GENERAL PRESENTATION ACCESS AND COMMUNICATION

A sovereign and independent state, the Principality of Monaco has borders on its landward side with several communes of the French Department of the Alpes-Maritimes; from west to east these are Cap d`Ail, la Turbie, Beausoleil and Roquebrune Cap Martin. Seawards, Monaco faces the Mediterranean.

The population of the Principality consists of 29,972 inhabitants, 5,070 of whom are Monégasques, 12,047 French and 5,000 Italian (according to the last official census in 1990).

Its surface area is 195 hectares, of which nearly 40 were recovered from the sea during the course of the last twenty years.

It lies in a narrow coastal strip which sometimes rises vertically upwards with its highest point at 163 meters. Its width varies between 1050 meters and a mere 350 meters. Its coastline is 4100 meters long.

The Principality has only one commune, Monaco, whose limits are the same as those of the state.

This is divided into five areas :

	Monaco-Ville on the Rock, the old fortified town, with the Prince's Palace, the ramparts, the gardens, the Cathedral and the Oceanographic Museum.
The Condamine, the harbor area.
	Monte Carlo, created in 1866, in the reign of Prince Charles III who gave it its name, with its internationally famous Casino, its great hotels and leisure facilities, some created recently : Larvotto beach, the Monte Carlo Sporting Club, the Boulingrins Gardens.
Fontvieille, a great technical achievement with the filling-in with rock of 40 meters of water to produce a platform of 22 hectares supporting an urban, tourist and sports complex adjoining a yachting harbor and a pollution-free industrial zone.
	Moneghetti, the Révoires and the Exotic Gardens (on the western border with Cap d`Ail).

THE CLIMATE

Mild in winter (average in January and February : 8.2°) and warm without excess in summer (average in July and August : 25.5°).

The average temperature for the year is 16.31° and the Principality enjoys an exceptional amount of sun.

MEANS OF ACCESS

By air :

The Nice - Côte d`Azur International Airport is located 22 kilometers away from Monaco. Helicopter and bus services, taxis and hire cars provide permanent links between the airport and the Principality.

By helicopter (scheduled services or on request), the duration of the flight is 7 minutes.

By train :

The Monaco-Monte Carlo (SNCF) railway station is a stop for many international trains. The railway is a rapid means of communication between the Principality and all the localities of the Côte d`Azur from Cannes to Menton.

By road :

The A8 motorway, which connects with the whole of European motorway system, serves the Principality by means of easy access roads (an exit A8 - RN7 coming from Nice, la Turbie going to or coming from Nice, Roquebrune going to or coming from Italy).

Local communications are provided by three major roads : the Low, the Middle and the Great Corniches.

Service by inter-town coaches :

To Nice and Cannes, via the Low and Middle Corniches, from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. and also in the direction of Menton, Italy and the villages of the back country.

Some distances :

• Cannes 50 km

• Genoa 174 km

• Geneva 520 km

• Marseille 205 km

• Menton 7 km

• Nice 17 km

• Paris 958 km

• San Remo 35 km

• Turin 200 km

By sea :

The two harbors of the Principality, the Condamine (Hercule harbor) and Fontvieille, are equipped to handle yachts of all tonnages while intercontinental liners are able to anchor in the bay of Monaco.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN THE TOWN

Monaco buses "Five permanent routes"

1 - Monaco-Ville, Monte Carlo, Saint Roman and return

2 - Monaco-Ville, Monte Carlo, Exotic Garden and return

3 - Railway station, Monte Carlo, Larvotto beaches and return

4 - Railway station, Fontvieille, Hospital and return

6 - Larvotto beaches, Fontvieille and return

Public lifts

Seven are currently in use :

• between the Place des Moulins and the beaches

• between the Princess Grace Hospital Centre and the Exotic Garden

• between the harbor and the Avenue de la Costa

• between the Place St. Dévote and the area of Monéghetti

• between the Terraces of the Casino, the Congress Centre Auditorium and the Boulevard Louis II

• between the Avenue des Citronniers and the Avenue Grande-Bretagne

• between the highway and the Larvotto Boulevard.

Taxis

Two main ranks in operation round the clock (tel: 93.50.56.28 and radio telephone 93.15.01.01) at the Avenue de Monte Carlo (near the Casino) and the railway station.

Four supplementary ranks :

Place des Moulins, Avenue de la Costa, Fontvieille, Beach Plaza.

Car Parks

The Chemin des Pêcheurs car park, built to serve Monaco-Ville, is located under the Oceanographic Museum ; it can hold 55 coaches and 750 private cars.

With the permanent development of the new area of Fontvieille, more the 2,700 places for private cars and 180 places for camping cars are also available. The other main car parks are located in the Condamine in the Place St. Dévote, in Monte Carlo under the Boulingrins gardens, Avenue Princess Grace (Larvotto and Portier), Boulevard de Belgique, Avenue St. Charles, Avenue des Spélugues (the Metropole gallery), Boulevard Louis II, Avenue de la Costa and Place des Moulins.

The construction on the site of the old Louis II Stadium in Fontvieille, the reconstruction of the area of the Variétés in the Condamine and the building of the future Cultural and Exhibition Centre on the Avenue Princess Grace will increase the car-parking facilities of the Principality to a considerable extent.

Excursions around the Principality

• Roquebrune village : mediaeval castle, 6 km

• La Turbie : Tower of Augustus, 8 km

• Eze village : the Eagle`s Nest of the Côte d`Azur, 9 km

• Menton : the Cocteau Museum, 10 km

• Beaulieu : the Greek villa Kerylos, 11 km

• Villefranche sur Mer : Jean Cocteau Chapel and Citadel, 11 km

• Saint Jean Cap Ferrat : Ile de France Museum, 12 km

• Saint Paul de Vence : the Maeght Foundation, 38 km

• Antibes : Picasso Museum, 40 km

• Vence : Matisse Chapel, 42 km

• Biot : Fernand Léger Museum, 42 km.

In winter, skiing is available only a few hours` drive from the Principality at the French resorts of Peira Cava (57 km), Gréolières (68 km), Andon (98 km), la Colmiane (89 km), Isola 2000 (99 km), Valberg (103 km), and Auron (116 km) and the Italian resorts of Limone (82 km) and Monesi (123 km).

Published by GALE FORCE of Monaco