Many of you may have already visited Monaco as a tourist and for those who will be in town for the first time, we are happy to help you discover the Principality. You will find most relevant information on the Monaco tourism website : https://www.visitmonaco.com/en and we sum up some key points below.
Monaco is well connected to the world, with arrivals possible by sea, air, train and road. Most of you will likely arrive through Nice, a major French metropolitan area. Nice airport is the second busiest airport hub in France (after the Parisian airports) and is well connected through flag carriers and discount airlines. Unfortunately, there are no direct flight to North America during the winter season but most major European hubs have multiple daily flights into Nice. You may want to explore discount airlines such as Ryanair, Easyjet, Vueling, Wizz or Volotea from many European cities. From Nice airport, Monaco is accessible by Helicopter (scheduled service by Monacair www.monacair.mc and Heli Air Monaco www.heliairmonaco.com), Taxi, Train and Bus (Express Airport bus number 80 (formerly 110) https://www.niceairportxpress.com/en/timetable/1/retour). The express bus service is quite efficient and fast and Uber is a good alternative to get to Monaco but service is not available from Monaco to France or within the Principality. Both airport terminals are connected by tram which also services the Nice Saint Augustin train station where most trains to Monaco stop (take direction Ventimiglia).
Monaco offers many alternatives for hotels. All hotels are listed by category on the tourism website under the tab « where to stay ». The main event will be at the Yacht Club which is within walking distance to most hotels. Monaco benefits from a well-engineered elevator network which puts the Casino area (with its famous Hotel de Paris, Hotel Hermitage, Hotel Metropole, or Fairmont) within a 7 minute walk to the Yacht Club. The beach area (Larvotto) has an interesting Hotel offering with the Meridien and Monte Carlo Beach but requires a bit longer walk but we doubt you will take advantage of the private beach or outside pools this time of the year. Novotel close to the train station seems to present the best value for money and an additional 10% can be negotiated when subscribing the free Accord card upon reservation. This hotel is also easily reachable by Elevator when crossing the train station (entry to the elevator at Place Sainte Devote and access to hotel from the station entry Boulevard Princesse Charlotte close to the hotel) and, thus, remains within walking distance. On the port, the hotel Port Palace and Miramar are close to the venue. SBM is the main hotel and leisure operator in the Principality and offers special discounts till January 15 if you sign up for their loyalty program here. Hospitality pricing is quite untransparent and we suggest to compare hotel websites with the booking platforms. When calling the hotels, we were often able to obtain better pricing but unfortunately a booking discount is not available globally unless a joint prepaid firm booking is made. This map shows the Yacht Club and the various hotels with pricing provided through google. Please note that Monaco is an extremely safe place and walking at night is not a concern within the Principality. Many hotels on the border (i.e. Beausoleil) don’t have this advantage and we recommend that you stay locally (even though many border town hotels advertise themselves as being "in” (or at the border of) Monaco.
The Principality of Monaco with its 2.02 square kilometres is smaller than Central Park in New York. Walking is, thus, the best means to move around. Being between the Alps and the Mediterranean, the many elevators come in handy when walking. Bus service is very reliable and a public bike system is available Monabike - MonaBike. Unfortunately Uber is not available in Monaco but Taxis https://taximonaco.com/ are available for approximately EUR 15 within the city.
Bus lines 1 and 2 serve the « Rocher » (literally the rock), i.e. the old town where the Palace and Cathedral are located. Compagnie Autobus de Monaco (cam.mc) The Rocher is not accessible by car (unless your car is registered in Monaco) and Parking des Pecheurs is the closest availabe parking next to the Cathedral Maps - Monaco Parkings
Monaco is a famous summer holiday destination on the French riviera. You will be visiting in February and it is extremely difficult to make predictions on the weather (statistically temperatures between -2°C and 18°C are possible). February is one of the coldest months in Monaco but we have often been lucky with summerly weather allowing outside dining this time of the year. We remain very optimistic that in the context of global warming we can benefit from the outdoors and have planned a cocktail outside the Cathedral after the ceremony. Since it will be cold in the Cathedral (even if the sun shines outside, the Cathedral is a monumental building which is not heated), we recommend that you dress accordingly for cold weather.
Given the weather constraint, we suggest a « warm and elegant » dress code for the religious ceremony at the Cathedral of Monaco. Please feel free to keep your coat or fur during the ceremony and for the pictures.
The nicest gift you can make us is to share the day with us. Many of you have suggested that we nevertheless provide guidance on suggested gifts. If you want to contribute to our new household or honeymoon, you can do so through the wedding registry we have set up with Galleries Lafayette Paris Haussman through their online service accessible here. If you have other gift ideas please do not hesitate to contact us through the form on the main page.
CoViD-19 remains a major concern for gatherings like weddings to the extent that people who traveled from afar have close interactions. To the extent that the wedding will be attended by older, and, thus, more vulnerable family members we try to minimize CoViD infection risks. We kindly ask you to adopt a prudent behavior prior to our wedding and would suggest that you proceed with self-tests prior to attending. We will have self tests available for those who were unable to test themselves before the event or those who think they may have symptoms. Monaco currently does not impose CoViD related travel restrictions but you may want to check the government website prior to your departure. https://covid19.mc/en/travel/i-come-from-abroad/
Please note that Monaco is not a part of the European Union and we suggest that you check your health insurance (and cellular roaming arrangements) to make sure coverage applies.
Emilie & Jean-Claude
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