the complete logistics picture, our Monaco travel guide .