Monaco's beaches, which means Larvotto and not much else (and that's fine)

Monaco isn’t a beach destination, and it’s worth saying so up front to spare anyone a disappointment. It has one public beach, Larvotto, well kept and free, and around it a couple of alternatives that are already in France. For a swim in the middle of a visit, that’s plenty. For a week by the sea, I’d look elsewhere on the Riviera.

Which beaches does Monaco actually have?

One, really. Larvotto is the country’s public beach, on the eastern side beyond Monte-Carlo, and it gives its name to the Larvotto district around it. The tourist office describes it as a public beach, largely free to access and open all year, with four private beaches on either side, and those are the ones that charge. The rest of the country’s waterfront is harbour. Don’t be misled by the name of Nikki Beach Monte Carlo, which is a rooftop pool on the Fairmont rather than a beach.

The fact that surprises people most is that it isn’t a natural beach either. Monaco’s government lists Larvotto among the land the country won from the sea in the 20th century, between 1961 and 1963, 54,000 m² of it. It’s the same thinking behind Fontvieille and Mareterra, and I go into it at more length in Monaco facts.

Larvotto after Renzo Piano

The beach you see today is fairly new. The Larvotto complex, designed by Renzo Piano, opened on Saturday 3 July 2021 with a wider beach, a refreshed promenade and a new line-up of shops and restaurants, and the whole project was finished in early 2022. It now has 300 metres of promenade, a cycle lane (handy if you arrive on MonaBike, Monaco’s e-bikes), an outdoor exercise area, gardens and plenty of places to eat.

There are three rules worth knowing before you spread your towel. No smoking anywhere on the beach, no dogs, and a service called Handiplage, with trained staff, so that people with reduced mobility can get into the water. I think that last one says a lot about the place.

What I like best about Larvotto is in front of it, under the water. In the Larvotto Marine Reserve there’s a marked underwater route for snorkellers and divers, the kind of thing almost nobody connects with Monaco. If you’ve packed a mask and snorkel, that’s what I’d do.

A note on dates. From 7 to 24 April 2026 the beach was regraded ahead of summer, and swimming and diving were banned in both coves. No schedule has been published for 2027, so if you’re travelling in spring I’d check the beach’s status before going. As for lifeguards, in 2024 the government hired eight for the Larvotto post from 1 May to 15 October, weekends included, but I haven’t seen the 2026 schedule published.

When the water’s at its best

According to SBM, the sea is 24 to 26 °C in July and August, 20 to 23 °C in September and October, above 20 °C in May and June and around 13 °C in January and February. By British standards even June is warm, but my favourite month to swim here is September, with the water still warm and fewer people than in August. Month-by-month conditions are in the best time to visit Monaco.

The UK Foreign Office suggests checking conditions locally before you swim, above all if jellyfish are about. It also flags a rule that catches plenty of people out, because in Monaco you can be fined for walking the streets in swimwear, bare-chested or barefoot; on the sand and in bathing areas it’s fine. If you’re heading from Larvotto to lunch in Monte-Carlo, get dressed first.

Mareterra, the promenade next door

Just west of Larvotto is Mareterra, the district reclaimed from the sea, inaugurated in December 2024. It isn’t a beach, but its 600-metre Promenade Prince Jacques links Larvotto with Port Hercule and is the best way to walk to the sand from the centre. Along the way you pass a square with a Calder reflected in its pool, a stand of pines and the little Petit Portier marina.

For a bite, there’s SBM’s Marlow, with luxury café prices, pastries at €4 or €4.50 and sandwiches from €16 to €35, according to its June 2026 menu. I’d bring my sandwich from home. For cheaper meals, see my guide to where to eat in Monaco. If you’d rather sit down to lunch on the same avenue, Maya Bay Monaco keeps its kitchen open through the afternoon.

The Monte-Carlo Beach is in France

This confuses a huge number of people. The Monte-Carlo Beach is a hotel with a beach club that SBM has owned since 1929, with 40 rooms and suites, an Olympic pool, a private beach, a spa and padel, and restaurants such as Le Deck and Marcel Ravin’s Elsa. But its address puts it in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, already in France, on that town’s own Avenue Princesse Grace. Its website ends the 2026 season on 11 October, and the club’s official price list puts a sunlounger at €120 to €390 per person per day, depending on the date and whether you want it on the pontoon, by the pool or in the garden. It’s a splurge, and I put it in perspective alongside others in luxury experiences in Monaco.

For a different beach, cross to Cap-d’Ail

In the other direction, to the west, the border is a stroll away. From Plage Marquet in Cap-d’Ail, opposite Monaco, the coastal path runs 3.6 km to Plage Mala in about 90 minutes, with information panels along the way. To me it’s the best beach plan near Monaco if you have half a day, and I cover it with other outings in day trips from Monaco.