The Coast from Nice to Monaco, Bay by Bay
The short answer. From Nice to Monaco a boat passes the city's bay, Cap de Nice, the bay of Villefranche, the wooded cape of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Beaulieu, the cliffs below Èze and Cap-d'Ail, then Monaco's harbour. A boat tour from Nice to Monaco can mean a day ashore by ferry or a RIB that turns back at the harbour mouth. Here is what you see on each stretch, and which boats stop.
The stretches, in order
| Stretch | What you see | Boats that stop here |
|---|---|---|
| The city's bay | The seafront and the old town under its hill | None; every boat passes |
| Villefranche bay | A wide, sheltered bay and the old town above it | Sunset boats, charters, one RIB lands |
| The wooded cape | Villas in the pines, a palace in gardens | Charters and the morning catamaran anchor |
| Beaulieu and Èze | A small marina, a hill village above the cliffs | Solar boats and charters start here |
| Cap-d'Ail | Cliffs, a small beach and the Mala cave | The RIBs stop to swim |
| Monaco | The harbour, the Rock and the towers | Only the day ferry lands |
How long each stretch takes depends on the boat. The Mala cave RIB reaches the cave in about 25 minutes, then takes about 20 minutes past Èze, 15 along the cape and 15 across Villefranche bay on the way home. The day ferry covers the whole run to Monaco in about 45 minutes. A charter goes at the pace you agree with your skipper.
Leaving Nice: the bay and the seafront
Most trips out of the Port of Nice head straight east. Two boats also show you the city's own bay. The morning catamaran starts along the Baie des Anges, and the one-hour cruise ends with it, so you see the Promenade des Anglais from the water, with the old town under Castle Hill.
Then the boat rounds Cap de Nice, the rocky point east of the port. For the hour-long cruise this is half the trip. For everything else it is the start.
Villefranche bay
Past the cape the coast opens into Villefranche bay. It is wide and sheltered, and the old town of Villefranche-sur-Mer climbs the hill above its harbour. The calm water makes it the place most boats come to anchor. The sunset RIB and catamaran stop here, and so do many charters.
Only one shared trip puts you ashore. Nissa Croisières' 3-hour Mala trip gives you 45 minutes in Villefranche after a swim off Paloma beach. The places worth the walk up from the harbour are on things to do in Nice from the water.
The wooded cape and its villas
Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat is the cape that closes the bay on the east. It is covered in pines, with villas at the water's edge, and a boat takes you along its shore.
On the cape stands the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, a Belle Époque palace set in themed gardens over the sea. It is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00 this season, and you visit it by road, not by boat. The morning catamaran anchors off this cape and Beaulieu for its swim stop.
Beaulieu, Èze and the harbours below the cliffs
Beaulieu-sur-Mer is a small town with a marina, and it is where the solar boats start. Next the coast rises steeply to Èze, the hill village perched high above the sea. At the foot of the cliff is Port Silva Maris, a small harbour where some charters start.
If you start at either harbour, you save the run out from Nice and spend more of your hours on this stretch. The solar boat's 4-hour trip can reach as far as Nice or Monaco from Beaulieu. The harbours and how to reach them are on the map of departure points.
Cap-d'Ail and the Mala cave
East of Èze the cliffs belong to Cap-d'Ail. At their foot is Plage Mala, a small beach of fine sand and round pebbles set in the rocks, and beside it the Mala cave. On foot you come down steep stairs or along the coastal path. By boat you arrive at the cave from the sea.
This is the swim stop for the Mala cave RIB, which stays about 45 minutes, and the Monaco speedboat stops nearby to swim. Which way suits you is weighed in the post on the Mala cave by boat or on foot.
Monaco from the water
The run ends at Monaco. Its harbour is Port Hercule, in the La Condamine district, the only deep-water port in the principality, with room for up to 700 vessels. It takes its name from a temple to Hercules that stood on the Rock above it. From the water, look up at the Rock for three things:
- The Prince's Palace, on the top of the Rock.
- The Oceanographic Museum, above the sea on the Rock's edge.
- The Saint-Martin Gardens, on the slopes between them.
Two boats take you here, and they are not the same thing. The Monaco speedboat runs into the harbour and turns back to Nice without landing. The day boat to Monaco leaves Nice at 09:30 and gives you nearly seven hours ashore before the 17:00 boat home. If standing in Monaco matters, the ferry is the one to book.
The exception: west to the islands off Cannes
One shared boat on the coast sails west instead, from Cannes. The Lérins Islands lie off Cannes, about 15 minutes by boat from its harbour. There are five, and the two largest are Sainte-Marguerite and Saint-Honorat.
Monks have lived on Saint-Honorat more or less continuously since AD 410, and they still make wine, honey and a herbal liqueur. On Sainte-Marguerite, the fort held the prisoner known as the Man in the Iron Mask; it is now the Museum of the Sea. The catamaran from Cannes anchors between the islands for its swim. It leaves from Cannes, so allow for the journey from Nice.
Boats that run along this coast
Nice to Monaco Round-Trip Ferry Tickets
The scheduled boat to Monaco: out at 09:30, back at 17:00, nearly seven hours ashore. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays until 31 October.
From $61 per person
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Nice to Monaco Speedboat Tour: Coast, Mala Cave & Swimming
Two and a half hours on a fast RIB past the capes and the Mala cave into Monaco's harbour, with a swim stop. Nobody goes ashore; snorkel gear is not included.
From $85 per person
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Nice: Morning Discovery Tour | Côte d'Azur Coastline
Three morning hours on a maxi-catamaran with a crew who guide, then a stop at anchor with paddleboards, snorkels and a planter's punch.
From $84 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: Choose whether you want to land in Monaco or see it from the water, then check the dates. Every fare sits side by side on Nice Boat Tours.