Monaco: holidays, events, climate
Regular events
Formula 1 races
The Formula 1 car race takes place in Monte Carlo every year. It is one of the races that have been held annually as a world championship since 1950. There are currently 19 individual races known as Grand Prix.
With seven world championship victories, Michael Schumacher is the most successful participant in this racing event. The race goes right through the city of Monaco and is a social event of the highest order.
International Circus Festival of Monaco In
1974, Prince Rainier III initiated this most famous circus festival in the world, which takes place every January for the first time.
Monte Carlo oldtimer rally
This oldtimer rally takes place annually at the end of January/beginning of February
Spring Art Festival
The April Art Festival in Monte Carlo is a big event not to be missed
Festival of the Sea
The Festival of the Sea is celebrated in Monaco – in the Monte Carlo district – every year in June.
Source: Countryaah – Monaco Holidays
Regular sporting events
Formula 1 Grand Prix of Monaco
The third largest sporting event in the world has been held annually in May since 1929.
Auto-Rallye Monte Carlo
This annual rally in January has been around since 1911.
Tennis Masters Series, Monte Carlo (April)
Monaco & Riviera Marathon (November)
Public holidays
Date | Holiday |
January 1 | New Year |
January 27 | Feast of St. Dévote (patron saint of Monaco) |
March April | Easter |
May 1 | Labor Day |
May 5 | Ascension of Christ |
June 23rd to 24 | Feast of St. John in Monte Carlo |
May June | Pentecost |
May 26 | Corpus Christi |
15th of August | Assumption Day |
November 1 | All Saints Day |
November 19 | National holiday |
December 8 | Immaculate conception |
25 Dec | Christmas |
Monaco: climate
Monaco has a temperate Mediterranean climate with pleasant temperatures all year round and mild winters.
Attractions
- Abbreviationfinder.org: Presents the way that MC stands for the nation of Monaco as a two-letter acronym.
Interesting neighborhoods
La Condamine
Monaco’s second oldest district (after Monaco-Ville) invites you to stroll, be amazed and drift away.
Luxurious yachts, lively streets with countless shops and shopping opportunities such as the Condamine market and the Princesse-Caroline shopping center as well as modern architecture in all sorts of facets make La Condamine a real event.
Monaco-Ville
The beautiful old town of Monaco is one of the principal tourist attractions. The densely built-up Monaco-Ville spreads out on the so-called Prince’s Rock and is in the best neighborhood of the Prince’s Palace, the residence of the Monegasque royal family. The lovely old town is livened up by various souvenir shops, cafés and restaurants and can sometimes reach the limits of its capacity during the months of the high season.
Most of the administrative and government buildings are located in this district.
Monte Carlo
This district is certainly the most famous district of Monaco with the casino and the annual Formula 1 car race.
Special structures
Monte Carlo Train Station
This is one of the most modern train stations in the world.
Grimaldi Forum
The imposing congress center of Monaco was completed in 2000 and impresses with its sun-drenched glass entrance.
The conference center also has two restaurants, a large auditorium for opera and ballet performances and two conference rooms. Two large exhibition halls complete the offer.
Justitzpalast
The Justizpalst of Monaca was officially opened on May 1, 1930th The building is made of tuff extracted from the sea – a porous gray rock . On one of the façades there is a bust of Honoré II (1597-1662) from 1568. Honoré II of Monaco from the Grimaldi family was lord and later Prince of Monaco from 1604 to his Rod in 1662. Rue du Colonel Bellando de Castro 98000 Monaco
Notre-Dame-Immaculée Cathedral
Located in Monaco-Ville, the Principality’s main church functions as the seat of the Monegasque Archbishop and at the same time as the burial church of the Grimaldi and the Monegasque bishops.
The cathedral was built between 1875 and 1903 in the neo-Romanesque style and its interior features works from the school of Nice.
With the exception of Honoré III and Jacques I, all the princes of the Grimaldi family lie in the church’s crypt.
Monaco’s Opera House (French: Salle Garnier)
The Salle Garnier, built by the famous architect Charles Garnier in the style of Neomanierism, is the opera house of Monaco. The ostentatious but beautiful building impresses, among other things, with a wonderfully decorated auditorium, whose ceiling paintings express the boundlessness of human artistry. For a century now, international ballet, opera and concert performances have taken place there. A visit to the Salle Garnier is therefore extremely worthwhile, but it is also expensive.
Palais Princier
The Palais Princier, located in Monegasque old town, is worth seeing just for the beguiling view of Monaco.
But you can also get lost in the fascinating inner workings of the palace and take with you information about the architecture and its origins as a member of a guided tour.
A very special kind of spectacle takes place every day at 11:55 a.m. when the palace guards, the carabiniers, are relieved.
Stade Louis II
Yes, the small Principality of Monaco also has a football club, namely AS Monaco, which plays in the French Bundesliga. The home ground of this club, the Stade Louis II in the Fontvieille district, has over 18,500 seats. We owe the stadium construction, which opened in 1985, to the Monegasque Prince Rainier III. The architecturally very interesting round pillar building is used not only for the AS Monaco league games but also for the UEFA Supercup.
Tour de Odéon
This building – a twin high-rise – is the tallest building in the city-state with 50 floors and a height of 170 m.
The building comprises 259 apartments, two sky maisonette apartments with a living space of 1,200 m² each and a sky penthouse each with an area of 3,200 m². The building also has 545 parking spaces on 10 underground levels.
The building was designed by the architect Alexandre Giraldi from Monaco, while the interior design was designed by the French Alberto Pinto.
It was inaugurated in the second half of 2014.
Museums, sculpture trail
Marlborough Fine Arts Gallery
The Marlborough Fine Arts Gallery, actually founded in London by Frank Lloyd and Harry Fischer, has “branches” in New York and Rome as well as one in Monaco. You can see works from the period after the Second World War as well as paintings by Pablo Picasso, Jules Brassai, Joan Miro and Henri Matisse. Another good news is that entry is free.
Musée Napoléon
Exhibited here are Napoleonic souvenirs and exhibits from Monegasque history. Musée National The museum houses mechanical toys, slot machines and dolls.
Oceanographic Museum Monaco
The Oceanographic Museum (Musée et Institut océanographique de Monaco ) founded in 1889 by Prince Albert I (1848-1922) on a cliff in Monaco-Villedeals with numerous aspects of oceanography. Prince Albert was a passionate seafarer and served in both the Spanish and French navies, in whose service he had also participated in the Franco-German War of 1870/1871. The first exhibits were research pieces and memories of the prince himself, who had undertaken numerous scientific expeditions in his life. One of the most notable pieces is a Lepidoteuthis grimaldii, a special deep-sea squid. The Principality’s Oceanographic Institute has also been part of the museum since 1906. The most famous director of the museum was Jacques-Yves Cousteau from 1957, who had directed it for almost thirty years. In the basement of the very eye-catching and representative building there are a number of marine aquariums. Very close to the museum is a memorial in memory of Albert I, which shows him in sailor clothing with a southwest on his head at the helm of a ship. The ship itself is not shown, however.
Sculpture Path in Fontvielle
In this part of Monaco you can see numerous exhibits by internationally known artists.
university
The “International University of Monaco” was founded in 1986. 550 students are currently enrolled at this private university. The university offers courses in the field of economics.
International University of Monaco (IUM)
2, Avenue Albert II
MC 98000 Monte-Carlo
Principality of Monaco
Tel: +377 – 97 986 986
www.monaco.edu
The Monte Carlo Casino
The casino is a special attraction for many people.
Many hope to get rich here and some leave the casino and the state – if not as a poor man – but at least a lot easier in cash.
The beautiful Monte Carlo Casino was built by Charles Garnier in 1878.
The casino cabaret and the Salle Garnier, the beautiful opera, are also located here.
The famous casino, which is also one of the most famous casinos in the world, has existed since 1856 and now makes up around 5% of the national budget of Monaco.
Anyone wishing to enter the casino needs an ID, as Monegasque is not allowed to play in the casino.
You also have to pay an entrance fee, which can vary between 30 and several hundred euros, depending on the room you want to go to. If you want to save money, you can visit the casino for a low admission price, but then also without playing. However, the building in itself with all the exquisite furnishings is worth a visit. The casino’s dress code is strict for players: men must wear jackets and ties, and shoes that are presentable.
In Monte Carlo there are two more casinos in addition to the famous casino where you can also wear casual clothing. By the way, entry is free there.
Parks and beaches
Despite the high population density, there is always space in Monaco for well-tended parks and gardens.
Exotic Garden of Monaco
Opened in 1933, the Exotic Garden of Monaco (Le Jardin Exotique de Monaco) on Boulevard du Jardin Exotique functions as the city-state’s botanical garden. In addition to plants from southern Europe, species from Africa, South and Central America and the Middle East are also at home here.
Prince Albert I (1848-1922) laid the foundations for the garden.
Jardin Exotique
The complex contains exotic plants and a prehistoric grotto with stalagmites and stalactites.
Japanese Garden
The Japanese Garden of Monaco is located on Avenue Princesse Grace and, with its exotic plants, is one of the most popular parks in the small principality. It spreads in the west of the Grimaldi Forum (see above) and inspires with its picturesque diversity of plants. The pretty flora is interrupted by ponds with koi carp and by small huts and idyllic bridges.
Rose garden “Princesse Grace”
In the terraced park you can see 168 types of roses and several contemporary sculptures.
St. Martin Gardens
This garden – Jardins de St. Martin – is located in the Monaco-Ville district and impresses with its numerous local plants from the Mediterranean region.
The small paths in the garden meander picturesquely.
In addition to lush nature, you can also discover classic works of art and a pond.
Monaco beaches
Of course, especially in summer, the public beach in Monaco is full of life and splendor. The beach that spreads in Larvotto lures on the one hand not with fine, but rather coarse-grained sand and on the other hand is visited not only by tourists and Monegasque, but also by numerous jellyfish, whose company is not pleasant for everyone. The rather large and popular bathing beach behind Fontvieille is therefore a better alternative. However, it is already on the territory of France.
Monaco marinas
In addition to the casino and the old town, the marinas are one of the most popular attractions in Monaco.
Even wealthy visitors to the dwarf state feel like poor swallowers in view of the breathtakingly ostentatious private yachts anchored there. Monegasque’s largest marina by far can of course be admired in Monte Carlo.
There are other, but in some cases much smaller, marinas in Fontvieille and near Cap d’Ail.
By the way, the
Monaco harbor facility has been made accessible to larger ships since 2002 by a floating pier a little more than 350 m long.