It goes without saying the Monaco is one of the most unique places in the world. Situated at the southern tip of France, Monaco is a sovereign city-state country that is 0.78 square miles (the second smallest country in the world behind the Vatican City). Among many things, Monaco is widely known for the infamous annual motor street race (Monaco Grand Prix) that takes places on its winding city roads. It is no surprise that the beautiful city and landscape of Monaco attracts over 300,000 tourists a year. Despite all the fancy yacht’s and some of the most expensive real estate in the world, there are many places and adventures that you can enjoy in Monaco that do not cost a lot of money.
Things to do in Monaco for Free:
Monaco Japanese Garden
Constructed in 1994, The Japanese Garden in Monaco is situated in the very center of the city near the coast. The Garden posses a beautiful combination of Japanese and Mediterranean aesthetics. Many of the garden’s components, including the lanterns, bamboo, gate, and wood, were imported directly from Japan. Meanwhile, all of the plants and trees (olive, pomegranate, and others) in the garden are of Mediterranean origin. The price of the Japanese Garden is Free, and its hours of operation are from 9am-5:45pm.
Prince’s Palace of Monaco
As the name suggests, this is the residence of the Prince of Monaco. Although you cannot enter the palace, the palace has beautiful archtichture and is very close to a lookout point of the whole city of Monaco. Also, the Monaco Palace changing of the guards happens every day at 11:55 am, which is a very cool ceremony to watch.
Best Beaches Near Monaco
One of the best free excursions to take advantage of in Monaco are the free beaches. Although there are some beaches located within the Monaco city limits, the best beaches that are not crowded are a walking distance away in France.
Plage de la mala France (Beach of Mala)
This is one of my favorite beaches in all of Europe. Plage de la mala is a small cove beach with clear blue water and squeezed between to cliffs that have many beach villa homes built into them. Perhaps the best part of the beach is that it is off the beaten path and is never crowded. Most of the people there are local French residents. A reason for this is that Plage de la mala is hard to find if you are not familiar with the area. The best way to get there is via Promenade cap D’ail, which is a beautiful seaside walkway that leads you directly to Plaga de la mala. The views are absolutely stunning (view the pictures below)
The entrance to is located here and takes you directly to Plage de la mala.
Plage Marquet Monaco (Marquet beach)
Although this is located in France, this is another lovely sand beach located within walking distance from Monaco. During the day this beach can get pretty crowded, but it is still better than the Monaco beaches. Plage Marquet is a fun spot to travel to after the sun goes down. Many locals (and a few tourist) take to the beach around 7pm and bring their own wine and relax on the beach.
Plage du Larvotto (Larvotto beach)
If you are stuck on visiting a beach in Monaco, I recommend plage du larvotto. It is a sand beach and features a beautiful view of the Adriatic. There is also a small dock that you can jump off. There are also many eating and drinking spots nearby. I am not particularly fond of this beach as it gets extremely crowded and there is a lot of construction going on nearby.
Cheap Bars in Monaco
Surprisingly, the drinks in Monaco are not that expensive (**if you go at the right time**). I definitely recommend visiting the beach bars during their happy hours, which are typically between 6-8p.m. During this time there are beer options for 3 to 4 euros. When you ask for your check, make sure that they charged you for the happy hour price. The two spots I went to were Brasserie de Monaco (50% off drinks at happy hour) and Gerhard’s Café (has a couple options for 4 euros drinks).
Cheap places to eat in Monaco
If you are travelling on a tight budget, the best option for food is to just buy it from a supermarket. I went to Carrefour Supermarket Monaco and the prices were very reasonable and comparable to grocery prices throughout Europe. There are also street food that is served at a pretty reasonable price, especially pizza places. You can usually find a big slice of pizza for 3 euros. I recommend just searching on google maps cheap places to eat in Monaco.
The Monaco harbor is also a cool place to check out luxury yachts and day dream about what sort of yacht you would buy if you were a millionaire. Maybe you will be as lucky as me and find a 5 euro bill floating in a puddle 😉
