I'm in a fortunate position to be on a cruse that's in port of Nice on the day of the Monaco GP.

I'm a little concerned about transportation to and from the race however on raceday as we'll need to be back in Nice by 4:30 to board the ship. As I understand it the usual 10-15 trip from one to the other can be horribly time consuming on the day of the race.

But...I can't imagine being that close and not at least getting to put my eyes on some sort of track activity that day. We're thinking of getting general admission tickets to sit in Sectuer Rocher which is on a hill near the Grimaldi Castle.

Wondering if any Rennlisters have ever been and can comment on how good or bad travel delays will be in and out of Monaco that day.

Andy

 

Denny Hulme won the time I went, so I imagine the traffic patterns have changed some.... you might see about water transportation.... don't know if there are water taxis in that neck of the woods, but it would probably be quicker.

The venue and the race and the people watching are amazing enough that you'll want to check your cruise ships itinerary for next port of call in case you miss the 4:30.

 

I was there 2 years ago and will again this year!

For an Formula 1 fan, an absolute must race to go. A bucket list item for sure.

Transportation from & to Nice works well in a normal day but during a race I'm sure it's hectic. In any case, even if you're using the helipad next to the Princess' Rose Garden, there's no way you'll make it back to Nice by 4.30 pm if you watch the race.
That 10-15 min time quoted is with the chopper, it takes longer than that with a car. I drove once from Nice to Monte Carlo (by the scenic, more fun route though) and it took almost an hour I think.

I think there is also a boat transfer from Nice to Monte Carlo which might work good for you.

However, you can watch the morning practice and also other activities that occur before the race, I can tell you the Porsche Supercups echoing from the building in the harbor is quite amazing too.

Sectuer Rocher is a good choice for you since you're not going to watch the race, no need to fork up the big bucks for that.

 

Andy,

I won't be using my yacht that weekend, and it should be docked already in Monaco. You are welcome to it. It is the big white one right by the track. Just stop by and say Tom said you could watch the race from the yacht.

-td

 

Hello Andy ,

I know a guy , dat knows another guy , who sweeps the track and he should be there this year. If you do go , please tell him i want my GD bottle of patron ...


errr, thanks !!!

 

You're on the wrong cruise line. Windstar spends Friday thru Sunday in Monaco proper: http://www.windstarcruises.com/europ...0509-5657.aspx

The tenders will drop you off at the dock below the Lowes hotel.

 

www.heliairmonaco.com Nice to Monaco every 20min

Have fun.

 

I've been 4 times, last year was the first year I missed.

We typically parked about 2 km from Monaco and walked the coast path from the south. I'd agree that you won't be back in time to board if you watch the whole race. The morning races are fun though.

If you can go Saturday, the views in the port are still very worthwhile

 

i've been to the monoco gp a few times. some random thoughts:

on the day(s) of the gp, streets are a mess, with most around the circuit closed to vehicle traffic. so in your travel calculations, allow time for serious walking depending on how far your entry/drop off point is from your viewing location.

while you could drive into monaco on the day of the gp, the entry into the principality (single lanes at times) will most certainly be in very heavy traffic.

the cannes festival and the gp ensure that nothing in the area over those two weeks is at the usual crazy prices...it's an order of magnitude worse! suspect the usual EUR 100 helicopter ride into monaco will be much much more (it will be hard to get as well). not sure if the helicopter service operates near the port in nice (you might need to take a cab to the airport).

i have not watched the race from secteur rocher, but i'm told folks get there fairly early to get a good viewing spot on the hill. no doubt you can find tips on the net.

i would suggest you look into taking the train into monaco (and factor in time taken to get to the train station in nice and walk from the train station in monaco to secteur rocher).

i don't know about public water transport into monaco, since you're going to be at the port in nice, perhaps it's worth looking into.

i'm told private water transport is about $1000/foot/week (helipads extra)!

hope you do get to watch some action, it'll be special.

 

http://www.gothamdreamcars.com/news/...-yacht-moncao/

 

I think you're on the same cruise we were on last year! Royal Caribbean's Navigator out of Barcelona? If so, you can PROBABLY do it. I wasn't brave enough, so we went into Nice and heard the start on the radio (via a Frenchwoman's translation for me from her knickknack shop), then the last 1/4 from Villefranche on TV at a bar where the dozen or so people were more interested in stepping outside for a smoke..........

Back to the logistics. If you ignore (or bully) your way off the ship onto the tender early, you can catch any number of trains toward Monte Carlo and get there well before the race starts. Some of our dinner table mates did just that, and they had no intention of going anywhere near the race. HOWEVER, they kind of mis-timed the return and they got the absolute last tender back to the ship. Not from crowds, if I recall, as they left well before the race ended.

If you want more tips/experiences of the itinerary, provided that's the ship, let me know.

 

Oops.........you'll be there watching preliminary setup if you roll into town that weekend...............

RCL docks in Villefranche-sur-mer, which is about a 20 minute bus ride to the Nice bus terminal. Even further away would be the airport. But the train toward Monte Carlo is convenient from Villefranche.

 

Lunch (with Patron handover ceremony) tomorrow?

 

From Nice take the train. 30-min ride, typically on the hour or half hour. 20 min walk down the hill, 30-min walk back up ;-) Check schedule online. From the train station in Monaco (tunneled into a hillside), there is an observation deck that you can see (off in the distance) a small part of the track.

Bring sun and ear protection, must buy a ticket to see anything. They put up tall (can't see thru) fences all around the track route. The noise in the city streets walking down to the venue is very loud! Taxi rides to the central / main station in Nice are expensive ($50 and up), but worth the time savings over the bus route (and less chance of getting lost / missing the boat). If you are note familiar with traveling in Europe, bring lots of Euro's (cash) as credit card transactions with US cards can be problematic (taxi ride, train ticket, race ticket, sidewalk shops, etc.).

 

I went last year, and like Finn said, it is a must do if you are a racing fan...

Lots of good advice here, I don't have a lot to add other than to warn you to leave extra time to get around. We took the train in from Nice each day on the race weekend and the crowds are huge (as you would expect) so it takes time to navigate around the small roads in the principality. Also try to catch the GP2 race if you can, it is great racing. Enjoy it, it really is a fantastic experience to see a grand prix in such a unique place .