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Driving in Monaco – what are the rules?

One of the wealthiest countries in the world, Monaco is also rich in history, heritage and tradition. As such it’s an interesting and exciting place to visit.

The so-called ‘playground of the rich and famous’, this Mediterranean micro-state is perhaps most famous for becoming the race circuit of the Monaco Grand Prix in early summer. 

Or at least part of it is – the two-mile Circuit de Monaco uses major town Monte-Carlo’s narrow streets around its Port Hercules harbour area. It’s a great tourist attraction for F1 lovers, just to walk on the famous tarmac. 

The country is also well known for having its own royal family, the Grimaldis, currently headed by Prince Albert, who imposes his own rules of the land, despite it being almost completely bordered by France – to the north, east and west. 

To the south is the beautiful Mediterranean Sea and the fine summer weather is perfect for beach trips, sight-seeing and water sports such as diving, kayaking and jet-skiing.

Monaco is home to many interesting churches, art galleries and museums, including one that’s the car collection of the Prince. There’s also a prehistoric animals gallery and a museum of stamps and coins.

‘Coins’ is an appropriate word for Monaco. As one of the wealthiest states in the world it actively attracts money with its expensive way of life, luxury sports cars, high property prices and famous casino, the Casino de Monte-Carlo. There are lots of places to eat, drink and relax, with the local cuisine influenced by France’s Provence region as well as that of northern Italy.

But it’s not all fun and games in Monaco. It’s a huge centre of business and industry with, perhaps not surprisingly, finance, wealth management and insurance leading the way. The wholesale industry, import/export and construction are also important revenue streams.

So, if you are considering this Med country for a vacation this year, it’s certainly a good choice for road trips. But you’ll need some careful organisation before going there. It’s possible to drive to Monaco from the UK – probably taking a route via France’s Paris and Lyon before the last leg and the coastline.

Flying in and hiring a vehicle is also easy. The nearest airport is Nice’s Cote d’Azur and it’s just a short drive over the border into Monaco. All the main rental companies such as Sixt, Avis and Hertz, are there offering a wide variety of vehicles. 

Driving in Monaco is a different experience from doing so in the UK – starting with the fact that the Monegasque use the other side of the road from us. But people generally drive slowly and carefully there and show courtesy to others, and the country has a low accident rate.

Planning a driving holiday or using a car on business while in the country, requires careful consideration and a good understanding of what you can and can’t do there. 

Here TheCarExpert looks at the most important elements to consider when planning to drive in Monaco, and we’ve included a handy checklist. As each journey is unique, always check that you have everything covered for your particular visit.

Basic rules

You must be 18 years or over to drive in Monaco and you should hold a full UK driving licence. Just the licence card will do, as the paper counterpart is no longer a requirement. 

If you are using your own car, you’ll need to prove that you have at least third party insurance cover so take your certificate with you (but you don’t need a European ‘green card’). Take also any documents that show the identity of the car, such as the V5C registration paper or ‘logbook’. 

The vehicle’s ‘home country’ must be shown on it with ‘UK’ letters and the Union Flag incorporated into your vehicle’s number plates. If you don’t have these on your plates, you must affix a ‘UK’ sticker to the car’s rear. The ‘GB’ badge is no longer allowed, even within European ‘golden stars’ and the same goes for country emblems such as the English, Scottish or Welsh flags.

To hire a car, you must be at least 18 years old. Some firms will insist on a minimum term of experience (such as 12 months of driving) before allowing a rental. You might need a second proof of ID, such as your passport, as well as your driving licence. And if you are planning to leave Monaco and venture into France, check with the hiring agent first – they don’t all allow their cars to cross the border.

Always make sure you are carrying the rental company’s paperwork with you to prove you are entitled to drive. Whether you are renting or using your own vehicle, always have your personal ID or passport with you.

Drink drive rules

We don’t recommend any drinking of alcohol if you are going to drive but it’s worth knowing the limits. The drink drive limit is 0.5 g/l (also shown as 0.5 milligrams or 0.05%) but if you have less than three years’ experience of driving, the limit is 0.2 g/l. For comparison, the limit is 0.8 g/l (0.8 milligrams, 0.08%) in England and Wales. 

As in many other countries the authorities take a hard line on drink driving. The police can – and do – ask for random breath tests at any time. Penalties are severe and include fines, driving license confiscation and even imprisonment for serious cases. 

Speed limits

When you consider the number of Ferraris, Porsches, Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars driving around on Monaco’s streets, it’s almost ironic that the speed limit in most areas is just 50 km/h (31 mph). Drive into a residential area and you’re likely to find the limit drops to 30 km/h (18 mph). Always keep an eye out for local road signage which will advise on the limit for the road you’re on.

Fines for speeding start at 135 Euros (£115) but can become higher if the authorities consider your speed transgression more serious. 

There are a small number of speed and traffic enforcement cameras on Monegasque roads, especially in more urban areas. Do not use any kind of police camera detection equipment in your car. In fact, even carrying a detector could land you with a 1500 Euro (£1300) fine. And the authorities will also take it away for good measure. 

Only use a mobile phone while driving if it’s completely hands-free. You are though, allowed to use headphones or earpieces while driving.

What to carry in the car

As well as your documentation ensure, while motoring through Monaco, that you have a warning triangle, a first aid kit and a reflective Hi-vis jacket, in case you have to get out of the car by the roadside. These are compulsory requirements.

Make sure your lights don’t dazzle oncoming drivers. You must have beam deflectors fitted (or the ability to manually adjust your lights). Driving with your dipped lights on is recommended but not compulsory. 

Although not a requirement, it could be worth having a tow rope, spare headlamp bulbs and jump leads. Specialist suppliers, such as motoring organisations, sell ‘European driving kits’ for around £25, which contain everything you are likely to need for a holiday road trip, and they are well worth considering. 

Seatbelts

Seatbelt rules are the same as in the UK: if your car has them, they must be worn. Children under 10 must not sit in the front, unless the car only has front seats, or another child is taking up the rear seats. In this case, make sure the child is properly restrained in a child seat or booster seat appropriate to their size.

Driving

Keep to the right-hand lane as much as possible but if you are overtaking do so on the left. Priority is given to vehicles approaching you from the right and always give way to emergency vehicles.  

Don’t use your horn in built-up areas unless in an emergency. Traffic signals are red, amber and green and follow a similar pattern to the UK except that there is no ‘red and amber’ when going from red to green (stop to go). 

You might see a yellow arrow alongside a red light which means you may turn in the direction of the arrow but give way to other cars going that way, as well as pedestrians. Don’t go through any red lights – there’s a 300 Euro (£260) fine if you get caught doing so.

Considering the narrow and winding roads of Monte Carlo and other parts of Monaco, it’s not recommended to tow a caravan through the principality. Local advice seems to be to park the ‘van at a campsite outside the area and get a park and ride bus in.

Road signs

Road signs are usually pictorial with symbols that UK drivers will recognise such as ‘No cycling’, ‘No overtaking’ and ‘No right turn’. There are others, like ‘No handcarts’ and ‘No vehicles carrying water pollutants’ which might not be so familiar, however.

Warning signs are generally triangular with a red outline, regulatory signs are round with a red outline, while mandatory signs are blue circles with white pictures in them. ‘Give way’ is an upside down triangle with the words ‘Cedez le passage’ but the internationally recognised ‘Stop’ sign has the word stop written in English.

Information and service signs are blue or white squares while directional signs are white with distances shown in kilometres. Road numbers appear in a red box.

Fuel availability

Petrol and diesel are widely available throughout Monaco and many sites will also sell LPG. Almost all take internationally recognised credit cards. 

Toll roads

There are no toll roads in Monaco although the main A8 autoroute from France into Monaco is a tolled route. The cost will depend on how far you have come along it. This can be paid for with cash or card.

Parking

Because of its size, parking is strictly controlled in Monaco. There is some on-street parking, but not much, so a car park of some description is probably going to be the way forward. On-street parking is often limited to two hours anyway.

Thousands of parking bays in around 40 overground and underground car parks are available. Rather generously, parking everywhere is free for the first hour. After that it’s 2.70 Euro (£2.30) for one hour 15 minutes, 7 Euro (£6) for two hours sliding gradually upwards towards 14.50 Euro (£12.40) for four hours. Twelve hours will cost 21.70 Euro (£18.50).

Park badly, or for too long, and you will likely receive a 35 Euro (£30) fine, and your car could be towed away. There will be a fine to pay for a vehicle’s release plus costs for the towing. If the car is impounded for more than 36 hours there will be an extra charge to pay.

Emergency number

In Monaco as with most of Europe, you can dial 112 and make contact with emergency services such as fire, ambulance or police, 24 hours a day. Operators will speak English, French and other European languages.

Checklist

Must haves:

  • Driving licence
  • Vehicle insurance
  • MOT certificate (if applicable)
  • V5C or vehicle ID
  • Rental agreement (if applicable)
  • Passport
  • UK sticker or number plate markings
  • Warning triangle
  • Hi-viz jacket
  • First aid kit
  • Headlamp beam deflectors

Options:

  • Fire extinguisher
  • Spare bulb kit
  • Screen wash
  • Bottled water
  • Map or satnav
  • Phone power bank
  • Torch
  • Fuel can

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