Cheap Monaco thread

You dont have to stay in Monaco . You can stay in so many little villages that are very close to Mc. Also , there are a lot of restaurants in Mc that are not more expensive than the rest of France..

 

Ha ! Ha ! Ha ! Thats a good one. Monaco on the cheap. Ha ! Ha ! Ha !




Stay in Nice or one of the beach towns east of Monaco. Take the train. There is a tiny town between Monaco and Cap Ferratt called Lower Eze. I think there is an old hotel there. You must see (upper) Eze. Eat on the patio that is in all the magazines, looking out at the Med and Cap Ferratt. Lunch there isn't expensive. Walk down the trail to lower Eze.

More later. You're gonna love it!!

Stan

 

A quick look at Google Earth (I love aerial recon) reveals alot. Look at the pictures around Eze, particularly 00660024. That corner is where you should lunch one day. The Cap is in the background, Lower Eze is in the lower corner. You can see the trail that I recomend you do downhill to lower Eze. Check the elevation.

Hotels-reservations-France revealed a the Hotel Artemis in the seaside resort of Beaulieu between MC and Nice. 106 euro for a single.

See the castle. See the aquarium if you have time. The garden outside has a dramatic look down at the smaller harbor.
There is a car museum that I haven't gotten to yet. Next trip.

See all the pretty cars come out at night at the casino. Oh heck, they are there all day, but they do come out more at night and the casino is the perfect place to view them all. Hit the American Bar at the Hotel Paris right across the street there.

 

A quick look at Google Earth (I love aerial recon) reveals alot. Look at the pictures around Eze, particularly 00660024. That corner is where you should lunch one day. The Cap is in the background, Lower Eze is in the lower corner. You can see the trail that I recomend you do downhill to lower Eze. Check the elevation.

Hotels-reservations-France revealed a the Hotel Artemis in the seaside resort of Beaulieu between MC and Nice. 106 euro for a single.

See the castle. See the aquarium if you have time. The garden outside has a dramatic look down at the smaller harbor.
There is a car museum that I haven't gotten to yet. Next trip.

See all the pretty cars come out at night at the casino. Oh heck, they are there all day, but they do come out more at night and the casino is the perfect place to view them all. Hit the American Bar at the Hotel Paris right across the street there.

 

The best way to travel at race time is by train so try to ensure your hotel is a short walk from a station

 

book your room now. someone has posted the '08 race dates. stay in nice. try the trocadero or the hotel medicis. both are nice and affordable and right across from the train. there are plenty of inexpensive restaurants all around the neigborhood. fly into paris and get a eurail pass for travel by tgv to nice and monaco. you can purchase tickets for the hill outside the train station in monaco. the only thing about going by train over to monaco is the 1st train arrives around 7am and most of the good spots are taken by then. what we do is for thurs practice take the train over and scout out a good spot. the road up to the palace is lined with a hedge that they cover with a steel cage topped by plywood. it makes a great viewing platform. you can see across the harbor from most of the way up the hill. rent a car for sat and race day so you can drive over at like 3am and get your good spot. we take folding sling chairs and coolers set up on the plywood top under a tree and chill. you're right in starting now. if you do your homework you can do it surprisingly cheap.

 

Consider the historics the weekend before the F1. 200 cars and open padocks. I was able to talk to drivers and crews preparing cars. Not like the experience of the next week. You won't get that access then.

There are pubs on the west side of the harbor where you can watch in comfort. There is a particular spot right next to the paddock that will be very popular after practice. I watched from the American Bar at the Hotel de Paris on Sat when it started to drizzle and I didn't want to get wet. I was drinking a Kroenbourg while watching 30s F1s drift through the corner between the hotel and the casino about 12 feet from my seat. I could see the drivers pucker, with those thin tires walking across a painted line on the road, loosing traction and starting to saw away on the wheel. Huge fun! Also you can get access to the terrace there that looks almost straight down into the cockpits of the cars and also see down the hill to turn 1. This is the spot that many pictures are taken from and the view of the harbor is fantastic. I'll try to post pics but have to learn how.

If you want to do this I'll help you work out the access.


TGV Paris to Nice is a good way to go. The other advice sounds like he has it down if you want to do that.

 

when you get off the train, as you are walking down towards the hill and track, on the right is an underpass. that road is the road over to nice. we drive in town as far as possible and drop off the gear. as you're driving in look for a spot. we usually park near the powerplant. it's like a mile or so away. but who knows; scout around, you might get lucky. i totally agree about the historics. you can get a lot closer to things and if you get really drunk you can pretend like you've gone back in time. there is nothing like the sound of 12 cylinders screaming up the hill at beau rivage or sit in stand k and hear them coming out of the tunnel as they brake for the chicane. then you'll understand why they'll never drop monaco from the f1 season. ira swchartz, check the mid atlantic thread for him, goes every year. he usually is full of good info too.

 

Yes, I've been every year since '92, so if you've got specific questions, just let me know. A couple of quick tips: (1) Buy your tickets directly from the ACM (Automobile Club de Monaco) via their web site (www.acm.mc) as soon as they become available- start checking in early December. Buying directly and on-line not only lets you choose your exact seats, assuming you're not planning on staking out a spot up on the Rocher, but is also cheaper than buying through a broker. Let me know if you need help on seat locations. Sitting up on the Rock IS a lot cheaper than grandstand seats, but if you're going all that way and can swing it, you'll be LOTS closer to the action if you ante up. (2) If you decide to drive in to town, come early and allow plenty of time to park AND to leave after the race- you may want to stick around for dinner, assuming you're not staying in MC (which you won't be if cost is even remotely an issue). If you plan to train in, things have changed- they now require advance reservations, so plan accordingly.
In general, the US$ is so weak v. the Euro that a genuinely cheap trip is probably impossible, but if you land a cheap flight (start looking 6-7 months early- USAirways and Air France fly non-stop from Dulles) and train from Paris to MC, stay someplace unfancy and outside the Principality (again, start EARLY, as even the small hotels in nearby towns in Frane & Italy fill up fast- if they're not already booked year-to-year), and watch how much you spend on food/drink, you'll still have a blast. It's sensory overload for car guys in general, and F1 fans in particular. The only thing I can do to help directly is promise to buy you and your dad a beer!

 

I flew EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) from Paris to Nice and if booked in advance, is very reasonable (less than $100 if I remember correctly). You can also book hotels in Nice on the airlines website.