My trip to Monaco 2022 May. The city and the country, Monte-Carlo Casino, Musee oceanographique de Monaco, and Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2022.
Monaco 2022 May – Goals
My goals for this trip were:
- tourism, basically;
- try to see the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2022;
- learn more about Europe.
Arriving
I went to Monaco after a short 3-day stop in Berlin, coming from Primošten.
The closest airport to Monaco is Nice, in France.
As everything was new to me, I took more time than as usual to go to my hotel, located in Beausoleil.
From the airport, first I had to take Nice public transport (tram) to reach Gare Nice Saint-Augustin (train station), about 500 m from Grand Arénas, where the tram stops.
Monaco is about 30-minute trip from Nice Saint-Augustin to reach Monte Carlo station by train.
By the way, countless companies provide helicopter transfer from Nice Airport to Monaco too.
Hosting
I get lost at first to find my hotel!
Google Maps show me that the hotel was about 250 m from Monte Carlo station, but I get lost in the streets around (very steep streets), it was night, no one to help me, 4G signal giving wrong GPS locations.
Then, I found someone to help me, the secret to reach hotel street was a set of stairs (not streets) or a public elevator. Problem solved!
Important to say, my hosting place was not in Monaco, but in Beausoleil, a French city in the border.
You can cross the border all the time between France and Monaco, just the streets change the name.
I guess my left foot is in France and the right one in Monaco, why they stopped to resurface the asphalt suddenly?
The city and the country
Monaco is the second-smallest sovereign state in the world, after the Vatican.
It is so small, that the city and the country are almost the same, but Monaco is divided in districts.
Monte-Carlo is the district around Monte-Carlo Casino and La Condamine is the one which surrounds Port Hercule (marina where boats dock).
From my hotel, I just had to walk about 500 m to 1.5 km to reach any interest points.
After a few days, getting tired of walking in the very steep streets, I discovered that a lot of interest tourist places are connected by underground inside the train station, in more comfortable ways to walk (lifts, escalators and moving walks).
Monte-Carlo Casino
From a short walking distance from my hotel, there was the Monte-Carlo Casino.
It is open to play from 2 PM, but public visitation is possible before.
There are free areas and others, where machines are located, that you need to buy a ticket.
Port Hercule
Port Hercule is the name of the marina, and where the Yatch Club de Monaco stays.
It also has a lot of good restaurants around, a very nice place to walk, take pictures, eat, and drink.
I loved Caffe Milano and Wine Palace.
Public transport
In a so small-town, I could do all locomotion by walking (from inside the train galleries is better).
Despite this, there are numerous bus lines crossing the city.
And, I used just one public transport, more for sightseeing rather than transport (the boat that crosses Port Hercule from one side to another).
Musee oceanographique de Monaco
One side of Port Hercule is where Yatch Club de Monaco locates.
From the other side (that I went by boat, but it can be reached simply by walking), it is Monaco-Ville.
Going up the hill from there, it is the way to reach Musee oceanographique de Monaco.
In my opinion, it is worth to reserve few hours to visit it, it is very nice.
Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2022
Every year, at the end of the May, Monaco hosts Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco.
By the time I was in Beausoleil, people were preparing the streets for the race.
In the race days, hotel prices rises, sometimes 10 times more, and I moved to Nice, distant 30-minutes by train.
I travelled intending to see the race, but the tickets were all sold out.
Despite this, I could buy some tickets for practice sessions on Thursday (still no Formula 1 this day), and Friday.
No images from inside the grandstand, as the organization prohibits (you can take photos and share privately to your friends).
I tried to see the race on Sunday without the ticket, but it is almost impossible, as there are many pedestrian blocks, and sidings to block the vision.
I don’t recommend going without a ticket.
And, by the way, it rained a lot this year at the beginning of the race!
The race was postponed by 1-hour, and it was possible for me to watch it from an Irish pub in Nice, after coming back!
Conclusion
Tourism, basically: reached, it was very nice!
Try to see the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2022: partly reached because I could see the practice sessions and feel the vibe, and learned some few important race hints: take a cap for sunny days, and a raincoat for the rainy days.
I wanna come back in the upcoming years if they renew the race contracts.
Learn more about Europe: the most important, I think, about Monaco, it is that I have the main parts of the city in my mind, no maps neither Google Maps.