There is so much to see in a world-class destination like Monaco. How do you ensure you get to see everything worth seeing?
A bus tour is a great way to take in the most famous sights, but it’s not the only way to get to know Monaco. To help you plan your trip, we’ve researched so you can be sure to be up to date with all the best offers.
Check out our guide to these top Monaco bus tour activities.
Best Monaco Bus Tour: The Hop On Hop Off Tour
This is a tremendous Monaco Bus Tour, allowing you to spend time at the most iconic spots in Monte-Carlo without all the walking. Monaco is famously hilly, so let the bus take the strain and deal with the changes in level for you.
Schedule and itinerary for your Monaco bus tour
With a dozen stops around the Principality, you won’t miss a thing on the Monaco Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour. The bus is wheelchair and stroller-friendly, too, so everyone can join in on the tour.
The tour is available in several languages, including English, French, Chinese, Japanese, German, Russian, Italian and Spanish.
The first stop is aligned with the local water busses at Port Hercules and is called Bateau Bus, a reminder of the intrinsic nature of the relationship of Monte-Carlo with the sea. Admire the yachts moored in the port. A boat trip might also be on your agenda.
The next stop is at the Japanese Garden, where you can visit the tea rooms for a Zen moment in a park inspired and begun by the American film star Princess Grace.
The bus also stops at the New National Museum of Monaco, at the Villa Sauber, with its modern art collections and sculpture garden.
It stops, of course, in Casino Square, where you can try your luck at the tables or have lunch at the Cafe de Paris while watching the world go round. Check out the row of high-end supercars that always seem to be parked directly outside the Casino.
The bus has a convenient stop at the mainline station too, making it an excellent connection to the tour if arriving from out of town.
After the train station, the bus will take you up to the Place du Palais, the ancestral home of the ruling Grimaldi family. If you can get there before 11:55 a.m., then you will make it in time for the daily changing of the guard ritual. A must-see!
We go to the world-famous Oceanographic Museum, built by Prince Albert I, the renowned oceanographer. Inside the museum, it is home to thousands of fish species and is fully accessible.
Next is the Princess Grace Rose Garden, which boasts four thousand different rose varieties. Stop here for a romantic stroll and visit Fontveille Park too, home to hundreds of contemporary sculptures.
After this, there is a stop at the Louis II Stadium, home to AC Monaco, and then the end of the line at Princess Stéphanie (Rascasse), which is also the start line for the Formula 1 Grand Prix!
How to book your bus tour
There is a choice of a one or a two-day pass. It is worth taking the two-day offer if you will be in Monaco for more than a day, as the additional cost is minimal.
Book online for a one-day pass costing €23 for an adult and €8 for a child between the ages of 4 and 11.
Children under four years of age travel for free.
A two-day pass costs just three Euros more for an adult at €29 with no increase on a child’s ticket.
If you buy a ticket online you skip the line at the booth on the day and have a guaranteed spot on the tour.
The tour starts at Port Hercules, right by the Yacht Club by the boat bus stop.
If your plans change, your tickets can be canceled and refunded 24 hours before the tour.
Tickets can also be reserved today and paid for nearer the time.
Other Monaco Bus Tours
Monaco is the second smallest independent Principality in the world at just two square kilometers, which means there’s not a lot of space for any other bus tour operators. But the small scale of the resort means that all is not lost as it is eminently walkable for many travelers.
Alternative Options for Monaco Bus Tours
Monaco has a wide range of walking tours, both guided and app-based, that can take you through the city at a sensible pace. Local guides, with a wealth of knowledge and an understanding of where to go and what to see, are unbeatable.
Alternatively, there are app-based tours that let you seek out all the sights at your own pace and over as many days as you are in town.
Monaco, Monte Carlo & Eze Day Tour
This is a great guided tour of Monaco and the medieval village of Eze, giving you a great contrast with the glitz and glamour of the Riviera. The air-conditioned minibus can pick you up from your hotel in Nice (check the booking site for details) and return you to the door at the end of the tour.
The tour costs €68 per adult and is half-price for kids aged 12 or younger.
The bus tour can take up to eight guests so the tour will be semi-exclusive, and it may be possible to book the entire vehicle if you are traveling in a group.
The tour guide can present the tour in both French and English.
The tour starts along the Riviera coast road past Cap Ferrat and its millionaire mansions.
Stop in the old town of Monaco and watch the changing of the guard at the Prince’s Palace, visit the Cathedral, and check out the gardens.
After this, it’s on to Casino Square, past the mega-yachts and the supercars that cruise along the Monaco Grand Prix Circuit.
From here, the tour rises to the old medieval village of Eze, high above the glittering bay. Visit the Fragonard fragrance factory for a private tour before returning to Nice.
You can book now, pay later, and have confidence that you can cancel at any time up to 24 hours before if your plans change for any reason.
If being picked up and dropped at your hotel, allow an extra hour for the entire tour, i.e., six hours from start to finish. Be ready early and allow for a later return, especially on the weekend or festival day when traffic might be heavier.
Full-Day Guided Tour of the French Riviera
How much can you do in a day? How much can you expect to see? Well with a knowledgeable guide and an entire day at your disposal, you’d be surprised at how much ground you can cover without being in any rush.
The French Riviera Tour is another small vehicle bus tour that can cater to groups of up to eight travelers, with tour guides able to deliver their in-depth knowledge of the place in English, French, Spanish, Russian, and Armenian.
This tour will cost you just €95 per adult for the full day, including transfers to and from your hotel. Kids up to age 12 are half-price.
The first stop is in the village of Eze and the fascinating visit to the Fragonard Perfume Factory.
From here it’s on to the village of La Turbie with its ‘Terrace of Monaco’ lookout point. A fabulous spot for a selfie with the entire principality laid out below.
Dropping down into Monte-Carlo the next stop is the Prince’s Palace on top of the Rock in the old town. Visit the Cathedral and the Oceanographic Museum.
The tour takes in the Grand Prix Circuit and arrives in the square outside the Casino.
En route out of town, the next stop is in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, a glorious, unspoiled old medieval town stuffed with artists’ boutiques, studios, and artisanal craftspeople.
On you will go to Antibes, the former home of Pablo Picasso. The story goes that he used to enjoy carrying a camera and mingling with tourist parties, pretending to be a visitor!
The last stop on the tour is Cannes, home of the famous International Film Festival where you can walk on the Croisette and admire the 2.5 km beachfront.
Monaco & Monte Carlo Hidden Gems Walking Tour
This is a fun way to get to know some of the secret, less well-known spots in Monaco and discover places that the regular tourist may never get the opportunity to find.
Spend a day trekking through Monaco’s lanes and feel this tiny nation’s heartbeat alongside a top local guide.
The €130 price tag includes food tasting at the central Monagasque market, where you will try specialties known only to the locals.
Walk up the ramped walkways and steep staircase streets to the old town and learn about the rapid development of the principality over the last 150 years.
Make sure you wear good walking shoes as you take part in this urban safari, going where the tour buses never reach!
