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During our month-long European street journey, we parked the RV in Italy for an opportunity to go to Monaco. Monaco doesn’t permit RV parking within the nation, so we couldn’t camp on this tiny nation. But our Italian campeggio supplied a shuttle to a French practice station and it was a fast 10-minute trip over to Monaco.
We determined to spend in the future in Monaco as a result of, on paper, it appeared like we might see the entire nation in in the future simply!
Watch our one-day Monaco household trip to see what it was like:
Is Monaco good for household?
Monaco is the least kid-friendly nation we visited throughout our European street journey. Most of the issues to do within the nation are playing, purchasing, and yachting. Three issues children usually don’t take pleasure in. (We occurred to go to the day the massive yacht present opened, and didn’t discover out till after the truth that we might’ve entered the present and toured mega yachts! Major bummer!)
However, in the event you’re visiting France and wish to jump over into Monaco, it does make for an excellent day journey. Our children had a blast and loved our one-day journey.
As we researched issues to do in Monaco, the checklist was fairly quick. Probably as a result of all the nation is about half the dimensions of Central Park!
We narrowed it down to 3 issues we might do with our toddler and child in tow:
Between naps and underestimating how lengthy it could take to push the stroller up the mountainside, we solely had sufficient time to go to the aquarium and take the 30-minute practice tour of the nation. Oh, and go to a tiny playground we got here throughout as we looked for Monaco’s nationwide dish!
We didn’t get to go to the palace, however we did see it on our tour (see the video above!). And as a fortunate bonus: The practice boards proper throughout the road from the aquarium, making it further handy for households to do each.
If you’ve got extra time than we did, you possibly can even go to a number of the casinos together with your children through the day. (Each on line casino in Monte Carlo has completely different guidelines and hours, so examine earlier than you go to.) Remember to decorate sensible whereas in Monaco, particularly in the event you plan to go to a on line casino the place there may be probably a costume code of “smart attire.” Flip flops and denims wouldn’t be permitted, for instance.
Is Monaco costly to go to?
Every time we go to Europe, I’m stunned to see how cheap the continent is in comparison with America. We might order a three-course meal in France for $16! (And it was scrumptious and I’ll be dreaming about it for months.)
We solely ate lunch and grabbed snacks in Monaco, but it surely was dearer than in France and Italy. Grubers Burgers price us about $15 for a burger and fries—considerably greater than we paid for meals in France and Italy. But in the event you’re visiting from the States, $15 for a burger and fries isn’t extraordinary. So it gained’t hit your pocketbook too onerous.
Plus, in the event you’re visiting with younger children, it can save you on admission tickets. Our one and three-year-olds entered the aquarium without spending a dime (beneath age 4 is free). We paid $19 per grownup. Le Petit Train tour price about $10 per grownup and $5 for our daughter, however the child was free. As far as ticket costs go throughout Europe, this was fairly common.
I assumed due to Monaco’s popularity that it could be costly to go to, however I used to be fortunately fallacious!
What is the very best time of 12 months to go to Monaco?
Like most of Europe, the very best time to go to Monaco is within the shoulder season when crowds have thinned and the climate is ideal. We visited on September 28 and it was 75º and sunny. Because Monaco is on the coast however constructed into the mountains, you possibly can anticipate to stroll all day. Visiting within the cooler spring and fall months will make trekking up and down the nation rather more pleasing.
What to do in Monaco with Kids
There isn’t a lot to do in Monaco with children—particularly younger toddlers like ours. With our in the future within the nation, we loved these two family-friendly actions.
1. Musée océanographique de Monaco (aka the Monaco Aquarium)
As I discussed we paid $19 per grownup once we visited. We purchased our tickets on-line forward of time, however that wasn’t mandatory.
The greatest problem with the aquarium was merely getting there. From the primary practice station, it was a trek. And as you noticed within the video, there are a TON of stairs in Monaco. It was not stroller pleasant and really tough to maneuver. However, contained in the museum was a bit of higher and supplied elevators to get to the completely different flooring.
The aquarium isn’t too huge. I might anticipate to spend an hour or two right here.
Is the Monaco aquarium price it?
Yes! Our children are very younger, so discovering one thing that can maintain their consideration will be tough. Our one-year-old practiced strolling whereas urgent his face up in opposition to the aquarium glass. And our three-year-old met her new greatest pal: a sea turtle.
2. Le Petit Train de Monaco
We opted for this practice tour of Monaco for a number of causes:
- You see these cute vacationer trains throughout Europe! We had been past curious at this level.
- They provide audio excursions in a number of languages.
- We knew we couldn’t see all of Monaco with out it.
Technically, you possibly can stroll throughout all of Monaco in beneath an hour. Add two children and a stroller to that and it could take all day! The practice tour was one of the best ways for our household to see Monte Carlo, gawk on the fancy shops, and be taught extra in regards to the nation.
Is the Le Petit Train price it?
I commute on if this was price it. It was a good way to get off our toes and see the nation, however our children had been previous drained at that time within the afternoon. They in all probability would’ve most popular if we had merely spent half-hour taking part in on the park as an alternative!
But I do know with little children that we couldn’t have seen Monaco in any other case, so I’m glad we did it.
Should you go to Monaco with children?
As a younger household, taking a household trip to Monaco wouldn’t prime my checklist. France and Italy are rather more family-friendly and reasonably priced. But it’s an excellent day journey to a novel nation and really simple to go to.