Monaco 7 Day Itinerary (No Tourist Traps)

This is the full week: the 6-day plan plus Cannes, the furthest and biggest day trip on this list. Days 1 and 2 stay in Monaco, Days 3 to 6 run Nice, Eze, Menton, and Ventimiglia. Day 7 is Cannes, and honestly, by now Monaco has stopped being the point of the trip, which is fine, that is what a full week here actually looks like.

Book these before you go:

Day 1: Le Rocher and the museum

Start on the Rock. Changing of the Guard, 11:55am daily, free. State apartments open seasonally, 30 March to 15 October 2026, about EUR13. The Cathedral, free, holds the Grimaldi vault. The Oceanographic Museum, founded 1910, later directed by Jacques Cousteau, runs about EUR22.50, two to three hours. Lunch at the Marche de la Condamine food court, barbagiuan and socca, about EUR10 to 12.

Day 2: Monte-Carlo and the Jardin Exotique

Three casino tiers : free Atrium, EUR20 morning heritage visit before 2pm, EUR20 gaming rooms from 2pm, 18+. Casino Square worth the walk-through regardless. The Jardin Exotique , reopened 30 March 2026, about EUR12, the best panoramic terrace in the country. Larvotto beach, free, pebble not sand.

Day 3: Nice

Direct 22-minute train, about EUR5 to 7, roughly 60 departures a day. Old town, Cours Saleya market mornings, the Promenade des Anglais.

Day 4: Eze

Train to Eze-sur-Mer, about 7 minutes, then a further 20 to 30 minutes by infrequent bus or a steep walk up the Chemin de Nietzsche to the village itself. Jardin d’Eze, the free Fragonard tour, lunch in the village.

Day 5: Menton

Direct 11 to 12 minute train, about EUR3 to 4. Flat old town, the Marche du Bastion (closed Mondays), the Musee Jean Cocteau.

Day 6: Ventimiglia

Direct 25 to 30 minute train across the Italian border, fares roughly EUR4 to 7, same currency, no passport check in practice. The Friday market is the reason to go, arrive early to beat the crowds; on any other day, a repeat visit to Nice or a Grande Corniche drive is the better use of the day.

Day 7: Cannes

Cannes is a direct train from Monaco, roughly an hour to just over an hour, with about 64 departures a day, a meaningfully bigger commitment than the previous four day trips and better suited to a traveller who has accepted that this week is really a Riviera trip with Monaco as one stop among several. La Croisette, the film-festival waterfront, and the old town (Le Suquet) fill the day; Antibes, a further 8 to 10 minutes beyond Cannes by train, adds the old ramparts and the Picasso Museum for anyone with energy left. Come back for a final evening in Monaco: the Cafe de Paris terrace on Casino Square, or, for the splurge that closes out a week here properly, a table at a Michelin address in the Hotel de Paris.

Is a full week in Monaco actually a Monaco trip?

Not by day 7, no, and that is worth saying plainly rather than dressing it up. Two days are genuinely about Monaco. The other five are the French and Italian Riviera, with Monaco as a comfortable, if expensive, place to sleep. That is a legitimate way to spend a week, it is just not what “7 days in Monaco” sounds like on paper.

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
Day 6 Ventimiglia: Friday market, old town 25-30 min direct train, about EUR4-7
Day 7 Cannes: La Croisette, Le Suquet, optional Antibes About 1h to 1h3m direct train, about EUR9-13

For the ranked sights list on its own, with a plain worth-it verdict on each, see the places page ; for the argument that most of this week should be billed as a Riviera trip, see the guide .