Monaco With Kids: 13 Fun Things to Do
I first started traveling to Monaco with my daughter when she was about nine. She has since graduated from university, and we’ve been back dozens of times.
That’s a lot of years to test the theory that Monaco, the tiny land of super-yachts, Michelin stars, casinos, and very expensive cars, is also a surprisingly easy place to travel en famille, as a family.
Some of my best memories have little to do with Monaco’s grown-up reputation as a glamorous French Riviera town. What I like most about Monaco with families is that you don’t have to manufacture a kid-centric vacation here, just because it has an adult reputation.
Museums, gardens, an open-air cinema, public art, cool cars, massive yachts, a prince’s palace, sporting events, beaches, nice spas and hotels, a public swimming pool, and much more will keep them entertained.
Best of all, you don’t even need a car to get to Monaco since fast trains go regularly from Nice.
Ready? Let’s go!
Here are the places and experiences I’d put on a family trip to Monaco.
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Quick Glance? Monaco with Kids
- How long: 2–3 days
- Getting there: the train from Nice is fast (30 minutes) and fun
- Getting around: walking + €3 buses, escalators, and elevators
- Best free activities: beach, Princess Grace Rose Garden, Changing of the Guard, car counting
- Rainy day pick: Oceanographic museum + Prince’s Car Collection
- Best summer activities: Boat tour, beach, public pool, open-air cinema
- Don’t miss: Eating barbajuans at the Condamine Market, boat ride
1. Start With the Oceanographic Museum
If I were choosing one Monaco attraction for families, it would be the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco.
Built dramatically into the cliffs of Monaco-Ville, the museum combines aquariums, marine science, interactive exhibits and enough architectural drama to keep adults interested, too.
Kids can see sharks, tropical fish, coral, and sea turtles, among other regularly changing exhibits.
Don’t leave without heading up to the rooftop terrace, where there’s a children’s playground and panoramic views across Monaco and the Mediterranean.
The museum is open year-round except on Christmas Day and Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends, making it a solid choice for rainy days travel outside the busy high season.
Good to know: The Mediterranean Aquarium is currently being renovated, but the Tropical Aquarium, Great Shark Lagoon, Sea Turtle Odyssey, exhibitions and rooftop remain open.
2. Eat Lunch at Marché de la Condamine
One of my favorite places to eat in Monaco is also one of the easiest places to eat with kids.
Marché de la Condamine isn’t about white tablecloths or hushed dining rooms. It’s a neighborhood market where everyone can order what they want and reconvene at a table.
Look for socca, pizza, fresh pasta, sushi, and don’t miss barbajuans, Monaco’s fried little pockets traditionally filled with Swiss chard and ricotta. My preferred method of eating the latter is hot, out of box, from A Roca.
Parents aren’t exactly shortchanged here. Grab oysters, Provençal vegetables, fresh pasta, or a strong coffee and settle in. It’s casual and a good counterpoint to the Principality’s more polished side.
Good to know: Throughout 2027, the indoor market is undergoing a renovation, but many of the suppliers are set up outside.
3. Turn Monaco Into an Art Scavenger Hunt
You don’t have to convince kids to spend half a day inside a giant art museum because Monaco doesn’t really have one.
Instead, start at the New National Museum of Monaco, which presents exhibitions at two very manageable locations, Villa Paloma and Villa Sauber.
Then take the art outside.
The Chemin des Sculptures Rainier III connects works scattered around Monaco. Its online collection includes around 200 sculptures with information about the artists and individual works.
When my daughter was younger, I would have shamelessly turned this into a scavenger hunt. Let kids find the next sculpture and scan its QR code for information. Voilà: screen time with culture attached.
4. Go to Larvotto Beach
Monaco has its own public beach, and that’s one reason I think families should give themselves more than a quick day trip from Nice.
Larvotto is on Monaco’s eastern side, with a wide pedestrian promenade behind the beach and restaurants and beach clubs close at hand.
In warmer months, make this the low-agenda portion of your trip: swim, snorkel, have lunch, get gelato, repeat.
You can use the public beach without committing to an expensive beach club, which is worth remembering in a country where it can be surprisingly easy to drop €100 per person.
I like La Note Bleue. It’s got a good vibe in the summer, dining and lounge chairs on the beach, and music going year-round, with live performances and DJ sets, so while the beach may cool off in the winter, the lineup stays hot.
5. Swim at Stade Nautique Rainier III
Another warm-weather favorite sits right on Port Hercule.
The Stade Nautique Rainier III is an Olympic-size saltwater swimming pool overlooking the harbor. There are diving boards and a long waterslide, making this considerably more exciting to kids than the words “municipal swimming pool” suggest.
It’s also one of those wonderfully Monaco experiences: you can be swimming laps while staring at yachts that appear to have their own zip codes.
Check opening dates before you go because the outdoor pool operates seasonally and closes around the Monaco Grand Prix.
6. Watch World-Class Tennis
I’ve gone several times, and it remains one of my favorite sporting events to attend anywhere.
The Monte-Carlo Country Club setting is spectacular, with clay courts overlooking the Mediterranean, and you can see some of the world’s best players without the enormous scale of a Grand Slam tournament.
One geographic technicality: despite the name, the tournament is actually held just over the border in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France.
7. See a Concert Under the Stars
Some of my favorite Monaco memories happened after dark, especially during Monaco’s annual Monte-Carlo Summer Festival, which brings major performers to Monaco in July and August.
We saw Lenny Kravitz here, which remains considerably cooler than most things I’ve managed to arrange on a family vacation. We also saw the Beach Boys, and a few other variety-style shows that were entertaining for a wide age group.
Concerts are held at venues including the open-air Salle des Étoiles at Sporting Monte-Carlo. If you’re visiting in summer, check the calendar before your trip.
Teens will have a great time.
8. Watch a Movie Under the Stars
For a summer night that requires considerably less commitment than a concert, head to Monaco’s Open Air Cinema.
Set beneath Monaco-Ville with the Mediterranean and the Rock rising around it, the seasonal cinema shows current films on a huge outdoor screen. Movies are generally shown in their original language with French subtitles, which makes this an especially easy outing for English-speaking families.
It’s one of those simple Monaco experiences I love: grab a drink and a snack, settle into a seat and watch a movie outdoors on a warm Mediterranean night. The setting does a pretty good job of competing with whatever is on screen.
The cinema operates during the warmer months, so check the current program and opening dates if you’re planning a summer visit.
9. Have a Fancy Monaco Moment
I don’t think kids need to eat every meal at a “kid-friendly” restaurant or do only “kid-friendly” things. Monaco is actually a good place to introduce them to the fun of dressing up and going somewhere special.
Check the calendar for Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, whose performances take place at venues including the gilded Salle Garnier at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo and the Grimaldi Forum.
Another option is afternoon tea or pastries at Cédric Grolet Monte-Carlo at Hôtel de Paris. It gives kids a taste of one of Monaco’s grand hotels — quite literally — without the price or time commitment of a Michelin-starred dinner.
With my daughter, it’s been fun to stay the night and have a pool or spa day at one of the many hotels in Monaco, but you don’t need to book to get a taste of the good life.
Non-hotel guests can buy access to Thermes Marins Monte-Carlo for a day fee of €160 per person (children under 5 are free). Pricey? Yep. But that’s nothing close to the cost of a room at Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo or the Hôtel Hermitage Monte-Carlo.
The wellness area includes a heated seawater pool overlooking the Mediterranean, a sauna, a hammam, and a whirlpool. It’s a fun excuse to throw on the robes and spend a few hours doing Monaco properly. They also have bundled packages that include lunch and a spa treatment.
10. Don’t Ignore Monaco’s Gardens
One of the advantages of Monaco’s small size is that you can slip something short into the day without turning it into An Activity.
Walk through the Japanese Garden near Larvotto or wander the gardens around Monaco-Ville. The Jardin Exotique has been around since 1933 and is another option for families interested in plants and amazing Mediterranean views.
The Princess Grace Rose Garden in Fontvieille has nearly 10,000 rose bushes in hundreds of varieties. Scan the QR codes beside individual roses to learn more about each variety as you wander.
The buses connect Monaco’s neighborhoods, are inexpensive to ride (around €3), and are air-conditioned (you’ll be thankful in the summer).
11. Let Kids Enjoy the Spectacle
Part of the pleasure of Monaco is simply looking around.
Walk around Port Hercule and pick your favorite yacht. Watch the luxury cars circling Casino Square. Ride a public bus through streets used for the Monaco Grand Prix. Head up to Monaco-Ville for the changing of the guard at the Prince’s Palace, held everyday at 11:55 a.m.
One year, our family decided to count how many Ferraris we saw in a day while in Monaco.
The number ended up in the mid-double digits, and it was really fun to point and yell 28! 34! 50!
12. Check out the Prince’s Car Collection
You don’t need a car-obsessed kid to appreciate the Cars Collection of H.S.H. the Prince of Monaco.
Prince Rainier III began collecting cars in the 1950s, eventually amassing far more than he could fit in the palace garage. Today, dozens of vehicles from the princely collection are displayed in a modern exhibition space near Port Hercule.
You’ll find everything from early 20th-century automobiles and classic Rolls-Royces to racing cars and sleek Ferraris, along with vehicles connected to Monaco’s royal family.
It’s also small enough that you don’t need to devote half the day to it. For the rest of the afternoon, take a boat ride along Monaco’s coast, or book a Ferrari tour!
13. See Monaco From the Water
For all the time you’ll spend looking at the Mediterranean in Monaco, it’s worth actually getting out on it.
A boat tour gives families a completely different view of the Principality, with Monaco’s towers, the Rock and Port Hercule rising behind you. Depending on how much time you have, you can book a short coastal cruise or make an afternoon of it with a private boat trip along the French Riviera.
It’s also an easy crowd-pleaser with kids: boats, sea spray, and the possibility of a swim stop require very little parental salesmanship.
📍Plan your trip: Check out this Monaco boat cruise. It’s less than an hour, which leaves plenty of time for lunch and spying on sea turtles at the Oceanographic Museum.
So, Is Monaco Good for Kids?
After nearly two decades of coming here with my daughter, my answer is yes — but perhaps not for the reason you’d expect.
Monaco doesn’t feel like a destination designed around children. We just did things together that we both liked—museums, gardens, beaches, outdoor concerts, long lunches.
And as she grew up, Monaco grew up with her. Aquariums and beach days eventually made room for concerts, spas, long dinners, and celebratory glasses of Champagne.
Cheers!
