Anyone who only knows Monaco for Formula 1, superyachts, and casinos may be missing the principality’s most remarkable feature: Monaco is an architectural masterpiece literally built into the cliffs of the Mediterranean Sea. This summer, it is one of the ultimate destinations for travelers looking to combine luxury, safety, sunshine, gastronomy, and spectacular sea views with an active city break on the French Riviera.
For concerned parents with teenagers and young adults going out, Monaco is also a safe destination. There is a lot of surveillance, because everyone knows that the Monaco police protects you. You only go out in clubs or restaurants, the streets are clean, people are well-dressed, and no one bothers anyone.
Monaco may be small — less than 2 square kilometers — but it feels like a vertical world city. Everywhere you look, you’ll find terraces, hanging gardens, futuristic buildings, hidden passages, and panoramic walking routes between the sea and the mountains. It is truly impressive how engineers and architects managed to create a complete city on such steep terrain.
Monaco Is Best Explored on Foot
Summer is the perfect season to discover Monaco by walking. In June, July, and August, the city comes alive day and night. The terraces of Monte-Carlo are packed, beach clubs are buzzing, and in the evenings, Port Hercule transforms into an open-air stage filled with lights, luxury, and Mediterranean atmosphere.
However, anyone planning to explore Monaco should come prepared: you need to be in good physical condition. The principality is built on dramatic changes in elevation. Many streets climb steeply uphill, and some walking routes can feel like a real workout. Especially when walking from the harbor toward Monte-Carlo, Jardin Exotique or the upper residential districts, you quickly realize just how vertical Monaco really is.
That is exactly why Monaco developed its unique network of public elevators, escalators and pedestrian bridges. Without this infrastructure, exploring the city on foot would be extremely difficult for many visitors. Today, Monaco has approximately 79 to 90 public elevators, 35 escalators, and several travelators that help pedestrians move easily throughout the city.
Official Monaco walking and mobility informatio
For years, Monaco has invested heavily in “soft mobility” — encouraging people to move around without using a car. You notice this everywhere. Instead of endless roads and parking structures, Monaco focused on intelligent vertical connections. Many elevators are hidden inside buildings, parking garages, and tunnels. Sometimes you enter at street level and emerge minutes later, dozens of meters higher, with a completely different view of the Mediterranean.
For visitors, it often feels futuristic. You walk through tunnels carved into the rock, take an elevator upward and suddenly find yourself among palm trees near the Casino de Monte-Carlo. Or you stroll along the harbor, step onto an escalator and arrive at a panoramic terrace overlooking luxury yachts.
Crossborder elevators from Beausoleil to Monaco
This is the only online map showing all public lifts from Beausoleil to Monaco.Here are all the magical elevators in Monaco, bringing you from one district to another.
This combination of walking routes, elevators, and escalators makes Monaco one of the most pedestrian-friendly luxury destinations in Europe.
Monaco1.com guide to Monaco’s pedestrian elevators
The Most Beautiful Places to Visit This Summer
Monte-Carlo and Casino Square
The heart of Monaco remains Monte-Carlo. Around the famous casino, you’ll find luxury hotels, designer boutiques, and iconic terraces. During the summer, this is the perfect place for people-watching. During the day luxury cars shine under the Riviera sun, while at night the facades glow golden in the warm Mediterranean evenings.
Port Hercule
Monaco’s harbor is more vibrant than ever during the summer. Massive superyachts sit next to elegant Italian speedboats while restaurants and bars along the waterfront fill up from sunset onwards. Summer evenings here have a unique atmosphere of glamour and relaxation.
Monaco-Ville
The old town of Monaco sits high on the Rock. Here you’ll discover narrow streets, colorful facades and breathtaking sea views. The Prince’s Palace and the famous Oceanographic Museum are among the highlights.
Larvotto Beach
Many visitors forget that Monaco is also a true beach destination. Larvotto Beach was recently completely renovated and now offers a stylish promenade with restaurants, beach clubs and crystal-clear water.
Jardin Exotique and Panoramic Viewpoints
Those willing to climb higher are rewarded with spectacular views. From Monaco’s upper districts, you can overlook Cap Martin, Italy, and the entire French Riviera coastline.
Monaco and Beausoleil: Two Cities Flowing Into Each Other
What many visitors do not realize is that Monaco is directly connected to the French town of Beausoleil. The border is almost invisible. From Beausoleil, you can literally walk straight into Monaco.
Beausoleil sits higher on the hillside and often offers magnificent views over the principality. Many travelers choose to stay there because it is quieter and generally more affordable than Monaco itself.
But there is one challenge: what goes down must come back up. Fortunately, Monaco and Beausoleil developed an impressive network of public elevators and escalators, allowing pedestrians to move easily between both towns.
Living on the Côte d’Azur elevator guide between Beausoleil and Monaco
The Main Elevators and Escalators Between Beausoleil and Monaco
These are some of the best-known public connections allowing pedestrians to enter Monaco from Beausoleil:
- Square Kraemer elevator
- Chemin de la Noix elevator
- Palais Joséphine elevator
- Parking Indigo Beausoleil Libération elevator
- Jardins d’Elisa elevators
- Escalators near Escalier du Riviera
- Escalators between Boulevard de la République and Avenue du Carnier
- Escalators around Capitole
- Connections to the Monaco Monte-Carlo train station
- Elevators leading to Pont Sainte Dévote
- Public elevators toward the Monte-Carlo Casino
- Elevators surrounding Port Hercule
- Elevators leading to Monaco-Ville and the Rock
Most elevators operate from early morning until late evening and are completely free to use. Some routes almost feel like attractions themselves: you enter an elevator in France and minutes later step out in Monaco.
Living on the Côte d’Azur elevator guide between Beausoleil and Monaco
Why Monaco Is Absolutely Worth Visiting This Summer
Monaco is not an ordinary beach destination. It is a place where luxury, engineering, nature, and architecture come together in a truly unique setting. Nowhere else in Europe can you move so easily through a vertical city filled with sea views, palm trees and spectacular buildings.
Visitors quickly discover that Monaco’s true charm lies not only in the casinos or the superyachts, but also in wandering through hidden passages, panoramic elevators, and steep Mediterranean streets.
And yes, after a full day exploring Monaco, you will definitely feel it in your legs. But that is exactly what makes the experience so memorable: Monaco is not only something you see, it is something you physically experience.
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