Monaco In A Day with Kids During Formula 1 Week

Port Hercules in Monaco, France

Today, we went to Monaco, a country I have been wanting to see for a while since watching documentaries about it in the UK. We traveled by car to Nice and then by train from Nice-Ville station to Monaco-Monte-Carlo station.

Monaco Monte-Carlo train station

Word of advice: Don’t drive with your car roof box because it is incredibly hard to find parking in the central core of Nice. Not only that, there are a lot of underpasses and tunnels that are low with height maximums of 2.3 meters. Thank God we were able to drive through them because our car, with a roof box, was 2.15 meters. As we went through one tunnel, we could see the scratch marks above left by vehicles taller than ours. I strongly advise knowing the height of your car, including anything on top of it, to avoid disappointment and embarrassment.

Just to give you an idea of how low the underpasses and tunnels are in South of France.

There are a lot of underground parking spots in Nice, but the maximum height to get in almost all of them is between 1.80–2 meters. Even if you drive a van or mobile van, you wouldn’t be able to park underground. If you find pay parking on the streets, there is a limited time on how long you can park. This is what we were about to do when we found parking, but the maximum time we could park was 2h 15m. Luckily, I asked someone what other options we had, and he advised that we drive five minutes up to the Université Côte d’Azur where parking on the side roads was free and with no time limits. When we got there, we found parking pretty much right away. For me, the annoying thing about all of this parking hoop-da-la in Nice was that we spent almost an hour searching for a place to park, which took up a lot of time getting to Monaco.

Once we parked, we walked five minutes to the nearest bus stop and hopped on a bus that took us six stops to Nice-Ville Station.

Local bus in Nice, France

Kids under the age of five go free, and everyone over five pays €1.70 one-way.

When we arrived at Nice-Ville Station, we purchased our tickets at the kiosk with an attendant who was very helpful. She advised us to get a group saver ticket that allowed four people to travel for the price of three, and my kids under four traveled for free.

Gare De Nice Ville station

From Nice-Ville station to Monaco-Monte-Carlo station was a total of six stops that took 23 minutes and had us arriving in Monte Carlo just before 2 pm.

Note: When you arrive at Monte Carlo station from the platform furthest to the entrance, go down the escalator, then down another escalator and then through a tunnel which will lead you to the exit onto the main road. We made the mistake of going upstairs and then out at the very top that had a steep hill of steps leading to the bottom of the main road. With a stroller and a toddler in it, it was a workout.

Immediately as you leave the station, you feel the richness of this country (yep, even though it is in France, it is considered to be a country). The luxury cars people were driving were out of this world. Ferraris, Aston Martins, Range Rovers, Porsches, Mercedes, Lamborghinis, Bentleys, and BMWs were everywhere like Fords and Vauxhalls in London. You could tell these people had money and were living the rich life. The streets were clean with many tourists like myself, but not necessarily like myself. Monte Carlo is definitely a rich white man’s district, so you’re not going to see many people of colour like in London, New York, and Paris. However, the Monégasques, I felt, were quite friendly.

I loved the picturesque background of the houses and flats sitting on the hills overlooking the pier filled with million-dollar yachts. As we walked along this pier, we got a glimpse of the back and inside of these yachts that were in tip-top condition. Not a spot of rust on them, just shine. There was one yacht that was massive, and all I could think of was, “Who owns it and what do they do for a living?” My daughter kept asking me to go on the yachts, and I told her, “Honey, if I could, we would, but we ain’t rolling like that, so name it and claim it, and maybe one day we will be chillin’ on one of these beauties.”

We were so lucky to visit Monaco when we did, because we were in the heart of the preparations for the Formula 1 race weekend, which was happening five days later. Everything around the city (because F1 in Monte Carlo is based on a city circuit) was getting fenced up, set up, and cleaned up. We got to walk right on the road, which was the starting line of the race.

Along the pier, we got to see where the premium spectators would be sitting and enjoying an amazing view of the race, which was so cool! In my household, my husband and I love F1 racing, so we were stoked about all that we were seeing in front of us.

Crossing the road, soon to be circuit track, to the pier.

After we walked around the soon-to-be F1 circuit, we made our way up a lengthy hill to the shopping district that led us to Casino de Monte-Carlo. At this point, we really needed to use a bathroom, and we came across this swanky hotel called, Hotel de Paris Monte-Carlo, that we entered through a back entrance. As we got to the front of the hotel, I asked one of the concierges if it would be okay to use their restroom. At first, you could tell she wasn’t keen on allowing me, but when I explained to her I needed to change my two toddlers, she made an exception and advised that the rest of the family sit back and wait while I took my two young ones to the restroom. I couldn’t handle both of my children at the same time, so I changed them one by one, starting with my son. When we walked into the restroom there was an onsite attendant making sure everything in the restroom was prim and proper. I quickly and quietly changed my son as I admired the bathroom decor and the aromatic smell of peppermint pleasantly engulfing the air. When I was done, I took my son back to the rest of the family and switched him for his sister. When the attendant saw me with another little one, she gestured for me to use what I thought was the handicap stall, but rather the baby changing stall. I graciously thanked her for showing me the stall and made my way in with my daughter. The bathroom had a fold-down changing table with a soft pillow mattress to place my baby on as I changed her. Next to the table was a pyramid of rolled-up washcloths to use as hand towels after washing my hands. The hand soap smelled so good, and next to it was hand lotion all for me to use.

Hotel de Paris Monte-Carlo + Restroom in the hotel

Side note: The next day, after visiting Monte Carlo and using the restroom at Hotel de Paris Monte-Carlo, I was curious to know how much per night it cost to stay there, and Lawd Jesus, it cost €1,034 per night. Maybe one day I’ll have the money to spend a night there, but for now, all I can do is daydream.

Don’t know who this lady was, but she looked like she was a celebrity with the help of her dress carrier.

Once I was done changing my daughter, we headed back to meet with the rest of the family who were now waiting for us outside. As I proceeded to the revolving doors, I was ushered by the same concierge lady to use the lift, as I wasn’t able to fit through the revolving doors with the stroller. She summoned the elevator, and as we waited, she asked where I was from. I replied, “Canada”, and immediately, her attitude shifted from, “You really shouldn’t be here, and I’m only making an exception for your kids” to “Oh, Canada! I’ve been to Montreal and absolutely loved it there. Canadians are friendly and polite people.” Go figure!

I got in the elevator, thanked the now welcoming concierge for her comment and allowing me to use the restroom to change my kids and made my way to the family who were now sitting against the wall of the famous Casino de Monte-Carlo.

Cars in front of the casino

As we walked closer to the entrance, again, parked in front of us were expensive-as-ever cars. Cars probably worth more than what I make in a year times 20, and there I was up close and personal with them. I didn’t go into the casino because I didn’t think I could, and I had the kids with me, which was definitely a no-no. It was cool though, because I was fine with seeing everything from the outside. I am not balling like those people and I don’t have money to waste. For me, every penny I have counts and I have no business recklessly losing it!

Casino de Monte-Carlo

After picking my jaw up off the ground from viewing all those cars, my family and I continued walking up the hill to more retail shops that included Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Celine, and other high-end retailers. We eventually made our way to the main road where we waited for a bus to take us back down to the station.

Monte Carlo buses are free for kids under 4, and everyone else pays €1.25 one way.

Our aim was to take a guided train tour around Monaco that we saw when we came out of Monte Carlo station, but unfortunately, the tour finished at 4:00 p.m. If you ever get to visit Monaco, I highly recommend you take this 30-minute guided train tour called, Les Petits Trains Monaco Tours. I know my children would have really loved it because they love trains, and I’m sure your kids will too.

Monte Carlo is hilly, and I would highly recommend you wear comfortable shoes. On the day we visited the city in May, it was 27 degrees celsius, and my kids were not having it. The steep hills, along with the heat, made them cranky and tired. All they wanted to do was sit down or get back on the train. I could have continued walking some more, but it was already after 5 pm, and we still had to make our way back to St. Tropez by train, bus, and then car, which was a total of two hours.

If I could afford it, I would rent myself an Airbnb and explore Monaco a whole lot more, as there is a lot to do that you can’t see all in one day. I think when I return to the UK, I will plan a solo long weekend trip to Monaco so I can fully embrace this country with just me, myself, and I.