How to Plan a Day Trip From Nice to Monaco (+ Èze!)

Monaco, or the Principality of Monaco if you’re fancy, is known for luxury cars, high rollers, and its glitzy nightlife scene. If none of that describes you — it didn’t describe our group, either — you may not want to spend a ton of your vacation there.

The best day trip from Nice to Monaco can then include a delightful morning in another of the French Riviera’s jewels, the medieval hilltop village of Èze.

Èze and Monaco in one day is easy to do, as the village of Èze is located between Nice and Monaco.

Let’s get into this delightful day on the French Riviera, shall we?

A day trip to Monaco from Nice is easy.

You can easily do a day trip from Nice to Monaco. It’s so easy, in fact, that you can add a stop in Èze to kick things off. The hilltop village is arguably even more visually appealing than Monaco.

I promise that you have time for both!

Do you need your passport to go from Nice to Monaco?

Even though you’re leaving France, you won’t need your passport to travel from Nice to Monaco. It’s an open border, so there are no passport controls when crossing from one to the other.

Now, technically, since you’re likely a non‑Schengen visitor, you should be carrying one with you regardless. You’ll need it to enter the casino, too, so you may as well have your passport on you.

How far is Nice from Monaco?

Nice is only 13 miles from Monaco. You can drive from one to the other in less than half an hour.

You can even walk from Nice to Monaco if you have about five hours to spare.

How to Get From Nice to Monaco

The best way to travel from Nice to Monaco is the train. Gare de Nice-Ville in Nice is right in the city center, and your rail journey will only take about 20 minutes to get to the center of Monaco.

Pricing depends on the train ticket you buy to get to Monaco from Nice. The cheapest tickets for the Monaco train should cost less than $6.

That’s a steal when you consider you’re going to one of the glitziest places in the world. The train from Nice to Monaco is then affordable and efficient.

There are numerous trains per day from that train station, so pre-booking isn’t necessary. That makes Monaco one of the easiest stops on a French Riviera itinerary.

Those aren’t your only options, though. Here’s a summary:

• Take a ferry. The Nice to Monaco ferry gets you to Monaco in about 45 minutes. Departures are at 9:30am daily. I suppose it’s relaxing for people who aren’t me and suffer from seasickness. You can purchase round-trip tickets online.
• Take a bus. This is the most economical if less efficient option. The Nice to Monaco bus leaves every 15-20 minutes and takes about an hour to get to Monaco. Catch Bus 607 from the stop at Le Port Arson.
• Hire a car. You can either book a guide and/or driver from your Nice accommodations or bust out that Uber app. We chose rideshare. If you’re traveling in a group, it’s efficient and affordable.
• Take a helicopter. I’m not even kidding. You can take a helicopter from Nice to Monaco for views that few people get of the French Riviera below. This is obviously the most expensive option.

If you’d like to start in hilltop Èze as we did, keep on reading.

How to Get From Nice to Monaco via Èze

Our Nice to Monaco day trip involved starting our day in Èze. As we weren’t heading straight to Monaco, our planning was a bit more complicated but well worth it.

To get to Èze on public transportation, you won’t want to take the train, but use Nice’s buses, instead.

Buses take you to the hilltop village, while the train will drop you off at the beach in Èze proper.

Note: This involves a steep hike up to the village overlooks, which if you’re there for just the morning, you may not have time for. Also, do you want to get all sweaty before afternoon fancy times in Monaco?

One bus option from Nice is Bus 82 towards Plateau de la Justice in Èze. It comes every few hours. The more reliable bus option is Bus 112, which leaves every two hours.

Both leave from the bus stop Nice Vauban and take approximately half an hour, although always check on timetables/bus stops once you’re in France.

Frequent city construction projects affect both. Once you catch your ride, try to get a window seat for sea views.

If all of that is intimidating, rideshare is always an option. As there were four of us in our small group and for efficiency’s sake, we decided to take an Uber.

It came out to about $30 to get to Èze, which wasn’t bad split four ways.

We had such an easy time with Uber on the way to Èze that we decided to do the same to get to Monaco. Our driver was fantastic during our ride, and a trip with light traffic takes about 20 minutes.

He played us romantic French music and told us stories from his life in Nice.

READ MORE: Nice is lovely, even in the rain. Read my bad-weather guide to Nice!

If you were thrilled with your public transportation experience from Nice to Èze, you’ll be taking a Monaco bus from the same stop you were dropped off at in the village of Èze.

Just make sure you check the bus timetables, as you don’t want to wait around for an hour because you just missed your ride.

We had to wait about 15 minutes for our Uber.

Keep in mind that Nice to Monaco by car isn’t something I looked into, as our itinerary included Èze. If you’re getting to Monaco from Nice, I’d recommend the train I described in my initial tips.

Our driver was essentially driving in from Nice to pick us up. It was enough time for us to check out the grocery store at the bottom of the hill in Èze at our pickup spot.

Is there anything more entertaining than local grocery stores in new places?

The quirky chip flavors alone are worth the stop.

Things to Do in Monaco & Èze

Monaco isn’t a large destination, so you may only need a few hours to explore it to your liking. That’s why I recommend combining a visit to Èze, too, for a full day from Nice.

Start in Èze Village.

No matter how you get to Èze, start your morning off early. It’s a popular stop on day tour itineraries, and you don’t want to be behind a busload of people crawling their way through the old town.

Today is not the day to be lingering over your croissants, so grab a quick breakfast and get on your way.

Our Uber dropped us off at the entrance to the old village in Èze. There’s no cost to wander its stone paths as you continue to climb to what you know will be panoramic views at the top.

We peeked into the village church, Église Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption d’Èze, and passed a number of gift shops that were just opening up for the day. You can spend some time on the winding paths, but if you’re not into tchotchkes, continue on.

Fun fact: For comparison’s sake, the village shops reminded me of the Julian of the French Riviera.

A popular stop for tour groups in Èze is The Factory of Natural Perfume and Shop & Exposure, or the perfume factory. We didn’t stop in so we can’t judge its fun factor, but perfume is generally not our thing.

There aren’t too many options for affordable snacks, but if you arrive in the afternoon, there are two village hotels that offer fantastic views and wine options.

They have pricey meals but well-regarded meals if you’re a baller, too. That’s the Château de la Chèvre d’or and Château Eza.

We were there too early for that but didn’t have any regrets experiencing Èze first thing in the morning, before the big crowds.

See the views from Le Jardin Exotique d’Èze.

The most beautiful views in Èze are in Le Jardin Exotique d’Èze, or The Exotic Garden. If you’re from Southern California, the cacti and succulents won’t be super exotic.

The earth goddess sculptures from sculptor Jean-Philippe Richard that beckon you to different corners of the garden sure are.

These are the goods up here, so you’ll spend some time taking in the breathtaking views of Èze proper below. There is a minimal fee to enter the garden, but truly, this is why you’re here.

There are some informational plaques throughout your self-guided walking tour on the way up, and a little water feature before you get to the top.

If you have more time to kill in Èze, you can either hike up to the village or down back to the beach along the Nietzsche Path.

It’s named after THAT Friedrich Nietzsche, apparently because the philosopher enjoyed the path during his time on the French Riviera.

Budget at least 45 minutes or more for the trek up and the same for the walk back if you’re heading all the way back down. It’s not recommended in the summer months due to high temperatures and crowds along the path.

Enjoy lunch at La Condamine Market.

You’ll want to follow my guidance for getting to Monaco from Èze if you’re following along on our itinerary. You’ll likely want to nosh on something at this point, too.

La Condamine Market includes several bistros with outdoor patios and an indoor food hall. We ate inside the food hall, as the winds picked up when we got to Monaco and I’m a delicate flower.

This wasn’t some boring cafeteria, though. Lunch was truffle pizza and a cheese plate from a fromagerie inside, all at reasonable prices for Monaco. Things were off to a good start.

Explore Le Rocher.

Monaco is very walkable. You can walk from one end to the other in less than an hour. There are some hills to navigate if you’re here for panoramas, but there are lifts and elevators throughout Monaco to make that easier on folks with accessibility issues.

Le Rocher refers to Monaco’s old town, and where the bulk of your Monaco sightseeing will occur. Before heading to the palace and other places to visit in Monaco, take some time to stroll around the winding alleyways.

Picture yourself in the Middle Ages, cobbling shoes for the prince or his horses. Perhaps you’d be part of the royal family. I don’t know you.

See the Prince’s Palace of Monaco.

Checking out the Prince’s Palace of Monaco, the birthplace of Prince Albert, is a must on any Monaco itinerary, even if you’re just checking out the exterior and square.

Tours of the Grimaldi family’s grand apartments are available for a reasonable fee, but they’re seasonal.

They weren’t open during our visit, so check the palace website for additional information on closures.

Generally, tours are available during the spring and summer months, with the exclusion of Monaco Grand Prix weekend. I was able to visit inside years ago, and while lovely, you shouldn’t feel like a visit to Monaco is only worth it during high season.

That’s when all the tourists swarm the principality, which affects your visit in other ways.

If you’re not able to visit inside, make sure you take in the views of the harbor below just past the palace.

Note: The changing of the guards happens daily at 11:55am if you’re into that sort of thing.

The guards generally seemed way more relaxed than others I’ve seen at other palaces. They were chatting with one another, seemingly joking around.

I’m sure they’d tackle me if I tried to do something weird, but the vibe was definitely more chill than at Buckingham Palace.

Stop by the Cathédrale de Monaco.

The Catholic cathedral may be labeled as Saint Nicholas Cathedral, the Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate, or Monaco Cathedral on your maps app.

Regardless of its identity problems, it’s a gorgeous house of worship where members of the Grimaldi family are traditionally buried.

You’ll see crowds hovering around two graves in particular: Princess Grace and Prince Rainier III. Check the cathedral’s website for special events if you’re interested in a service or catching the choir perform.

Tour The Cars Collection of H.S.H. the Prince of Monaco.

I’m not even that into cars. I know nothing about cars, e.g. which are the rarest or most expensive. I just know that spoilers make cars go fast.

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed checking out Prince Rainier III’s classic cars collection. There are so many there that it’s essentially a car museum. There are models there from the earliest days of driving.

There were also numerous encased TAG Heuer Monaco watches throughout the hall, which apparently race car drivers like Derek Shepherd, aka Patrick Dempsey, aka McDreamy, wear while they’re racing. I’m not sure.

It was even more enjoyable because there was some event happening that day, so we didn’t have to pay admission.

I thought about partaking in the snacks and Champagne lying around for whatever event was occurring — I’m going with Toastmasters — but decided to keep things classy in the end.

Check the website for special closures before you head out.

Visit the Musée Océanographique de Monaco.

The Musée Océanographique de Monaco, or Oceanographic Museum, looked like a good time. We just didn’t have the time to give this place its due outside of the obligatory photo with the yellow submarine out front.

Also, we were coming from San Diego at the time, a city with no shortage of sea life opportunities.

Highlights include its exhibits of the Mediterranean Sea, its collection of marine skeletons, and, per its website, a series of “marine world curiosities.”

Admire the yachts near Port Hercules.

Port Hercules, or the Port of Monaco, is impossible to miss. Those giant yachts docked in the harbor are the epitome of the elite thing Monaco has going on.

As it’s a deepwater port, this is also where you may see cruise ships, the bane of my existence, coming to shore.

I like experiencing the spot best from above. They’ll look so much smaller that way, almost as if you could see yourself acquiring one at some point.

Try your luck at the Casino de Monte-Carlo.

Casino de Monte-Carlo, or more commonly, the Monte Carlo Casino, is the highlight of many people’s trips to Monaco.

I’m not really sure why the Monaco Monte Carlo beats all of the other attractions as one of the best things to do in Monaco, but it’s a thing.

What I will say is that the casino’s exterior is gorgeous. We were lucky enough to be there right at the start of the holiday season.

The square across the street was decorated as a winter wonderland.

As for the rest, you’ve come all this way, so even if you’re not into gambling, you may as well go check it out.

Unfortunately, unlike in Las Vegas where any schmuck can enter any casino at will (and for free!), there’s an admission fee of nearly $20 to enter the Monte Carlo Casino.

Fun fact: For that fee, you get either one drink or 10 euro in chips to lose at whatever table you want, where a bet will run you at least 10 euro.

I understand the premise.

They don’t want tourists lurking around and gawking at the slot machines, pretending like they’re James Bond in GoldenEye. It was still a bummer to pay admission to enter a casino of all places, a place that survives on the backs of suckers.

It’s also not as impressive inside as you may think. It’s actually quite small, like Monaco itself.

We got there in mid-afternoon, so there weren’t many people inside. Spending 10 euros on chips took about 30 seconds. We hung around for a round of drinks to observe some old men playing roulette.

The staff inside is very strict about taking photos of the casino’s interior, so you’ll be limited to photo ops outside in this post.

They won’t let you take in your shopping bags, either, especially if you’re bringing in Christmas ornaments and gummy bears.

OK, maybe not “especially,” but that’s what we had to check in. That’s how we roll.

Sample the Monaco happy hour scene.

We needed some cocktails and snacks following our casino visit. Our pick was the Brasserie de Monaco, or Brasserie de Fruit Fly, as I called it, for reasons you may have already guessed.

The Internet describes this place as a microbrewery. The word “micro” certainly fits with their beer offerings, of which there were two.

There were two more on the menu, but they were out of them.

I think this place was also trying to be some sort of nightclub, maybe? There was some pink lighting turned on at one point. The highlight of our stop there was the basket of fries we ordered because fries are always a good idea.

Eat at the best restaurants in Monaco.

We went from Monaco to Nice on what I’ve dubbed the warm blanket train for dinner that night. If you’re in Monaco for the evening, you’ve got lots of options that are at a more luxe price point and a few that are more reasonable.

The Pearls of Monte-Carlo is one of the more reasonable seafood spots for fresh oysters. Giacomo is an Italian eatery with a big patio for warm nights.

If you came here via chopper, you may be interested in Mirazur. The French restaurant has three Michelin stars and the prices show it.

Reservations are always a good idea in this part of the world.

That way, you’re not only guaranteed a table but know that the establishment is even open at the time you’re going.

Nice vs. Monaco: Where to Stay

It’s better to stay in Nice vs. Monaco, as you’ll save quite a bit of money that way. Travel from Nice to Monaco is so easy and there is so much more to do in Nice.

READ MORE: Visiting Nice for a bit? Check out my weekend guide!

Cannes is the more exciting option compared to Monaco, as there’s so much to do, much it’s also a pricey overnight. Monaco is an easy day trip from Cannes, though. It’s less than an hour’s drive to Cannes from Monaco or about an hour and 15 minutes by train.

The property we stayed at as our base for all our day trips from Nice was the Hostel Ozz Nice. They have both hostel-type accommodations and private rooms with bathrooms.

This is budget lodging, for sure, so expect small spaces. You’ll have more euros for exploring the Riviera, though.

If you want to check out the rest, use the map below for hotels in Nice:

Is Monaco worth visiting from Nice?

A day trip to Monaco from Nice is worth it if only to say you’ve been to the second-smallest sovereign state in the world.

Vatican City is the first!

I’d still say the best part for me was our trip to Èze to kick things off. A day trip to Monte Carlo from Nice is fine, but if you’re not the casino type, you’ll probably be more impressed by the medieval village of Èze.

It’s scenic as heck and a place I’d love to return to if only to hike around a bit more. I’m good with my two visits to Monaco in my life.

If you’re already based in Monaco, by the way, a day trip from Monaco to Nice is definitely worth it. Nice is just behind Paris as the most popular city in France for a reason.

Planning more travel in and around? Check out these guides:

• The Perfect Versailles Alternative From Paris
• Plan a Day at the Monet House & Garden
• A Detailed Guide to Venice, Italy, Gondolas
• Things You Learn From Living in France
• An Honest Review of Le Golf National

Check out these guides for more nearby escapes:

• A Guide to One Busy Day in Lille, France
• What to Pack for Your Next Trip to Iceland
• Where to See the Best of Iceland’s Waterfalls
• Rome vs. Florence: How to Choose Where to Go
• Top Things to Do in Stunning Burano, Italy

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