We frequently have prospective guests ask “what it’s like to go to the Monaco Grand Prix?” It’s really difficult to explain the experience if you’ve never been to Monaco at all and certainly not during the race weekend. I’ll try to sum it up with the following explanation.
The vistas of Formula 1 cars flying around the track, luxury yachts in the harbor and the surrounding building architecture come together to provide an unforgettable memory. There is nothing you will ever see that will equal a weekend at the Monaco Grand Prix.
From the moment you arrive at the Nice, France airport (NCE) you can relax and rely on us to insure you have a trouble free and fantastic experience. One of our staff will be in the airport arrival area to greet you and arrange for a transfer to your hotel either in Nice or Monaco. Once you arrive at your hotel, your reservation will have been prepaid and depending on the time of arrival, you can go to your room and start to enjoy yourself.
Our packages to attend the Monaco Grand Prix include the elements you need to fully experience the race weekend. We include your ground transportation from the airport in Nice to your hotel. All ground transportation between hotels in Nice to Monaco if you are staying in Nice. Your choice of event tickets, reserved grandstand, yacht viewing, private apartment balcony viewing or Paddock Club and all taxes. In addition, you can opt for tickets to some of the private social events operated by a number of companies during the weekend.
Package prices vary depend on your choice of hotel stay either in Monaco or Nice, the hotel room category and type of tickets for the Grand Prix weekend. There are many ways to enjoy the event itself and they are each unique, whether you opt for tickets in one of the grandstands, watch from a yacht, from one of the private apartment balconies overlooking the harbor or the Paddock Club.
Let’s talk about each type of viewing, grandstand, yacht and apartment balcony and Paddock Club. Our job is to share our decades of knowledge and the pros and cons for each option to assist in matching your desires and budget.
Viewing from a grandstand –
There are several grandstands around the track, each has reserved seating but most are bleacher style and pretty tight. There are only a few seats with any cover and should it rain or be unusually hot they can be quite a challenge. Toilet facilities are typical portable units like you see at many outdoor activities. If your budget includes grandstand tickets, please ask us for our recommendation as to which grandstand for the best views.
Viewing from a luxury yacht –
A lot of guests who have never been to Monaco for the race have an interest in watching from one of the private yachts in the harbor around perimeter of the track. This all looks glamourous on television and seems like it would be a great experience but there are a few factors to consider. First, these large yachts move around a lot so if there is any tendency toward motion sickness and then combine this with a few too many glasses of champagne it not be a pleasant experience. Most yachts only have 3 or 4 heads (toilets) and normally only accommodate 6 to 8 guess. During the Grand Prix they put 60 to 100 people onboard to view the track action so the toilet situation is less than ideal. Plus, there is a shortage of shade so it can be quite uncomfortable depending on the weather. In addition, due to the height of the guardrails around the track, you have a very limited view of the actual racecars. If motion sickness, lack of toilets, weather issues and poor viewing all sound good to you then we will be happy to arrange a package including yacht viewing tickets.
Viewing from a private apartment –
Absolutely the best way to watch the Monaco Grand Prix. Imagine, you have a very good friend who lives in a multi-million dollar apartment in one of the building around the harbor. They invite you to come join them each day and have a caterer come and service the apartment with staff, great food and beverages. These buildings are used as residences or offices with large balconies and most are directly on what becomes the track during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend. There is a special ticket that allows access to each building but you can come and go at your leisure. We lived in Monaco for 5 years and still have an office there so we know exactly which apartments offer the best views and comfort. No other company has the depth of knowledge that we do to insure the best possible experience.
You’ll enjoy all the benefits of a normal apartment with television, private toilet facilities, weather protection and you are located directly on the track. Should you drop your wine glass over the balcony, it will hit the street just behind the guardrail and safety fencing. Our apartments offer spectacular views of almost half of the track and most of the yachts in the harbor as well as the large TV screen. It doesn’t get any better than this.
We offer Monaco Grand Prix packages with choices of either our GOLD or PLATINUM balconies tickets. Both balconies offer great but different views and services. They differ in cost based on location and whether catering is included or not. Feel free to ask us about the differences. Availability is always limited in the best apartment balcony locations so the earlier you reserve the better.
Viewing from the Paddock Club –
The Formula One Paddock Club is normally the highest level of hospitality and the location at the track varies depending on each Grand Prix venue. The Paddock Club is usually the most expensive ticket option and includes first class catering, daily visits to the pitlane and at short tour of the F1 paddock area sometime over the weekend. There is a section of the Paddock Club for the general public plus private suites for each Team.
For the Monaco Grand Prix the Paddock Club hospitality location is in the new Monaco Yacht Club located on the Casino side of the harbor but across the harbor from the F1 paddock area. In addition, the viewing is from the T grandstand located on the other side of the harbor near the Rascasse hairpin.
Even though the Paddock Club ticket does include daily pit lane visit, for the Monaco Grand Prix, the convenience and actual viewing is not as good as from one of the apartment balconies.
