Monaco Grand Prix

new2this

I am considering bringing my boyfriend to the Monaco Gran Prix for his 30th birthday present!! Any advice on where to accomodation, tickets etc would be appreciated?

thegoth

Nice present :-). I was there last year

1) Stay in Nice. Can be expensive, so book in advance. Advise staying near the train station. Somewhere like here http://www.hotels.com/hotel/details.html?pa=18&pn=1&ps=18&tab=description&destinationId=494528&hotelId=347218&arrivalDate=24-05-2012&departureDate=28-05-2012&rooms[0].numberOfAdults=1&roomno=1&validate=false&previousDateful=false&reviewOrder=date_newest_first#description .€450 for 4 nights. Its only a two star but you can pay about to €2,200 in this area for a modest hotel at this time of year.

2) Get tickets at the swimming pool complex. They are by far the best seats for the weekend, and most people would say they are the best seats in formula 1. Failing that, I would go for seats just on the exit of the tunnel.

Train from Nice to Monaco is only 15 mins and the swimming pool complex and Tunnel are nearby. Every formula 1 fan deserves to see the Monaco GP

new2this

Thanks so much for the reply.. it was very helpful. I have looked at accomodation near the train station and some quite reasonable prices for the weekend and flights are not too bad either... I suppose that's the best thing with booking it well in advance.

Thanks again

G-Money

Just so you know, I think Monaco tickets are some of the most expensive of all F1 tickets. Also, keep in mind that F1 practice is held on the Thursday in Monaco, unlike all other F1 tracks where it's held on the Friday.

I'm planning to go myself and will probably stay in Nice. I've booked a few F1 trips and organised everything myself, but this time I will probably go with Select Motor Racing http://www.selectmotorracing.com/

I know a few people who have used them several times and they recommended them. They can customise your trip, for example I will probably book my own flights and race tickets, but I will let Select handle the accommodation and circuit and airport transfers. However you can get them to book almost all of it I think. Although I think getting transport to and from Monaco is relatively easy but I've heard the queue's at the train station in Nice on race day are chronic. So if you can, buy your train tickets ahead of time, or organise alternative transport.

losthorizon

yeah its best to book your train ticket yourself with your own credit card and print it out at the train station. Just remember to bring the same card with you to France if staying in France. You can either print the ticket yourself, get it posted out to you, collect it from a member of staff (bad idea - you could be waiting for ages) or print it from a machine at the train station (using the same credit card -which I did). The machines are in a number of different languages. You cant do this now you have to wait until I think 90 days before the train journey.

http://www.tgv-europe.com/en/?rfrr=reservation20commandeheaderhome

A great train site

http://www.seat61.com/France.htm#London%20to%20Nice%20by%20train

RVP11

Just be careful at Nice train station as my OH's purse was "procured" by a female immigrant while she was boarding the Monaco bound train. She managed to snatch it back luckily as I chased the two women responsible down the platform! She was a bit shook after that but we enjoyed Monaco all the same even though it was a month before the GP and they were erecting the stands at the time.
Enjoy the trip as it is one fantastic place.

Fugare1 Ed

Hi new2this

I stumbled across your post whilst checking the other f1 forums and blogs I contribute to.

I'm an F1 fan and I run a company specialising in F1 travel and hospitality and the Monaco GP in particular...now before anyone takes offence in any way I am not here to promote my company or tout for business. I happen to know a lot about Monaco and the grand prix and help F1 fans in those other forums and blogs and I'm happy to do the same here if you'll have me. I'll point you in the direction of the other forums if you want to check this isn't BS

Onto your post...

I agree with thegoth, it's a great present for your boyfriend. I personally wouldn't stay close to the station as it can get hairy in that area when night falls. There are lots of good 3* hotels in Nice for 850/900 euros upwards for 3 nights over the GP weekend. Many of which are close to the restaurants, bars, promenade etc and still only 10-15 minutes from the station. Anything around Boulevard Victor Hugo is around 10 mins to the station and also to the restaurants, bars and promenade in the other direction.

Definitely buy your rail tickets in advance, saves queueing and I wholeheartedly agree with rvp11, keep your wits about you on the train, on the stairs to the platform, basically anywhere in and around the station. I know many people who have been pick-pocketed there.

Grandstands K and T are very popular. K faces the bank of yachts in zone A of the harbour with a good view of tabac corner and the harbour section in general. T faces the pits and, if you are seated high, allows you to see into the pits for stops.

The cheapest place to buy grandstand tickets on their own is directly from the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) at www.formula1monaco.com (main site is www.acm.mc). The ACM website shows availability, exact seating and photographs from each grandstand so you can check out the view from each before you buy. If a company (like mine) is not adding value for you in some way, e.g. with airport transfers, hotels, race transfers, hospitality, driver meets, pit lane walks, etc. etc. then you should not pay more for tickets than you can buy direct for.

We also have thousands of photographs from Monaco over the years so once you have your choices narrowed down if you need any more let me know.

I hope that helps, if there is anything else don't hesitate to post or pm me, I'm absolutely happy to help in any way I can. It's my 40th in a couple of weeks...I hope there is something as fabulous as a trip to Monaco lined up for me

Best wishes
Ed

new2this

Many thanks everyone for the replies. They have all been really helpful. I looked up tickets on ACM and it is only the more expensive ones left :mad: Was kinda hoping to pay 270 max for a ticket... How awful would the secteur rocher be??

Fugare1 Ed

Hi again

Rocher...hmmm! Lots of people like (or perhaps don't mind/are prepared to tolerate) Rocher due to the price...personally I think it is awful, absolutely dreadful and I would rather sit in a bar and watch it on a TV with a cold beer!

If you do decide to go there get there very early and set your expectation level very low, long queues, very busy, loo issues, sloping rocky hillside, muddy & slippery if wet and depending where you end up you can be pretty far from the action, etc. etc.

Do a google search on sector rocher/secteur rocher and click on images, you will see pics of exactly what it is like and what you can see so you can make an informed decision and youtube has lots of video footage shot from there.

I know there is nothing really positive for you there but other than it's cheap I can't find anything positive to say about SR. Hope that helps. All the best, Ed.

thegoth

More tickets will be available from www.formula1.com at the start of 2012, but if I were you, I would go to Monza. You will get great tickets there for that price, and having visited both with my brother, we both agreed each grand prix was good, but Monza was better