The ‘Needs to Know’
Distance: 2.75 miles (4.42 km)
Time to walk: Not very long if you’re driving a Formula 1 car! However there’s so much to see that you could actually take half a day to walk this one
Difficulty: Easy & all on hard surfaces. The only steep hill is the climb up to Casino Square
Parking: Don’t even think about it. I have driven around the circuit as it’s all public roads, but it’s best to leave the car along the coast & catch the train direct into the central station
Public toilets: Bars & Cafes etc. It’s worth paying a visit to the toilets at the Cafe de Paris in Casino Square, just for the experience
Map of the route:
I love Monaco & have visited several times. If you love people watching then this is the place for you & you can make it as expensive or cheap as you wish.
I did this walk the week after the Grand Prix a few years ago, so it wasn’t looking at its best, but then this is the Grand Prix Circuit walk and it’s all on safe footpaths that follow the track, even through the tunnel
Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a sovereign city-state & micro state on the French Riviera. The principality is home to roughly 40,000 residents & is widely recognised as one of the most expensive & wealthiest places in the world
With an area of 0.81 sq mi, it’s the second smallest sovereign state in the world, after the Vatican City. The principality is governed under a form of constitutional monarchy, with Prince Albert II as head of state, who wields immense political power despite his constitutional status
Economic development was spurred in the late 19th century with the opening of the state’s first casino, the Monte Carlo Casino, as well as a railway connection to Paris. Since then, Monaco’s mild climate, scenery, & gambling facilities have contributed to the principality’s status as a tourist destination & recreation centre for the rich. In more recent years, Monaco has become a major banking centre & has sought to diversify its economy into the services sector & small high-value-added, non-polluting industries. Monaco is famous as a tax haven: the principality has no personal income tax & low business taxes. Over 30% of the residents are millionaires
It’s probably most famous for being the host of the annual street circuit motor race, the Monaco Grand Prix, one of the original Grand Prix of Formula One, where we’ll be walking today
It’s almost time for the lights to go out on the starting grid so…
Let’s Walk!
1. We’re here on the starting grid on Boulevard Albert Ier…
From here it’s a short sprint to to the tight Sainte-Dévote corner, which has been the site of many first lap accidents. On subsequent laps this corner will be approached at 180 mph
2. Having braked down to 84 mph for the corner, the climb now begins up the steep hill along Avenue d’Ostende
Speeds up here reach 175 mph, but our pace is much slower & the higher we climb up the hill, the better the views become…
3. Directly across is the Prince’s Palace…
The Prince’s Palace of Monaco is the official residence of the Sovereign Prince of Monaco. Built in 1191 as a Genoese fortress, during its long & often dramatic history it has been bombarded & besieged by many foreign powers. Since the end of the 13th century, it has been the stronghold & home of the Grimaldi family who first captured it in 1297. The Grimaldi ruled the area first as feudal lords, & from the 17th century as sovereign princes
Thus while other European sovereigns were building luxurious, modern Renaissance & Baroque palaces, politics & common sense demanded that the palace of the Monegasque rulers be fortified. This unique requirement, at such a late stage in history, has made the palace at Monaco one of the most unusual in Europe. Indeed, when its fortifications were finally relaxed during the late 18th century, it was seized by the French & stripped of its treasures, & fell into decline, while the Grimaldi were exiled for over 20 years
During the 19th & early 20th centuries, the palace & its owners became symbols of the slightly risqué glamour & decadence that were associated with Monte Carlo & the French Riviera. Glamour & theatricality became reality when the American film star Grace Kelly became the chatelaine of the palace in 1956. In the 21st century, the palace remains the residence of the current Prince of Monaco
It’s well worth a visit to the palace & surrounding streets & the ‘changing of the guard’ is a must. Watch out if you here a series of whistles…it normally means a royal car is approaching!
4. At the top of the hill the road bends left at a corner called Massenet. Cars enter this at 173 mph. Ahead of you now is the famous Casino…
Turning right we enter Casino Square. The racing cars head around the fountain…
…but on foot we take time to explore the buildings here
5. Firstly the Casino itself. Casino de Monte-Carlo, is a gambling & entertainment complex, which also includes the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, & the office of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo
The Casino de Monte-Carlo is owned & operated by the Société des bains de mer de Monaco, a public company in which the Monaco government & the ruling royal family have a majority interest. The company also owns the principal hotels, sports clubs, foodservice establishments, & nightclubs throughout the Principality
The citizens of Monaco are forbidden to enter the gaming rooms of the casino. However, if you’ve got your passport with you & pay a fee, you are allowed. Standards have slipped these days as it used to be no shorts, but not anymore. You get to see the main gaming room, but non of the private rooms where the big stakes happen. But it’s still good to just stand & watch & you’ll recognise it from the James Bond films
6. On the left, as you enter the Square, is the famous Hermitage Hotel, owned by the same group that owns the Casino. It’s part of the elite palaces in Monaco…
Directly opposite, to your right as you stand on the Casino steps is the Cafe de Paris. I can highly recommend buying a very expensive drink & sitting at a table near the front to spend an hour people & car watching. Oh…& don’t forget to visit the toilets!
7. Walk past the Cafe de Paris & turn right, down the hill along the short straight known as Avenue des Beaux Arts…
It’s almost impossible to believe that F1 cars reach 140mph along this short stretch of road
8. We’re now walking steeply downhill & turning right at the sharp Mirabeau corner…
The path gets even steeper as it winds the short distance down to the tight Fairmont Hairpin, which was known as the Station Hairpin before the hotel was opened on the site in 1973
It’s a corner which has been used for many overtaking manoeuvres in the past. However, it would be almost physically impossible for two modern F1 cars to go round side by side, as the drivers must use full steering lock to get around.
It’s so tight that many Formula 1 teams have to redesign their steering & suspension specifically to negotiate this corner
This is the view back up towards the hairpin…
9. After the hairpin, the cars head downhill again to a double right-hander called Portier, named after the region of Monaco…
…& pass under the bridge
10. Now it’s time to turn sharp right & enter the most exciting & fastest parts of the circuit…the tunnel
Incredibly through the tunnel speeds reach 185mph. As well as the change of light making visibility poor, a car can lose 20–30% of its downforce due to the unique aerodynamic properties of the tunnel. It also presents a unique problem when it rains. As it is virtually indoors, the tunnel usually remains dry while the rest of the track is wet, with only the cars bringing in water from their tyres
Famously before the very wet 1984 race, Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone had local fire crews wet down the road in the tunnel to give it the same surface grip as the rest of the track. This was done at the request of McLaren driver Niki Lauda
11. The other issue for drivers is the sudden emergency into the light once more…
On the left’s the famous ‘Yacht Club de Monaco’ & we’ll shortly be seeing plenty of those…
12. Out of the tunnel, the cars head straight down the hill towards the harbour…
…braking hard for the tight left–right–left Nouvelle Chicane. Until you walk the circuit, you can’t appreciate how how the cars must break from 185mph down to 50mph for these corners…
This has been the scene of several large accidents, including that of Karl Wendlinger in 1994, Jenson Button in 2003 & Sergio Pérez in 2011. The chicane is generally the only place on the circuit where overtaking can be attempted
13. The next part of the track follows the edge of the harbour turning left at Tabac, so called as there used to be a tobacconist on the outside of the corner…
The whole of this section takes longer to walk due to ‘yacht envy’
14. After turning left at Tabac the track bends along the harbour front through Piscine…
followed by a slower right–left chicane which takes the cars past the Rainier III Nautical Stadium, its swimming pool gives its name to the corner
15. Looking back along this section…
At the end of here is one of the circuit’s most famous & tightest corners…
…also known for accidents…La Rascasse. It also requires a full steering lock
16. Now there’s just one more right hand corner to walk round before heading back across the start / finish line…
So that’s it….a lap of Monaco! Having walked the circuit several times, it’s best to do it away from the surrounding race weeks as there’s so much work going on, but it is fab!
Go Walk!