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Monte Carlo tender


arkansasnanny

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It looks like our ship(Princess) tender's when we come in to Monte Carlo. Anyone that has been on this trip is it possible to just get a cab when we arrive togo to the palace and Cathedral? Are the cabs close because we will have a 81 yr. old with us? Also are the cathedral and palace close enough to each other to not have to walk really far with her? Thanks for the info. julie

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We went through the palace in 07 with a tour. I just don't have the receipt for it to look it up.On that trip we tendered into cannes and took the train. Isn't the cathedral where the Prince and Princess are buried?

 

Thanks, arkansasnanny, I definitely am wrong on this point and stand corrected. I just checked my 2007 Rick Steves' France guidebook (I only purchased a new one for Italy for my cruise last month), and he states as follows:

 

"Automated and uninspired tours (in English) take you through part of the prince's lavish palace in 30 minutes. The rooms are well-furnished and impressive, but interesting only if you haven't seen a chateau lately." At that time (2007), the changing of the guard was at 11:55 AM, "fun but jam-packed". Of course, that is just one guidebook's opinion.

 

Yes, the cathedral, about a five-minute walk from the palace, is where both are buried. Weirdly enough, when we were there last month, a lady tourist left when we did and stated that she was extremely disappointed because she thought that Princess Grace's body was in a glass coffin above-ground so that you would be able to see her body (a la Lenin). Eek!

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Thanks so much for the info.Now I am wondering if where we get off the tender will there be cabs that we can get to drop us off at the palace? Can't walk a long distance. Didn't make it to the cathedral last time but would like to this time. j

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I believe it depends on where you tender. When we tendered to Monte Carlo in May, we were the only ship in port, and the crew told us that ordinarily we would have tendered into the main harbor. However, the Formula 1 Grand Prix trials were on and the main harbor area was full of yachts and closed to vehicles. So we had to tender to Fontvieille instead. They said that sometimes the second or third ship in has to tender to Fontvieille, even if the main harbor is open.

 

This picture kind of shows you the walk from Fontvieille:

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2450447350053482779PTCDnc

It was taken looking back at the harbor, when we got to the end of the walkway at the right. What you can't see is that the walkway bends right and goes another 1/2 block, then bends back for another 1-2 blocks before getting to the tender dock. So it would be 2-3 blocks of walking all told, to get to the end of the walkway. Then you'd have to go up stairs (or take the elevator-- they have elevators everywhere in MC!) to catch a taxi.

 

From the main harbor, I can't say for sure because we didn't tender there, but my impression from looking at it from above is that you would also have to walk a block or two there, before reaching streets where you could catch a taxi.

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I don't recall whether there were taxis waiting at the disembarkation point, but this photo (click to enlarge) might give you a sense of what tendering into the main harbor looks like, in terms of how far it is from the first street running along the shoreline (Boulevard Albert Premier). Coming back to the ship by cab, we were dropped at a traffic circle a little closer to the tender dock than the first shoreline street, but still a decent walk to the tenders, maybe 500 feet along Quai Antoine Premier.

IMG_1203.jpg.78706dfe5746fbd5a820d256a6764c45.jpg

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Thank you both for the info. We were there in 07 and we took a train to Monte Carlo from Cannes where we had docked. We don't want to do the walking tour(can't really) of Monte Carlo. Just want to go to the palace area and cathedral, eat lunch, shop a little and come back to the ship. I am just trying to figure out the easiest way to do it. any suggestions? julie

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Easiest way might be to take the Azur Express tourist train, which is a series of open cars pulled by a tractor and going to many parts of the Principality: "The only tourist type of transportation is the quaint little train which takes passengers on a guided tour of the principality. Painted in traditional Monegasque colours, the Azur Express passes by Monaco Port, the famous casino, gardens and palaces of Monte Carlo, the Old Town area and finally the Prince’s Palace. Although not really a source of public transportation, it offers a pleasant way to get a view of the whole area. The daily trips have commentary on the sites in English, Italian, German and French" This is about a 35-minute ride for €6, and does come into the traffic circle toward the land end of the tender dock which I mentioned in my earlier post; not sure if it is hop-on, hop-off, or whether it goes near the Cathedral. I haven't been able to find a map, but the official site is https://www.visitmonaco.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageID=196.

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