To go to Monaco, to show off at secular parties, to get acquainted with the prince himself, to achieve his disposition and find his name on the list of those lucky ones (and there are no more than ten of them) to whom the prince annually grants the citizenship of Monaco ... Does not it sound too realizable? Well, you can go here with much more realistic goals .For example ,to join the world elite get-together (for a number of travelers it is this goal that determines the nature of the trip) ,with a chic lose in the famous Monte Carlo Casino dollar - $ ,or even two ,with my own eyes see ,what passions flare up at the Formula 1 Grand Prix ,live in luxury hotels (well, at least one) ,supper in luxurious restaurants - some of the best on the entire Cote d'Azur ,to dwindle in admiration at the annual exhibition of fashionable yachts ... a list of pleasures under the flag "laxtery" ,waiting for a tourist in this realm of luxury.,you can continue indefinitely ,but better than ,course ,not stingy (and you have to fork out) for a tour in Monaco and see everything with your own eyes

How to get to Monaco

The easiest and fastest way to get to Monaco is by plane to Nice, then by bus (about 45 minutes), by train (20-30 minutes) or by car (about half an hour). Aeroflot and Air France carry out regular daily flights to Nice and Paris. Flight Moscow - Nice lasts about 4 hours, Moscow - Paris - about 3 hours and 50 minutes. The distance from the French capital to the principality is 958 km, which can be traversed by train in a few hours.

Citizens of the CIS countries can get to Monaco by transit through Paris. "Ukraine's international airlines" and Air France carry out daily direct flights Kiev-Paris (3 hours 20 minutes in the air). Flights from KLM, Lufthansa, British Airways and Turkish Airlines fly daily from Almaty to Paris (the journey time is from 9 hours including dockings). From Minsk, Belavia operates regular flights.

Visa in Monaco

Since there are no representatives of Monaco in Russia, the visa documents for this country are submitted to the French visa centers located in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Nizhny Novgorod.

Customs

There are no restrictions on import and export of foreign currency. If tourists come from non-EU countries, all amounts over 10 000 EUR must be declared.

Duty-free allowed to import up to 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250 g of tobacco, up to a liter of alcoholic beverages stronger than 22º or up to 2 liters of wine with a strength of less than 22º, up to 500g of coffee beans, up to 100g of tea or 40g of tea extract, up to 50 ml of perfume and 250 ml of toilet water, as well as objects and things for personal use. Gold items and jewels weighing up to 500 g (only for personal use) are imported free of charge, all jewelry over this standard must be declared.

It is prohibited to import and export drugs, items of historical value, weapons and ammunition, animals and plants on the list of endangered species, pornography, certain food products, meat and meat products from Africa.

When importing medicines for personal use, no special permission is required, but many drugs need to have a prescription issued by a doctor certified by a notary.

Useful phone numbers are

Consul General of the Principality of Monaco in St. Petersburg: English Embankment, 42; tel .: (812) 312-53-96

Embassy of France in Moscow: st. The Great Yakimanka, 45; tel .: (495) 937-15-00; fax: 937-14-46; website

Representative functions in Monaco are performed by the Russian Embassy in France.

Police: 17 or 931-530-15, emergency medical service: 932-598-69, fire service and paramedics service: 18 or 933-019-45.

Safety of tourists in Monaco

The level of crime in the country is one of the lowest in Europe: it is due to the fact that the country has one of the most powerful police surveillance systems in the world.

The tap water is quite suitable for drinking, but it has an unusual mineral composition - it's better to use bottled water.

The climate of Monaco is

The climate is subtropical Mediterranean, with dry summers and warm rainy winters. The average temperature in July is +22 .. + 23 ° C, in January - +10 .. + 11 ° C. Alps protect Monaco from cold server winds, summer sea breezes soften the heat. The best time to visit the country is May-September.

See also the weather forecast for the main resorts and in the cities of Monaco.

Transport in Monaco

Given the size of the country, the large and developed transport system in Monaco can not speak. The city bus network - six lines connecting areas of tourist attractions. All buses run according to the schedule (on weekdays interval about 10 minutes, on Sunday - more), working hours from 7:00 to 21:00.

In addition, the services of tourists - a small locomotive, which runs through the principality. The duration of the trip is about half an hour, it works daily, except for the winter months (from mid-November to the end of January).

Taxis can be ordered by phone or by car park near the railway station or major attractions. The fare is about 1, 2 EUR per kilometer, the night rate is higher by a quarter.

Rent a car in Monaco

For rent, you will need a national or international driver's license, a credit card and 21 years of earthly life on your back. The country has representative offices of most major international rolling companies.

Monaco hotels

Hotels in Monaco offer their guests a high level of comfort and the same high prices. In total, about 15 hotels have been opened in the country, some of them being the most expensive on the entire Cote d'Azur. Accommodation outside of Monaco will be much cheaper.

Money

Banks are open from 9:00 to 12:00 and from 14:00 to 16:30 from Monday to Friday. The bank next to the casino in Monte Carlo runs daily from 12:00 to 23:00, including - on weekends and holidays.

You can exchange money in banks, in an exchange office at a railway station or in hotels.

Traveler's checks can be exchanged in banks, checks in US dollars, EUR and pounds sterling, as a rule, are exchanged without commission. Credit cards of major world systems are accepted everywhere.

Shopping and shops in Monaco

Shops are usually open from 9.00 to 12.00 and from 15.00 to 19.00. Prices in stores are higher than in neighboring Italy and France.

Monaco cuisine and restaurants

National cuisine as such is absent in the country, but all the restaurants and cafes of the principality offer numerous dishes of French, Italian and other European cuisines.

Hotel de Paris is one of the most famous restaurants on the Côte d'Azur, Louis XV, awarded three stars in the guide "Michelin". Accordingly, the average cost of a dish in this institution is about 200 EUR.

Entertainment, Excursions and Attractions of Monaco

The Principality of Monaco is a city consisting of four merged areas: Monaco-Ville, Monte Carlo, Fontvieille and La Condamine, each of which has interesting sights.

Monaco-Ville, or the "Old Town" is located in the center of the principality, on the cliff at Cape St. Antoine .The main feature of this area is that it is forbidden to settle in foreign countries .The main local attractions: the palace of the genus Grimaldi - the official residence of the ruling family, the cathedral in 1875, where the buried American actress and wife of Prince Rainier III Grace Kelly, the Napoleon Museum and the Historical Archives of the Princely Palace, the Palace Square, where a march of guardsmen of the guard of honor takes place daily, chapel of Chapelle-de-la-Misericord (1635 g); Gardens of Sv .Martin and Fort-Antoine (now it's an open theater) .It is also interesting to visit the Museum of Old Monaco, the Oceanographic Museum with an underground aquarium and the Wax Museum, dedicated to the history of the Grimaldi dynasty from the late 13th century to the present day..

Monte Carlo - the center of night life and gambling. The center of the district is the Casino du Monte-Carlo, the first gambling house in Europe and one of the oldest gambling establishments in the world. No less interesting are the National Park of Puppets, the Church of St. Charles and the Japanese Garden of 7000 square meters. m

La Condamine is the port and business center of the country, where all offices, banks, supermarkets and markets are concentrated. There you can not ignore the Church of St. Devote, the pedestrian street of Ryu-Princess-Carolina, built up with boutiques, cafes and restaurants, exotic park "Jardin-Exotic" with more than 7000 cacti, Museum of prehistoric anthropology and the Big Market.

Fontvieille - a new industrial area of ​​the principality, built on a "selected" from the sea territory. The main attractions are: the commercial center, which houses the Museum of ancient cars of Prince Rainier III (more than 100 cars), the Museum of Philately and Numismatics, the Maritime Museum with a collection of copies of famous ships, a zoological garden, a landscape park and the largest Prince's Stadium in the name of Prince Louis II. $

For the sake of which thousands of tourists visit Monaco every year? Of course, to try and catch luck at the tail at the Monte Carlo casino. Its doors are open daily from noon until dawn (except May 1). To visit the casino, you must be over 21 years of age, carry identification documents and be suitably dressed.

To the services of less gambling tourists - numerous bars and restaurants (usually open until 2:00), discos, show programs and night restaurants (open from 23:00 until dawn).

Those who prefer a secular get-together silence and peace, await the magnificent sandy beaches, walks through the gardens and palaces of the principality, as well as perfectly equipped sports grounds, tennis courts, golf, yacht clubs, fitness centers and swimming pools.

• Are there rules for visiting a casino in Monte Carlo?

Events in Monaco

The main events that attract motor racing fans from around the world to the principality are the Monte Carlo rally in February and the Formula 1 Grand Prix in May.

Other events: International Circus Festival in January, International Television Festival in February, March Festival of Magicians, Spring Festival of Arts in Monte Carlo and Festival of Contemporary Sculpture in April, World Music Festival and International Floral Competition in May, International Fireworks Festival in July. $

Photo Monaco (103)