Bus from Nice to Monaco 2024

Update April 2024: The bus number to Monaco has just changed again!  No more bus #100, no more bus #607, it’s now Bus #600 Nice-Monaco.

Nice-Monaco Bus #600The bus from Nice to Monaco is one of the most stunningly beautiful bus rides in the world, and a super bargain to start off your day trip to Monaco!  

It’s one thing about going to Monaco that is a deal: just 2.50€ each way, or even less if you get off in one of the coastal towns before Monaco!  The trip takes one hour, and the bus #600 leaves every 15 minutes during the week, and every 20 minutes on Sundays and French holidays.  

 

Where to Catch Bus #600 to Monaco

Map of bus stop for bus 600 to MonacoThe most convenient place to catch the bus #600 is in the Nice Port (tram stop Port); go to the right-hand corner of the Port, and walk half a block inland on rue Arson.  The bus stop is just a pole with a sign (Arson/Fodere), but you can recognize it by the line of people already waiting. 

  • Update April 2024: They keep moving the bus stop, and the bus stop sign is confusing, even for French speakers.  Basically it says (only in French) that the bus stop is cancelled (supprimer) for all buses EXCEPT (sauf) the #600 and #601, meaning that yes, this is where you catch the bus to Monaco.  From the port it is just around the corner on rue Arson, like shown on my map, but a little closer than before.

The ride is gorgeous but winding, so you really want to be seated (preferably on the right side of the bus for best view) and definitely not standing, so I can offer two strategies here. 

  • When you board the bus there are two lines, the slow one on the right for those that need to buy their 2.50€ ticket from the driver, and the speedy line on the left where people that have passes or the Ticket Azur just need to beep or punch it in the machine and quickly get a seat.  Be in that fast line and get a seat!   You buy your 2.50€ Ticket Azur ahead of time from the machine at any tram stop (here is a step-by-step guide), and the bonus is that this ticket also gives you one free tram/bus ride on your way to the Monaco bus.  (By the way, this ticket only works outbound; on the way back the only way is to buy the ticket from the driver as you board.)
  • The Monaco buses are usually double-length, but if you can see that all the seats are already full, just step out of line and be in the front of the line for the next bus, which will be there in just 15 minutes (20 minutes Sat/Sun).  Better to wait and ride in comfort, than to stand hanging on a pole for the hour-long bus trip.

Other Monaco Bus Options

There are a couple of other bus options, but they go much less frequently, have inferior views, and leave from bus stops that are a little more out of the way.

The bus #602 takes the middle road instead of the coastal road (also great views, just higher).  This bus passes by Eze Village, and has only one stop in Monaco, its last stop near the Monaco Casino.  The trip takes and hour, and runs Monday-Saturday.  The best bet is to catch it at its start (then you are sure to get the great seats on the right side) at the bus station just behind the Vauban tram stop, and leaves at 7am, 9am, 11am, 2pm, 4:10pm and 6:30pm.   Or you can catch it a few minutes later near the Palais des Expositions tram stop (the bus stop is on the corner of ave. Pierre Sola), near the Republique/Barla tram stop (the bus stop is on rue Barla), or the Bavastro/Barla bus stop which is 4 streets inland from the Port tram stop.  

Or take the express bus #603 which gets you to Monaco 10 minutes faster (50 minutes) by freeway, for which you trade most of the views… but then you are rewarded with a stupendous one when you finally get at La Turbie just before Monaco.  It has only one Monaco stop, it’s last stop at Place des Armes near the Monaco Port.   You won’t find tourists on this bus, just workers.  You catch it at the bus station just behind the Vauban tram stop, and it leaves at 7:30am, 9:40am, 10:30am, 3:25pm, 5:15pm and 6:10pm.

Buying Your Bus Tickets

If you are not going all the way to Monaco, but getting off at any of the towns before (Villefranche, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Eze Village…), you can use your Nice rechargeable bus card for 1.70€, and your trip is included in your Nice day-pass or week-pass.   This works for your return trip as well, as long as you are getting on outside of Monaco.

If you are going to Monaco, since Monaco is a different country with a different bus system, it costs 2.50€, and you can either pay the driver as you board, or get the Ticket Azur ahead of time for the same price, which will also cover one tramway/bus ride in Nice on the way to the Monaco bus (and has the added bonus of getting you on the bus quicker to get a seat!)   The Ticket Azur only works going out of Nice, so for the way back you just pay the driver as you board.

In the summer/autumn you have an additional option: You can load your bus card with the Pass SudAzur, an all-access pass for 3-days (35€), one week (50€), or two weeks (80€), giving you unlimited Nice trams, all buses in all the towns including Monaco, but also unlimited trains!  It’s available from July through the first weekend in November.

The Bus #600 Monaco Stops 

View of all of Monaco from the hills aboveI’ve put together a custom itinerary for a day trip to Monaco, but with this list of bus stops you can design your own. All stops on the Monaco route are announced and shown on the screen, so it’s very easy to know when to get off.

Place d’Armes – this first stop is right at the entry to the tunnel, so you can’t miss it. This is the stop for the Condamine Open Market, one of the few places where you can eat well and relatively cheaply for Monaco.  It’s also the best stop to walk the path up to the Old Town, the Palace grounds, the Cathedral where Princess Grace was married and is now buried, and the Jacques Cousteau Oceanographic Museum.

The Port – Get off here for a gander at super-yachts next to the outdoor Olympic-sized public summer swimming pool, and the Monaco Classic Car museum.  The port is where the starting line, finish line, and pits are for the Monaco Grand Prix.

Monte Carlo Tourist Office – First, pop into the Tourist Office for a map, then walk down through the gardens to Casino Square for epicenter of casinos, grand hotels, opera house, jewelry stores, haute couture boutiques, and a parade of luxury cars like nowhere else.  Don’t let the bouncers dissuade you: go ahead and walk right in to the entrance to the Opera House and Grand Casino, but to get into the famous Casino itself, you’ll need to pay a fee, show your passport, and be well dressed (…all the other Casinos are free and sans dress code, try the one next to Café du Paris).  Walk between the Café de Paris and the Grand Casino and head to the far side to see the famous hairpin turn of the Monte Carlo Grand Prix. To catch the bus back to Nice from here, go back up to the bus stop then cross the street to the left (under the Park Palace sign), which is also where you can catch the bus #602 to Eze (see below).   

Place de Moulins –  Get off here and turn right to take the public elevator down to the seaside for the Grimaldi Forum exhibits, the Japanese Gardens, the Museum Sauber, and the Monaco beaches… 

This is also the best stop for getting a good seat on the bus back to Nice before it fills to standing room only, especially in summer (and it is only a 10-minute walk from the Casino/Tourist Office stop).  Heading back to Nice, this bus stop is across the street on the driveway that fronts the Center Pastor.

Getting around once in Monaco

You can take the local bus to get from one end to the other, the color coded lines are really easy to figure out. Tickets cost 2€ from the driver and are good for any transfer within 30 minutes; or save some centimes and buy from the machine for 1.50€, but I advise just taking a day-pass for 5.50€, or the twelve-trip card for 11€ (available only from the machine) so that you can go everywhere on a whim and won’t miss a thing.

Monaco even has a floating bus: the bateau bus (boat shuttle) will ferry you across the Port for the price of a bus ticket or included in your day pass!

Monaco local bus map

If you want to pop up to Eze

Go back up to the Tourist Office bus stop and cross the street and go a half block to the left (under the Park Palace sign); this is the Casino bus stop going in the other direction (towards Nice), and this is where you catch the Bus #602 for the 20 minute drive to the perched Medieval village of Eze.  The bus only runs Monday-Saturday, and goes only every couple of hours, at 9:55am, 11:55am, 3:10pm, 5:15pm, and 7:25pm, but check your Google Maps/directions to confirm.  When taking this bus from Monaco you need to buy your 2.50€ ticket from the driver, but from Eze back to Nice you can use your regular Nice rechargeable card or day/week passes.  To get back to Nice from Eze, you can take either Bus #602 or Bus #82 from Eze, which between them leave approximately once each hour for the 30-minute drive back down to Nice.  The last stop for both buses is Vauban, where you can conveniently catch the tramway line one back into town.  Here are some ideas for what to do and see in Eze.

Getting back from Monaco during the day

The Nice Ticket Azur doesn’t work for coming back, so you have to buy your bus ticket from the driver as you board.

This is a popular route so it is best to get on at the earlier stops because at busy times it could be standing-room-only by the time it gets to the Port.  If the bus is already full it will say “Complete” and will blow right past you, but there will be another one in 15 minutes…

Insider tip:  Coming back from Monaco, smart shoppers get on at the Monte Carlo stop by the tourist office, or better yet Les Moulins, one stop further back on the same road and just a 10-minute walk or 1-stop local bus ride, well worth it to be guaranteed a seat on the way back to Nice.  The only stop in the port going back to Nice is in the corner of the port across from the Steak & Shake sign, but by then the bus is already packed.

On the way back you can also get off early at the start of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat or Villefranche-sur-mer.

Getting back from Monaco at night can be tricky

The bus #600 stops running at 8:30pm, but in the summer (June 21 to end of August) you can catch the bus #602 from the Casino stop at 9:15pm, and after there is a summer night bus #601 that you can catch at the Casino, or the Place d’Armes stop near the Monaco Port, and it leaves at at 11:35pm, midnight, 1:45am, 3am and 4am, dropping you off at the Nice Port.

But other than that you have to take the train, but they don’t run super late (midnight usually), but check on the app or Google Maps/direction to verify.  

  • Update:  Through June 2025, no night trains after 10pm Sun-Thurs due to tunnel repairs

If you miss the last bus, or even the last train, instead of taking a taxi back which will set you back around 100€, better to take an Uber which will only cost around 40€. Even better: first-time Uber users can click here and save 10€ on each of your first 5 rides!

  • Insider tip: Uber is banned in Monaco, just walk up to the top of Casino Square, then up the staircase, then cross the street.  Now you are no longer in Monaco, but in the French town of Beausoleil, and now Uber will work!

…Or just roll with it and find a casino, an all-night restaurant (Tip Top) or dance ’til dawn (Jimmyz) when the trains and buses start running again…

See related pages:

Back up to Main Bus Page:  Everything you need to know about taking the Bus in Nice

Photo credits: Bus to Monaco, and Monaco from Above, both by Best of Nice

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