Monaco 5 Day Itinerary (No Tourist Traps)
This extends the 4-day plan with Menton, the easier alternative to Eze for anyone whose legs are done with hills by day five. Days 1 and 2 are Monaco itself, Day 3 is Nice, Day 4 is Eze. Day 5 trades Eze’s climb for Menton’s flat, lemon-scented old town.
Book these before you go:
- Oceanographic Museum timed ticket on GetYourGuide, worth pre-booking for the Grand Prix (5-7 June 2026) or Yacht Show (23-26 September 2026) weeks
- An Eze and Monaco combined day tour on Viator, still the simplest fix for Day 4’s slow connecting bus
- Check hotel rates on Booking.com against Nice, five nights makes the price gap between the two add up fast
Day 1: Le Rocher and the museum
Start on the Rock, Monaco-Ville’s fortified promontory. Changing of the Guard, 11:55am daily, free, outside the Prince’s Palace . State apartments open seasonally, 30 March to 15 October 2026, about EUR13. The Cathedral, free, holds the Grimaldi vault. The Oceanographic Museum, founded 1910 by Prince Albert I, later directed by Jacques Cousteau, runs about EUR22.50, budget two to three hours. Lunch at the Marche de la Condamine food court, barbagiuan and socca for about EUR10 to 12.
Day 2: Monte-Carlo and the Jardin Exotique
The Casino de Monte-Carlo has three tiers: a free Atrium, a EUR20 morning heritage visit before 2pm, and EUR20 gaming rooms from 2pm, 18+, real dress code. Casino Square outside is worth the walk-through without a ticket. Uphill, the Jardin Exotique , reopened 30 March 2026, runs about EUR12 for the best panoramic terrace in the country. Larvotto beach, free, pebble not sand, fills a spare hour.
Day 3: Nice
A direct 22-minute train from Monaco-Monte-Carlo, about EUR5 to 7, roughly 60 departures a day. The old town, the Cours Saleya market mornings, and the 7-kilometre Promenade des Anglais fill the day. The Colline du Chateau at its east end looks back toward Monaco.
Day 4: Eze
The train to Eze-sur-Mer, sea level, takes about 7 minutes, but the perched village above needs a further 20 to 30 minutes by an infrequent connecting bus, or a steep 20 to 30 minute walk up the Chemin de Nietzsche. The Jardin d’Eze and the free Fragonard perfumery tour (30 minutes, no charge) fill a morning; have lunch in the village.
Day 5: Menton
Menton is a direct 11 to 12 minute train from Monaco-Monte-Carlo, fares from about EUR3 to 4, with dozens of departures a day, genuinely the easiest of these day trips logistically. The last French town before Italy, Menton has a gentler Belle Epoque seafront than Nice, a flat old town that climbs far less steeply than Eze’s, and a lemon-growing tradition the town has kept for centuries, worth noticing in the Marche du Bastion (mornings, closed Mondays). The Musee Jean Cocteau, in a seafront fort Cocteau designed himself, is worth an hour if the timing allows it.
Eze or Menton, which one if only one fits?
Pick Eze for one classic postcard clifftop village and accept the slow connecting bus. Pick Menton for an easier, flatter old town, a genuine beach scene, and a simpler train connection with no bus to time. Both are covered in this itinerary; a shorter trip only gets to choose one.
| Day | Focus | Travel time |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Le Rocher, Oceanographic Museum, Port Hercule | On foot within Monaco |
| Day 2 | Casino tiers, Casino Square, Jardin Exotique, Larvotto | On foot plus free public lifts |
| Day 3 | Nice: old town, Cours Saleya, Promenade des Anglais | 22 min direct train, about EUR5-7 |
| Day 4 | Eze village, Jardin d’Eze, Fragonard tour | 7 min train to Eze-sur-Mer plus 20-30 min bus or climb |
| Day 5 | Menton: old town, Marche du Bastion, Musee Jean Cocteau | 11-12 min direct train, about EUR3-4 |
A sixth day goes to Ventimiglia’s Italian border market, covered in the 6-day itinerary . For the ranked sights list on its own, see the places page .