Western Europe
Monaco
Two square kilometres of rock, casino and Grand Prix circuit, wedged between France and the sea.
Monaco is the second-smallest country in the world and the most densely populated, built vertically up a cliff because there is nowhere else to go. It is not in the EU or Schengen in its own right, though you enter through France and will not notice a border. For a visitor it is a half-day: the old town on the rock, the casino, the harbour, and the fact that a Formula One circuit runs through all three.
Getting around
Walk, and use the public lifts — a network of them climbs the cliff for free. The train from Nice takes twenty minutes and is by far the best way in.
When to come
The Grand Prix takes the last weekend in May and doubles every price in the region. Spring and autumn are warm and manageable; August is hot and full.
Worth knowing
- Not in the EU or Schengen as a member, but inside the Schengen travel area in practice via France.
- The casino requires ID and refuses entry to Monégasque citizens by law.
- Beach access is largely paid; the free public beach is at Larvotto.
At the table
- Barbagiuan, a fried chard and ricotta pastry, the actual national dish
- Socca and Niçoise cooking, shared with the coast either side
- A coffee at the Café de Paris, priced as theatre
Travel regions
1 editorial regions, each opening onto its cities.
Popular destinations
The destinations we have written most about, which is not the same as the ones most people go to — and is the only ranking we can honestly compute.
Experiences here
A sample of what is listed across Monaco.
Fixed points in the year
The record
What we hold about Monaco, where each figure came from, and when it was last checked. The score says what this country is for, not how good it is — it is useful once you are already interested and is not a reason to be.
- Capital
- Monaco
- Currency
- EUR — euro
- Languages
- French, Monégasque
- Population
- 38,964 (2019) — Natural Earth 1:50m admin 0 countries
- ISO codes
- MC · MCO
- Time zone
- CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
- Membership
- Uses the euro
- Typical day
- €140–320 per person
- Best months
- May, June, July, August, September
- Quieter months
- April, October
- Facts checked
- not verified why this matters
Europe Experience Score
How this is calculated — derived from our own tagging, not from measurement. It says what a place is for, not how good it is. The tick on each bar is the median across the whole Atlas, so a bar short of it is a dimension this place is not for.