Anybody been to Monaco?

I attended the 03 Monaco GP. It's truely a surreal event. I would reccomend trying to get seats @ rascasse or @ the casino complex--I sat above the former. There's a lot going on during the days leading up to the GP, but you can also visit the rest of cote d azur. Afterwhich, you can pop over to Italy for some more sight seeing....

 

Definitley go to Monaco. (during the Grand Prix) I just did everything thru Grand Prix Tours. Everything is done First Class. and During Grand Prix Weekend everthing is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO expensive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But, you'll have the time of your life!

 

Armen:

I always love it when an Enzo owner says "damn that's expensive".

That said, we have friends that go every year. They budget $10k per person for the week.

 

I've been several times for GP weekend. There's a small bar called Cafe Barlo right before turn one at St. Devote. The guy who owns it is named Carlo and he has a few tables right beside the track. Give him $400 to $500 for a table for two on raceday ($200 on Q-day) - these are the best seats in the house, food included in the price. There are several TVs at the cafe as well. If you do some sleuthing on the Thursday before down at the harbor, it's possible to stay on a fairly nice yacht for about $1000 per night. Staying in Nice works well too, for about $250 per night (heli-service to the track is available for $150 on race day). Go to the Casino on Saturday night and watch the cars parade by - Enzos, Murcis, GTOs etc. Always interesting people there to chat with before the race, Rod Stewart, Richard Branson, etc. IMHO, Monaco is the only F1 race to watch live anymore, even Spa has moved the spectators too far away from the action.

 

That's when you KNOW you're in for it!

I *just* missed it last year by a few days, but all the vendors were still around and all the racing banners and posters, etc. Then I got to drive the circuit (the paint was still fresh on the road) in my friend's little hatchback. Despite the traffic, it was a lot of fun.

Going for the GP is on my 'life-goal' list. Along with having an apt. there in Monaco (that's secondary though to the Italian villa goal).

 

Basically any stand in Monaco is great as they are so close. I've been up at the Casino and on several different ones around the pool area. All good.

You'll be surprised how many Ferraris and other exotics you'll see in town during the race weekend. And only during the weekend.

You could stay in Nice and take the train to Monaco, easy, fast and less crowded.

Things to do AFTER the GP: The following week you can drive the GP circuit with your (rental) car as most of the stands and armcos remain in place for a while.

Another cool thing: Drive your very own F1 car in nearby Le Luc (St. Maxime). If you need more info on that, let me know. I did it and would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

go.......you won't regret it.....i've been there twice '75 and '82 and had a fantastic time.....next year i plan on going back and to lemans....in a lifetime there are 3 races a fan should see at least once, monaco, the indy 500, and the 24 hours of lemans....

 

10,000 Euro's (not dollars)should be enough for the week.

Monaco is a lot of fun.
You meet a different type of wealthy person there. Very little new money and most of the dough is old, very very old.

It's not an "americanized" place so be prepeared to try and fit in. Bring someone who speaks french fluently.

Be sure to dress well every day, all the time. Translation : Nothing baggy and no shorts preferably no jeans

Did I mention the beaches are topless? Don't stare or take pictures.

My father goes fairly often and loves the casino. Be prepared to gamble a little. It's worth it just to see.

It's not a big place and I truely enjoyed walking all over the town.

Only negative is lots of gold digging french women who are past their prime seem to flock here.

 

Interesting point. So I got two out of three. And my girlfriend likes Paris. Easy decision.

 

I've been going every year since '92, and it's a blast. The sheer volume of exotics is overwhelming (you'll see more Ferraris in one day than you can count, not to mention stuff like McLaren F-1s, Bugatti EB-110s, Pagoni Zondas, etc., etc.), and the excitement builds almost palpably each day from about the Wednesday before the race right up until Sunday. By Monday morning, it's an entirely different town, and really pretty mellow.
Staying in nearby Nice isn't too bad, BUT allow ample time on race day for the otherwise short train ride, as you may need to wait through 3 or 4 full trains before you squeeze in. I stay in Monaco (a could of blocks from Casino Square), but got LUCKY a number of years ago and have the same hotel room reserved year-to-year, at a very reasonable cost.
I prefer the seats in the K grandstands down by the harbor- good view of a pretty large portion of the track, plus the giant screen for keeping tabs on what's happening elsewhere on the circuit. Be sure to walk the pits at night- it's very cool.
I don't think that my usual co-conspirators are going to show up this year, so if anyone's planning on attending and wants to get together for a beer at some point during the week (I'm arriving Wednesday, 5/19 and leaving Monday morning, 5/24, to hit Paris for a few days on the way back), PM me, as I'll probably be on my own.

 

After attending the Cannes film festival last year, I checked into the Hotel de Paris in Monaco where my balcony overlooked the bit a road where the Formula 1 cars pass between the hotel and the casino. It also provided a beautiful view of the sea as well as the Royal entrance to the casino, but I was more interested in looking down into the cockpits of race cars as their drivers negotiated the curves at the top of the hill that lead into the square.

I was walking around in the vacant pits towards evening when all of a sudden, transporters bearing their Grand Prix cargo began arriving without prior notice or fanfare. The woman who was with me at the time could not fathom what I could find exciting or dramatic about the arrival of a bunch of oversized trucks. Later on, the Jaguar truck, having parked its trailer in the paddock, rubbed shoulders with the taxi in which I was riding and though the taxi driver got the Jaguar equipier's autograph on a constat, I demurred.

Needless to say, I was thrilled to be so well placed to enjoy my first time at the Grand Prix of Monaco. An entire day spent at the spa across from the hotel did little to settle me down. And then, the phone rang and I had to leave for Paris to attend to business that couldn't attend to itself.

So, no, I've never been to the Grand Prix of Monaco.