The Monaco Grand Prix is the race to go to for people wanting glamour, elegance, and wealth.
F1 is already a sport of the super wealthy and, while Silverstone is the series' sporting home, Monaco is its spiritual home.
It’s also where many of the drivers actually call home, like Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris. So, if you’re wanting to visit the race and bask in the ambience, how do you do it? Let’s find out.
Why Monaco is the one to watch
Monaco might be one of the more... monotonous races to watch on TV, owing to the fact that it’s the tightest and slowest track on the F1 calendar, but the Monaco GP doesn’t exist for the TV audiences.
It’s for the people who are there in person. Glitz and glamour are what the race is known for, and they just don’t come across over the screen as much as the real place.
From fancy parties to one-off liveries to the race itself, Monaco is known as the crown jewel in F1’s crown. That means it’s the one for celeb-spotting.
Last year alone saw Jeff Bezos, Dua Lipa, Sofia Vergara, Kylian Mbappe, Patrice Evra, and Odell Beckham Jr. among its attendees, while the podium presentation is typically done by the Prince of Monaco, Albert II, and his wife Princess Charlene.
People will watch from the stands, from apartments, and from multimillion pound yachts (which are actually in the water, unlike the boats at Miami). Even F1 drivers themselves sometimes watch from the yachts, as Kimi Raikkonen showed in the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix when he stormed off to his yacht after a mechanical failure part-way through the race.
Of course, Monaco is an incredibly short track. It’s technically too short to be an F1 track, as it comes in at just 3.337 km (2.074 miles) long, while tracks need to be at least 3.5 km (~2.17 miles) to reach the grade required by F1’s governing body, the FIA.
It gets in by dint of being a historic track with significant marketing possibilities, and this offers spectators a unique opportunity.
See, this lack of distance means that Monaco has the most laps of any race on the calendar, requiring drivers to complete it 78 times to see the checkered flag.
This means fans can see their favourite driver go by far more often than somewhere like Spa in Belgium, where drivers only complete 44 laps due to its much longer track. Not only will fans see drivers fly past more often than at any other track on the calendar, but they can get close too - sometimes just feet away, depending on the location.
Race schedule: 5 - 7 June, 2026
Monaco used to operate a Thursday, Saturday, Sunday schedule for the F1, having no running on Friday to allow the streets to operate somewhat normally, but was abandoned in 2022 to give teams more time between races to prepare.
That’s not to say that there isn’t a lot going on in Monaco as, not only will F1 be on track, support series Formula 2, Formula 3, and Porsche Supercup will also all be taking to the track (and all using the Thursday for practice).
One other thing that differs about the schedule for Monaco is that race day usually isn’t thought of as the most exciting one - it’s the Saturday.
That’s because with overtakes being so difficult to come by during the race, Saturday’s qualifying session is where races are essentially won and lost (there were four overtakes total in the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix). In fact, 14 of the last 22 races have been won from pole, including the last three. This leads to drivers taking the biggest risks in quali, sometimes stepping over the line and finding out just how close the walls are.
READ MORE: Mick Schumacher's Car Splits In Two In Frightening Crash At Monaco GP
Every way to watch: The complete tier guide
As you’d expect for a race like Monaco, there are plenty of ways to watch - including some extremely expensive ones.
You can learn more about the packages on offer below, from budget to VIP.
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VIP yacht race viewing: £5,000 - £10,000+
If you’re wanting to replicate that time Raikkonen watched the race from a yacht, you’d better have deep pockets.
Options including a yacht easily start in the thousands per person, though you do get to live in the lap of luxury for the weekend.
Catering, open bars, transfers, and pretty much everything else you need during the day will be part of the deal with this - as you’d expect - along with the chance to be spotted watching the Monaco Grand Prix on a yacht by the TV cameras, thereby sealing bragging rights over everyone else.
Of course, the yachts are an iconic part of the action at Monaco. Not only do they provide an incredibly expensive backdrop to the weekend’s activities, but they provide the soundtrack to the final lap, too - sounding their horns as the leader comes by to take the win.
Given that they’re not just a place to watch the race from, but they're the place to watch it from, they’re expensive.
The price does vary depending on how many days you’re wanting, and what those days are.
Unsurprisingly they’re almost all currently sold out through Formula 1, with just the one-day ticket for Friday available. For your £1,432 per person you do get to watch the drama on track (Friday will have free practice sessions one and two for F1, along with qualifying for the Porsche Supercup, Formula 3, and Formula 2), along with food, an open bar, music, and a driver appearance.
Paddock club: Roughly £9,500 add-on
If you’re familiar with F1, you might have heard of the Paddock Club. This exclusive, ultra-premium experience puts you incredibly close to the action, typically allowing you to watch from above the pit lane and enjoy exclusive experiences like driver talks, pit lane walks, and gourmet dining. As you’d imagine, it doesn’t come cheap.
A Yacht Paddock Club ticket for the Monaco Grand Prix from F1 themselves will set you back £12,715.16 per person, plus a £381.46 'processing fee' for whatever reason.
You do get three days of access to the F1 Paddock Club yacht, some food while you’re on it, and experiences like pit lane walks and track tours for your £13,000 plus, but you won’t get any accommodation while you’re there.
Platinum VIP Terrace: £3,000 - £6,200+
If watching the race from the high seas isn’t for you, perhaps a terrace is more your taste. Ironically giving you a better view of the track despite costing far less than the yacht option, the price doesn’t include hotels so don’t be caught out.
What you do get with the Platinum VIP Terrace is a range of meals each day, an open bar, and access to the terraces that line the start/finish straight. These will let you see not just the straight but, depending on where you are, the first corner (Saint Devote) and the port area of the circuit.
VIP panoramic fan's club terrace: £1,000 - £5,500+
Billed as 'the ultimate luxury package for the F1 Monaco GP', this isn’t for the stingy. You’ll find the terrace on the outside of Sainte Devote, and there’s more than enough to keep you entertained if you don’t actually want to watch the racing. Special appearances, DJs, food, drinks, cocktail bar, a goody bag are all part of the package.
Gold VIP terrace: £2,000 - £5,000+
As the price comes down, so does the elevation. A Gold VIP Terrace offers much the same as the Platinum - food, catering, bar, covered seating - but from a lower floor in the same building. This means you won’t be able to see as much as those in the floors above, though you will be closer to the cars themselves - a positive or a negative, depending on your viewpoint.
VIP race garden: £800 - £4,300+
Situated on top of Le Panorama, a residential building on the outside of Sainte Devote, the race garden offers a relaxed area to watch the race from. You’ll watch drivers climb from the first corner up towards Casino Square, and down in the port, along with enjoying the catering. There’s also music, drink, and TV to watch the race. Do you like jazz? If so, you’re in luck; there’s even a live saxophonist.
Silver VIP terrace: £1,500 - £3,500+
Silver moves you off the main straight and up to Beau Rivage (the second corner, which runs up the hill). Not only will you get to watch the cars on the straight beneath, but you’ll be able to see them down at the port area as well, giving you a different vantage point to those on the start/finish straight. You’ll also have food and drink, and a TV showing you the parts of the race you won’t see from your spot.
Bronze VIP terrace: £1,000 - £3,000+
The Bronze terrace is also in Le Panorama, on the outside of the first corner. Expect a similar view to those in the VIP Race Garden, though with less fancy food than they’ll be having. This is very much your entry-level hospitality.
Grandstand: £1,500+
Even for a grandstand, you’re still looking at numbers with a comma. There are multiple grandstands around the track, the majority down by the port area. There are only two stands that aren’t down where everything else is - Stand B, which is up the hill on turn 5 (Casino) and Stand C, which is down the hill at turn 8 (Portier). You’ll still get a good view of the racing from here (you don’t need to shell out for the terraces to see it), and you'll get a guaranteed seat which is a positive.
Don’t be fooled by the prices you see on the Formula 1 website, though - they aren’t really as good of a deal as they appear. The €43 (£37.55) cost the grandstand seats “start at” are for Thursday, which has three practice sessions - one for Porsche Supercup, one for Formula 3, and one for Formula 2. There’s no F1 on Thursday, which is why they jump up to €238 (£207.86) for the day on Friday.
General admission: £100+
Now we’re getting somewhere more affordable. Because Monaco is a street circuit, the General Admission tickets work slightly differently to somewhere like Silverstone where it allows you through the gates. There are just two GA places in Monaco - La Rocher, which is the hill behind the Anthony Noghes corner (the final one) and the Z1 General Admission Area on Avenue JF Kennedy.
As these are less dedicated viewing areas and more small bits of the country that people worked out they could charge fans to stand in, they’re very small, first-come-first-served, and offer views of parts of the track.
They’re arguably where you’ll find a lot of real fans - people who willingly climb a rock or stand in the middle of the track just to get a glimpse of a Formula 1 car, rather than enjoying drinks and canapes before swanning off to their next engagement.
It’s worth noting that a GA ticket for one does not transfer to the other, so you’ll need to pick one if you’re wanting to do GA.
Can I watch the Monaco Grand Prix for free?
Your definition of 'free' might differ from others, as might your definition of 'watch the race', but there are a few ways to see some action without buying a ticket. The first and, depending on your fitness level, easiest, would be to climb one of Monaco’s many hills and mountains and hope the elevation gives you a glimpse of the track.
There are several spots people visit, including Avenue de Suisse, where you can catch a fleeting glimpse of a car ripping past, but you won’t be able to make out much.
Arguably the best place to watch the race for free is the Place d’Armes. It has a fan zone (known as the MGP Live Fan Zone) where fans can enjoy a number of activities like simulators, interviews, challenges and music. You’ll be watching the race on a screen, but you will be able to watch the race itself rather than simply seeing a colourful blob from a distance. Expect it to fill up quickly.
Now, you don’t need to buy a ticket if you just so happen to be staying in a hotel or apartment with a track view, and herein lies our heavy use of the caveat on 'free'. By paying for a room - which you’d need if you were staying for the weekend anyway - you can watch the race without even having to leave the hotel, being on the track itself.
We’ll concede that it’s somewhat of a workaround, and hotels and apartments with a track view will more than likely be more than the cost of a general admission ticket, but it’s something to consider if you want to see the race without a ticket.
You can also tune in live from home on NOW TV and Sky Sports.
Where to stay: Nice vs Monaco
Where you stay for the race is almost entirely dependent on what your budget is. The race obviously takes place in Monaco, but it can be an incredibly expensive stay - you’re easily looking at four or five figures for two nights in the principality over the race weekend.
If money isn’t an object then it’s a great option, allowing you to stay close to the action and not miss a thing but, for those with a budget, Nice is a much more common alternative.
Prices will still be higher than they would at any other time of the year, but you’re looking at the hundreds of pounds rather than the thousands or tens of thousands.
You’ll also benefit from the very good travel links between Nice and Monaco, particularly the train; it takes about 10 minutes to get to Monaco, there’s one every 10 minutes on race weekend, and it cuts out the need to deal with road traffic and parking.
Beausoleil is the closest non-Monaco area to stay in, being just a 10-minute walk from Monaco. This makes it a very popular destination for F1 fans, though prices do reflect this - you’re still looking at four-figure prices to secure a hotel here, given we’re closing in on the race.
Menton is a little further North East of Monaco - around a 20-minute train journey - but this extra distance brings prices down considerably.
You can find hotels over the race weekend for around £500 on the lower end, with several options beneath the £1,000 mark according to Booking.com.
If you don’t mind a slightly longer train journey then staying in Nice is also an option, with prices going down as far as a few hundred pounds for the weekend.
If you really don’t mind a longer train journey, Easyjet offers a package holiday for around £900 pp to Nice-Port St. Laurent, which is just by the airport.
Getting there and what to wear
If you’re flying to the Monaco Grand Prix, Nice Cote d’Azur airport (NCE) in France is your best bet.
It’s the closest (18 miles from Monaco) and it’s easy to get to, with flights from 14 UK airports including Heathrow, Birmingham, Manchester, and Edinburgh. A 10-minute walk to St. Augustin train station, followed by a 30-minute train to Monaco-Monte-Carlo station, will put you in Monaco itself. Travel by car, taxi or bus is also possible in roughly the same time, but that’s highly dependent on traffic.
It’s also worth mentioning the weather.
The move from Monaco’s typical May date to the start of June means that the temperature should be slightly warmer than usual, as May typically ranges between 14 to 20 degrees and with four days of rain compared to June’s 18 to 24 degree range and three days of rain.
That’s not to say that it will definitely be warm and dry though, as Monaco has produced some impeccable wet races in the past - most recently in 2023, when rain over the final 25 laps caused absolute chaos. You’re best off taking summery clothes, but pack a light rain coat just in case. You’ll also want to pack a pair of comfortable shoes if you’re not spending the day in one place, given Monaco’s aforementioned hilliness.
And while we’re on the subject of clothing; Monaco has an affluent, stylish reputation, and that’s reflected in its (unofficial) dress code. Smart casual is usually enough for most businesses (don’t wear your flip flops and swim shorts if you’re not on the beach), and through the day shorts are fine.
Similar to how it would be anywhere else, the more upmarket places expect more formal attire (i.e. no trainers or shorts in the evening), while the many Monte Carlo casinos will expect more formal attire.
They, just like all the other businesses in Monaco, will expect to be paid in Euros, given it’s the local currency. And while French is the official language, Monaco’s a truly international tax haven, so English is widely known (though a few simple French phrases you learned at school wouldn’t go amiss).
One final, practical, thing to mention is passport control. There are no routine passport controls between France and Monaco, as the two countries have an open border agreement, so if you’re in France legally you can enter Monaco without issue.
That said, there are random passport checks and a passport is the only recognised form of ID, so while you’re able to move freely, you should still take it with you.
How to book and what it really costs
The long and the short of it is that if you’re looking at 2026, timelines are tight but not untenable. You can still find a way to see the race this year, but you’ll be paying a premium for waiting until less than two months before the lights go out.
A realistic budget for a low-cost visit in 2026 will set you back north of £1,200 per person (taking the Easyjet package deal, then factoring in other travel, food, tickets if you want them, and any other expenses that come up).
The sky is the limit if money’s no object - stay in Monaco itself, watch the race with the F1 Paddock Club, enjoy fancy food - live the Monaco Grand Prix dream for a few days, but be prepared to spend five figures (possibly even six if you plan on buying any merch while you’re there).
That’s not to say that it always has to be that expensive. The 2026 F1 calendar was officially announced on June 10 2025, meaning we’re likely only a couple of months away from knowing when the 2027 Monaco Grand Prix is. This should give you ample time to plan your trip now, allowing you to be ready to book as soon as dates are confirmed.
Hospitality packages tend to go on sale 9 to 12 months ahead, with grandstands and tickets 6-9 months out from the race, so planning for 2027 could be the better option for those wanting to book it their way.
If you still want to see some motorsport in Monaco but don’t fancy F1, the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique could be a good alternative. Running a little bit before the Formula 1 (in 2026 it’s on 24 - 26 April), the event sees classic and historic race cars take to the very same circuit they raced on in period. Classes range from pre-war cars like the Bugatti 35B through to cars as recent as 1985 like the Tyrrell 012 and Williams FW07C.
Tickets are also significantly cheaper - Fridays are free to attend, while a two-day ticket in a grandstand will set you back €150 (£130).
Hotels are also cheaper, given the lower demand, and the cars are arguably more interesting.
You’ll even sometimes see current Formula 1 drivers enter, like we did in 2022 with Charles Leclerc. Unfortunately taking part before he broke his home-race curse, the Monegasque crashed a Ferrari 312 T4 that Niki Lauda raced in 1974, going backwards into the barrier.
However you choose to do Monaco, though, you’ll be in for a treat. Whether you opt for elegance and opulence or economy and affordability, you’ll still be in Monaco, enjoying the same race and being able to say you were there.
How much you spend is your choice but, for many, it’s an experience you can’t put a price on.
Topics: Monaco, Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris
Tom Jeffries