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Monaco
General Information
Area: 1.95 sq km (0.75 sq miles).
Population: 31,963 (official estimate 2000).
Population Density: 16,391 per sq km.
Capital: Monaco-Ville. Population: 1234 (1987).
GEOGRAPHY: Monaco is second only to the Vatican as the smallest independent state in Europe. Set on the Mediterranean coast of France just a few miles from the Italian border, the principality is a constitutional monarchy and relies largely on foreign currency for an economic base. Its principal industry is tourism. The country is a narrow ribbon of coastline backed by the Alpes-Maritimes foothills, creating a natural amphitheatre overlooking the sea, with the population centred in four districts. Monaco-Ville is set on a rocky promontory dominating the coast. The Palace is the home of the Grimaldi family, the oldest ruling house in Europe. Monaco-Ville also boasts a fine Romanesque cathedral among its other attractions. La Condamine is the area around the Port, while Monte-Carlo is the main centre for business and entertainment. Fontvieille has been set aside as an area for new light industrial and residential development.
Government: Constitutional monarchy. Head of State: Prince Rainer III since 1949. Head of Government: Minister of State Patrick Leclercq since 2000.
Language: French. Monégasque (a mixture of French Provençal and Italian Ligurian), English and Italian are also spoken. Native Monégasques make up only a minority of Monaco’s population.
Religion: Roman Catholic (Monaco has a Catholic Bishop) with Anglican minorities.
Time: GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).
Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz. Round two-pin plugs are in use.
Communications:
Telephone
Full IDD is available. Country code: 377. Outgoing international code: 00.
Mobile telephone
GSM 900 network covers the whole principality. Network operators include Itineris, SFR and Bouygues.
Fax
All hotels have facilities.
Internet
ISPs include Monaco Internet (website: www.monaco.net). There is at least one Internet cafe.
Telegram
Available at hotels and post offices. Telephones and telegraphic services are open 0800-2100 daily at the main post office (see below).
Post
Same rates as France. The main post office is at The Scala Palace, Beaumarchais Square. Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1900, Sat 0800-1200. There are special Monégasque stamps.
Press
The principal regional daily is Nice-Matin (which includes two pages on Monaco). The Monaco Hebdo covers Monaco’s current affairs. The Journal de Monaco, an internal government journal, is published weekly. Other newspapers include Monaco Actualité, Gazette Monaco-Côte d’Azur and Monte Carlo Méditerranée. French newspapers are widely available, as are English books and magazines. The Riviera Reporter, the only English-language magazine for residents in the French riviera, is published every two months.
BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change.
BBC (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice):
Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov):
Passport/Visa
The passport and visa requirements for persons visiting Monaco as tourists are the same as for France. For further details, see the France section. Monaco is not a member of the EU, however, so residency and long-stay requirements differ and are liable to change. For further details, contact any French Consulate (or Consular section at Embassy).
| | Passport Required? | Visa Required? | Return Ticket Required? | | British | | | | | Australian | | | | | Canadian | | | | | USA | | | | | OtherEU | | | | | Japanese | | | |
Money
Currency: The first Euro coins and notes were introduced in January 2002. For details of the Euro currency, exchange rates and currency restrictions, see France section.
Credit & debit cards: All major credit cards are widely accepted. Check with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other services which may be available.
Travellers cheques: Widely accepted. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take travellers cheques in Euros, US Dollars or Pounds Sterling.
Banking hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1200 and 1400-1630.
Duty Free
See France section for details.
Public Holidays
Nov 1 2002 All Saints’ Day. Nov 18-19 Monaco National Day. Dec 8 Immaculate Conception. Dec 25 Christmas Day. Jan 1 2003 New Year’s Day. Jan 26-27 Saint-Devote’s Day. Apr 21 Easter Monday. May 1 Labour Day. Jun 9 Whit Monday. Jun 19 Corpus Christi. Aug 15 Assumption. Nov 1 All Saints’ Day. Nov 18-19 Monaco National Day. Dec 8 Immaculate Conception. Dec 25 Christmas Day. Jan 1 2004 New Year’s Day. Jan 26-27 Saint-Devote’s Day. Apr 12 Easter Monday. May 1 Labour Day. May 31 Whit Monday. Jun 10 Corpus Christi. Aug 15 Assumption. Nov 1 All Saints’ Day. Nov 18-19 Monaco National Day. Dec 8 Immaculate Conception. Dec 25 Christmas Day.
Health
| | Special Precautions | Certificate Required | | Yellow Fever | No | No | | Cholera | No | No | | Typhoid and Polio | No | N/A | | Malaria | No | N/A |
Health care: Health insurance is recommended. There are high standards of medical care.
Travel - International
AIR: There is no airport in Monaco. Helicopter services run by Héli-Air Monaco (YO) link the principality with the nearest airport, Nice (Nice-Cote d’Azur) (website: www.nice.aeroport.fr), 22km (14 miles) from Monaco. The journey takes 7 minutes. Héli-Air also serves points along the Côte d’Azur and in Italy. There are free shuttle links from the heliport to hotels in the principality. For more information, contact Héli-Air Monaco, Monaco Heliport, Quartier de Fontvieille, 98000 Monaco (tel: 9205 0051; fax: 9205 0011; e-mail: helico@heliairmonaco.com; website: www.heliairmonaco.com).
Departure tax: None.
SEA: The main harbours are at Condamine (Hercule port) and Fontvieille, which are equipped to handle yachts of all tonnages. Intercontinental liners are able to anchor in the bay of Monaco.
RAIL: An extensive train service, including daily and overnight through trains, runs through the principality to all neighbouring towns. The TGV Mediterranée line, runs between Paris and Monaco (travel time – 5 hours 45 minutes). High-speed trains on this route run through the beautiful Burgundy and Provencal countryside. For more information, contact RailEurope (tel: (08705) 848 848; website: www.raileurope.com). The SNCF Métrazur summer service runs every 30 minutes, stopping at all towns on the Côte d’Azur between Cannes and the Italian frontier at Vintimille, including Monaco. A new station has recently been built underground. For more information, contact French Railways (SNCF) (tel: (8) 3635 3535; website: www.sncf.com).
ROAD: Cannes and Nice are 50km (31 miles) and 18km (11 miles) west of Monaco. The French/Italian border and Menton are 12km (7 miles) and 9km (6 miles) east of Monaco. No formalities are required to cross the frontier between France and the Principality of Monaco. Coach: There is a direct service from Nice Airport to Monaco, which stops at major hotels. The return journey stops at slightly fewer hotels and takes passengers to Terminals 1 and 2 at Nice airport (travel time – 45 minutes). Bus: There are good connections with the surrounding areas, with regular services as outlined. Nice: Seaside route with stops at Cap d’Ail, Eze-sur-Mer, Beaulieu-sur-Mer and Villefranche-sur-Mer. Service from 0600-2100 approximately every 30 minutes. Middle Corniche route with stops at Cap d’Ail, Eze-Village and Col de Villefranche. Services from 0600-1815 (Sat-Sun 2000) approximately every hour. Menton: Seaside route with stops in Roquebrune and Cap-Martin (service from 0530-2100) approximately every 30 minutes. Service to Saint Roman/Rocher de Monaco, Jardin Exotique/Rocher de Monaco, Gare SNCF/Larvotto Beach and Rocher de Monaco/Parking Touristique Fontvieille. Buses run approximately every five minutes between Monaco-Ville and the Casino, every ten minutes towards Saint Roman or the Jardin Exotique and between the Railway Station and beaches (Larvotto). Taxi: Available from Casino Square, Monaco Monte-Carlo Railway Station, avenue Princesse Grace, Fontvieille, Métropole, Place des Moulins and the Post Office of Monte-Carlo. There is a surcharge after 2200. Documentation: As for France, a national driving licence will suffice.
TRAVEL TIMES: The following chart gives approximate travel times (in hours and minutes) from Monaco to a selection of other cities in Europe.
| Air | Road | Rail | Sea | | London | 1.55 | 20.00 | 11.00 | - | | Paris | 1.15 | - | - | - | | Nice | *0.07 | 0.45 | 0.30 | 0.20 | | Menton | - | 0.35 | 0.25 | - | | Geneva | 0.50 | 3.30 | 4.00 | - | | Rome | 1.00 | - | - | - |
NOTE: * Time by helicopter; see above under Air.Accommodation
HOTELS: Some of the most luxurious hotels and conference facilities are centred in Monte-Carlo, and all are equipped with extensive modern amenities. For further information, contact the Association de l’Industrie Hôtelière Monégasque, Hôtel Tulipin, 9 avenue Prince Pierre, MC 98000 (tel: 9205 6491; fax: 9205 6491; e-mail: aihm@monte-carlo.mc; website: www.monte-carlo.mc/aihm). Grading: Hotels in Monaco are graded in a 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-star and 4-star deluxe system. The principality has over 19 hotels, four of which are in the 4-star deluxe category and three of which are in the 4-star category.
SELF-CATERING: Apartments are available to let. For further details, contact the Monaco Government Tourist & Convention Office (see Contact Addresses section).
Introduction
Monaco forms an enclave into the French Département of the Alpes Maritimes. The narrow ribbon of coastline is backed by the mountains, which form a protective barrier. This area creates a natural amphitheatre. From the heights of the Tête de Chien or Mont Agel, or from lower down from the Moyenne-Corniche at the level of the entrance to the Jardin Exotique, there are a number of panoramic viewpoints looking out over exceptional scenery. The ancestral Rocher and the promontory of Spélugues border the harbour where pleasure boats are moored. The Rock of Monaco has a medieval air. It is a city of bright, clean streets which converge on the Prince’s Palace Square, where there are museums, boutiques and restaurants.
Monaco is well located for exploring Provence and the French Riviera. For a description of the area of France surrounding Monaco, see Côte d'Azur in the France section.
MONACO-VILLE: Perched on the famous Rock, the Old Town (Monaco-Ville) juts into the sea on Monaco’s western flank and offers excellent views of the harbour and its usual armada of luxury yachts below. The city’s architectural history, reflected in its medieval houses, palaces and vaulted passageways, is best experienced on foot – either alone or through one of the many organised tours available (which tend to make the city quite crowded during the summer months). The main tourist attraction is the Prince’s Palace and State Apartments (open daily 0930-1830 (June to September), 1000-1700 (October)). Built around 1215, the palace’s focal points are the Throne Room and the Main Courtyard with its horse-shaped marble staircase, adorned with millions of geometric patterns. The Changing of the Palace Guard (admission free) takes place daily, just before noon (1155). For a visit of the palace and apartments, an admission fee is charged. Also worth visiting are the serene and sea-facing Saint-Martin Gardens, which inspired the poet Guillaume Apollinaire between 1887 and 1889.
There are a number of museums of varying degrees of interest located in the Old Town, including the Oceanographic Museum and Aquarium, whose grandiose façade rises spectacularly out of the sea and houses a world-renowned collection of marine fauna. New, interactive exhibits are being introduced in 2001. Other museums and attractions include the Museum of Napoleonic Souvenirs and Collection of the Palace’s Historic Archives, which exhibits thousands of objects relating to the First Empire (Napoleon I) and provides a colourful history of Monaco; the Wax Museum of the Princes of Monaco, Monaco’s answer to London’s Madame Tussaud’s; the Monte-Carlo Story, a multivision show about Monaco’s history; and the Azur Express Tourist Train, which carries up to 54 visitors and offers commentaries in French, Italian, German and English.
For all tourist attractions and museums (except the Japanese Gardens), an admission fee is charged. Opening hours and prices are seasonal; ask for the relevant brochures from the Direction du Tourisme (see Contact Addresses section).
MONTE-CARLO AND MONACO: Monaco is perhaps best known for its glittering array of casinos and gaming rooms, the most famous of which is the Grand Casino in Monte-Carlo. The casino is located in Monaco’s most famous quartier known as ‘the Golden Square’, where all the most luxurious and fashionable hotels, restaurants and boutiques can also be found (including the famous Hotel de Paris). The casino was originally built in 1863 and demolished in 1878, but was then replaced six months later by a new structure according to the plans of Charles Garnier, the architect of the Paris Opera House. The style is distinctively grand and luxurious and the casino is linked to the Salle Garnier Opera House by an impressive atrium lined with 28 Ionic columns made of onyx. The minimum age for entering the casino’s gambling rooms is 21 (the same is true for Monte Carlo’s other casinos). Public slot machines open daily from 1400, private gambling rooms from 1500. An admission fee is charged.
Other attractions in Monte-Carlo and Monaco include the Japanese Gardens, right next to the sea; the National Museum of Dolls and Clockwork Exhibits of Yesteryear; the Exotic Garden; Observatory Caves and Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology (located in Moneghetti); and the Condamine Market, a covered market next to one of Monaco’s best shopping districts (the pedestrianised Rue Princesse Caroline and the Rue Grimaldi).
MONTE-CARLO BORD DE MER (LARVOTTO): The creation of this new district was made possible by re-routing railway tracks underground. The development has a beach, restaurants, snack bar and shops. This part of Monaco also has extensive sporting facilities at the prestigious Monte-Carlo Beach Hotel where there are restaurants and an olympic-sized swimming pool.
FONTVIEILLE: The main attractions in this area include the Princess Grace Rose Garden, a large park containing more than 150 varieties of rose. The Museum of Stamps and Coins features rare philatelic items from the postal history of the Principality. The permanent exhibition of Prince Rainier III’s Private Collection of Classic Cars, with over 100 classic cars, is nearby. The Naval Museum and the Zoological Terraces are also located in Fontvieille.
Sport & Activities
Racing: Monaco’s place on the international sports agenda has been secured for many years by the world famous Monaco Grand Prix Formula One race, which takes place every year in the Principality’s narrow winding streets, attracting thousands of spectators. Monaco also has a renowned sports academy, the Monte-Carlo Sports Academy (MCSA), which offers special activity holiday packages to adolescents aged 12 to 17. Their approach combines sport and cultural activities with linguistic workshops (French and English lessons are available) and the package also incorporates the facilities provided by the Centre Mediterranéen, a campus set in a large park complete with accommodation facilities and an amphitheatre decorated by the French poet Jean Cocteau.
Watersports: Monaco’s Mediterranean location and climate also create perfect conditions for all types of watersports, with facilities for water-skiing, skindiving, parasailing and windsurfing all provided. Swimming in the sea is safe (although the beaches tend to be crowded) and, in addition to hotel swimming pools, there are several heated seawater pools open throughout the year. In the main harbour, expensive luxury yachts and boats, which are a permanent fixture, corroborate Monaco’s reputation as a glamorous destination for the rich and famous.
The Diving Club of Cap d’Ail (outside Monaco) organises diving sessions (tel: (4) 9378 3714).
Sailing and yachting are generally popular and the Yacht Club de Monaco offers sailing lessons during July and August, while the harbour also offers extensive facilities.
Golf: This is very popular and the Monte-Carlo Golf Club (SBM) has an 18-hole course (nearly 6km/3.8 miles long) where international tournaments are regularly staged. The course is open daily all year round. A handicap is required for non-members wishing to play and the green fees range between €53.36-68.60. Holders of SBM Carte d’Or get a 50 per cent reduction on green fees. Other facilities include a practice range, equipment hire, a shop, bar and a restaurant. There is also a miniature golf course.
Other: For tennis and squash enthusiasts, the facilities at the Monte-Carlo Country Club are excellent; every year, the club’s international championship attracts some of the world’s best tennis players.
Perhaps most closely associated with Monaco is the activity of gambling, for which the Principality has long been famous. The best-known casino is the Grand Casino in Monte-Carlo (see also Resorts & Excursions section). At all of Monaco’s casinos, the minimum age for entering the gambling rooms is 21. There are also a number of health spas and beauty centres, the most famous one being the Thermes Marins de Monte-Carlo.
Social Profile
Food & Drink: Restaurants in Monaco offer a wide choice of food. Service and standards are excellent. Cuisine is similar to France, with some delicious local specialities. There are many restaurants and bars with late opening hours. Specialities include: barbagiuan, a type of pastry filled with rice and pumpkin; fougasse, fragrant orange flower water pastries decorated with nuts, almonds and aniseed; socca, chick-pea flour pancakes; and stocafi, dried cod cooked in a tomato sauce.
Nightlife: The world-famous Monte-Carlo Casino is a perennial attraction. The building also houses the Casino Cabaret and the Salle Garnier, the delightful gilded Opera House offering a winter season of ballet, opera and music. There are further gambling venues in the Monte-Carlo Grand Hotel and the Monte-Carlo Sporting Club. There are also numerous nightclubs, cinemas, discos and variety shows.
Shopping: Monégasque products include perfume, chocolates, ceramics, clothing, hosiery, shoes, books, jewellery and embroidery. Handcrafted items are sold at Boutique du Rocher, a charity of the late Princess Grace. Monégasque stamps are highly prized by collectors. Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0900-1230 and 1500-1830.
Special Events: For further information concerning events and festivals, contact the Government Tourist & Convention Office (see Contact Addresses). The following is a selection of events taking place in Monaco in 2003:
Jan 2-3 Monte-Carlo Ballet, Grimaldi Forum. Jan 16-23 27th Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival, Fontvieille Big Top. Jan 22-26 71st Monte Carlo Automobile Rally, Monte Carlo. Jan 26-27 Celebration of Sainte Devote’s Day. Jan 31-Feb 5 Sixth Monte Carlo Historic Car Rally, Monte Carlo. Feb 28-Mar 2 Monte-Carlo Opera, Salle du Canton. Mar 5 World Music Awards, Le Sporting. Apr 12-20 Tennis Masters Series, Monte Carlo. Apr 25-May 4 Spring Arts Festival, Monte Carlo. Jun 1 61st Formula One Monaco Grand Prix, Monte Carlo. Jun 28 Monaco Festival of the Sea. Jun 30-Jul 5 Monte-Carlo Television Festival, Grimaldi Forum. Aug 1-17 15th Bienniale of Antiques, Jewels and Art Galleries, Sporting d’Hiver. Sep 12-13 17th International Athletics Meeting, Hercules Stadium.
Social Conventions: Casual wear is acceptable for daytime and dress is the same as for the rest of the French Riviera. Smart restaurants, dining rooms, clubs and the Casino’s private rooms require more formal attire. Handshaking and, more familiarly, kissing both cheeks, are accepted forms of greeting. Tipping: Hotel and restaurant bills generally include a 15 per cent service charge; however, where this is not added it is customary to leave a 15 per cent tip. Taxi drivers are usually tipped 15 per cent of the fare.
Business Profile
Economy: Service industries account for the bulk of Monaco’s economy. Banking has grown rapidly since the removal of French foreign exchange controls in 1987; insurance and property have also grown in its wake. Tourism is now a major source of revenue, contributing substantially both to the Monégasque exchequer (about 25 per cent of government revenue at the last count) and to local retail businesses. There is also a highly successful, custom-built business conference venue. The dearth of land precludes any agriculture, but there is some light industry, the main products of which are pharmaceuticals, plastics, electronics, paper and textiles.
Monaco attracts many extremely wealthy individuals as residents, by virtue of its pleasant climate, reputation and environment as well as the absence of income or inheritance tax and lack of financial reporting requirements. Migrant, non-resident labour supplies the menial workforce.
Since the late 1990s, international efforts to tackle the global problem of money laundering and tax evasion have been led by the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (the group of 24 leading industrial countries which is spearheading efforts to tackle the problem). Most ‘offshore’ financial centres have co-operated with the new international regime. Monaco is one of seven which have not, and in the last few years, the principality has experienced a huge influx of foreign capital (two thirds of Monaco’s bank accounts are now non-residential). The decision on the OECD measures ultimately rested with the Grimaldi family which is currently itself implicated in a major French-led inquiry into fraud operations by the Italian mafia in the principality. Almost all the principality’s external trade is conducted with France – and France, along with Italy, supplies the bulk of Monaco’s visitors (both as tourists and foreign labour).
Business: A suit should be worn and prior appointments are necessary. Business meetings are formal. It is considered impolite to begin a conversation in French and then revert to English. Office hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1200 and 1400-1700.
Commercial Information: The following organisation can offer advice: Conseil Economique et Social (consultative organisation dealing with all aspects of the national economy), 8 rue Louis Notari, MC 98000 (tel: 9330 2082; fax: 9350 0596; e-mail: sguien@gouv.mc).
Conferences/Conventions: Monaco is a year-round leisure and business destination and there are extensive conference facilities. The new Forum Grimaldi Cultural and Exhibition Centre, one of Europe’s largest venues for conference events, opened in 2000. The complex provides three terraced auditoria, the largest with 1900 seats and two massive exhibitions halls. Large parts of the new complex are built under water. For further information, contact the Grimaldi Forum Monaco, BP 2000, 10 avenue de la Princesse Grace, MC 98001 (tel: 9999 2100; fax: 9999 2101; e-mail: gf@grimaldiforum.com). Other conference venues include the 1100-capacity Convention Centre and Auditorium (built on land reclaimed from the sea), including technical support and exhibition areas; the International Conference Centre (with a capacity for 450 persons); and the Meridien Beach Plaza Club, which can seat up to 1624 people. For further information, contact the Direction du Tourisme (see Contact Addresses section).
Climate
Monaco has a mild climate throughout the year, the hottest months being July and August, and the coolest being January and February. Rain mostly falls during the cooler winter months and there is an average of only 60 days’ rain per year.
Required clothing: Lightweights are worn, with a warm wrap for cooler summer evenings. Light- to mediumweights are advised for winter.
History and Government
History: The history of Monaco is inseparable from that of the House of Grimaldi. Originally of Genoese extraction, the Grimaldis rose to prominence during the 12th century, when one member of the family became ambassador both to the court of the German Emperor Frederick II (Barbarossa) and to that of his Byzantine counterpart, Manuel Commenus. In the late 13th century, however, with the Holy Roman Empire riven by internal strife, the Grimaldi family was forced to take refuge in Provence. It was François Grimaldi who led a group of partisans into the fortress of Monaco in 1297, which has been ruled by the family ever since, the Grimaldis preserving their independence through a mixture of good luck and cunning diplomacy.
At various times, they were to be found allied with almost every power in the region, particularly during the Italian Wars in the late-15th and early-16th centuries. Monaco’s geographical position left them ideally placed to either help or hinder the repeated and largely unsuccessful attempts by the kings of France to conquer Italy. This Machiavellian approach – indeed, Machiavelli himself was in Monaco in the early 16th century to sign a treaty on behalf of Florence – paid dividends in 1612 when Honoré II was granted the title of prince by the French crown. He signed a treaty of friendship with France, and the principality remained independent from that time on, despite a brief interruption during the French Revolution.
The family’s motto – ‘Deo Juvante’ (With God’s Help) – provides another possible explanation for the survival of this tiny country. Monaco became an independent state under French protection in 1861. The first constitution, introduced in 1911, was overhauled in 1962 when legislative authority was vested jointly in the Prince and the elected National Council. The dominant political grouping in the early years of the new constitution was the National and Democratic Union (UND) which won five successive elections between 1978 and the latest poll in February 1998, at which the UND took all 18 seats on the National Council. The principality’s two opposition parties – one liberal, one communist – were by now all but moribund.
The French government maintains a firm grip on the principality, through its ambassador and key appointees in the executive and judiciary. Prince Rainier, the incumbent member of the Grimaldi dynasty who has occupied the position since 1963, has proved unexpectedly determined to resist French pressure at any level. Most recently, a dispute over the corrupt exploitations of tax concessions and secret banking facilities for wealthy foreigners (the basis of the Monegasque economy), has led to threats by the Prince to break off relations with France. These will not actually be put into effect but many observers were surprised by the vehemence of the Prince’s reaction to French pressure. Since then, in April 2002, Monaco has been ‘named and shamed’ by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, which has spearheaded a major campaign against money-laundering and multi-national fraud. Moncao is on a ‘blacklist’ of seven countries which have failed to take adequate measures to deal with the problem. The French government has also threatened to take further punitive measures.
Government: The government of the principality is controlled by the hereditary ruler Prince Rainier III, under whom executive authority is exercised by a Minister of State. The Monegasque electorate elects the 18-member Conseil National (National Council) for a five-year term; the Council and the Prince share legislative power.
Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.
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