Monaco Day Trips by Rail: Nice, Menton and Èze

October 20, 2026

Most trips out of Monaco are quick rail rides along the Côte d’Azur. The underground Monaco-Monte-Carlo station has about sixty return trains a day to Nice, and the same line serves Menton and Ventimiglia. No official fare table is published. Expect a few euros each way and check the price at the machine. Thefts happen on trains to and from Monaco, so keep bags closed and in sight.

Journey times at a glance

Èze-sur-Mer: about 7 minutes
Menton: about 10 to 12 minutes
Nice: about 20 to 23 minutes
Ventimiglia, Italy: about 26 minutes

Nice for a full day

Nice is the largest city on this stretch, with its Old Town, seafront and a wider choice of restaurants than Monaco. It is also the hub for buses to Èze and for the airport. Give it a whole day.

Èze, on foot or by bus

There are two ways up. The Nietzsche Path starts near Èze-sur-Mer station and climbs about 2.1 km, gaining 400 m, in roughly an hour. It is free and open all year, boots are advised, small children should not attempt it, and the authorities close it in bad weather. Buses 82 and 602 run from Nice and bus 83 from Beaulieu. The village sits near 429 m.

In the village, the Jardin Exotique d’Èze costs EUR 10 (EUR 4 for ages 12 to 17 and students, free under 12), and a guided visit is EUR 15. Winter hours are shorter: 9:00 to 16:30 in November and December. Check the garden’s listing . The Fragonard factory at 158 avenue de Verdun gives a free visit lasting about 30 minutes.

Menton

Menton has the Musée Le Bastion Jean Cocteau (EUR 5, or EUR 3.75 reduced), which is closed on Tuesdays and free on the first Sunday of each month. Food shoppers head to the Marché des Halles on quai de Monléon. The town’s lemon festival, the Fête du Citron, is scheduled for 13 to 28 February 2027.

Ventimiglia market day

The Italian border town holds a market on its seafront every Friday from 07:00, and the town’s website has the details. You cross a border, so take a passport or ID card. Late-afternoon trains back to France fill up on Fridays.

Cap d’Ail

Cap d’Ail is a short hop west. Its coastal path links Plage Marquet to Plage Mala over about 3.6 km and shuts in bad weather.

Saint-Paul-de-Vence

Saint-Paul-de-Vence takes about two hours each way from Monaco, with a change in Nice, a train to Cagnes-sur-Mer and bus 655. Visit it from Nice instead.

Compare organised excursions on Viator .