Cannes to Monaco, and the way I'd actually do it

Plenty of people staying in Cannes end up spending a day in Monaco, and it’s an easy one to pull off. The regional train links the two without a change and without traffic. The catch is that almost every alternative is slower or a lot pricier. Here’s how I’d do it, and what I’d skip.

How do you get from Cannes to Monaco by train?

It’s the TER on the line Visit Monaco calls Grasse-Cannes-Nice-Menton-Ventimiglia, and Monaco-Monte-Carlo is one of its stops. It leaves from Cannes station, right in the town centre, and takes between 63 and 68 minutes according to the Trenitalia planner for October 2026, which lists these French trains too. In the morning there’s a departure every ten to twenty minutes from 05:35, and TER mentions more than 60 return services a day.

TER lists a full-fare single at €12.80 on its page for this journey. There are no seat reservations and the fare doesn’t rise on the day, so I’d simply buy it in the app on the platform. If you already hold the ZOU! Malin card, which costs €20 a year, the ticket drops to €9 and the discount covers one companion too. Travelling as five or more, the small-group ticket works out at €6.40 each.

One small thing I’d insist on is sitting on the right-hand side facing forward, which is the sea side. After Nice the line dives in and out of tunnels, and every time it emerges the coast is right there.

Four exits underground when you arrive

Monaco’s station is underground, with exits towards Monte-Carlo, the harbour, La Condamine, and the Fontvieille and Rock side, three of them with lifts. Choosing the right one before you head up saves a climb, and I go through each exit in my guide to Monaco train station. From there one bus trip costs €1.50 paid by card, while the public lifts do the rest, as I explain in getting around Monaco.

The journey home, the bit people forget

What would worry me on a day trip is the last train. On Tuesday 6 October 2026 the last direct service from Monaco to Cannes left at 21:48, with the one before at 21:36, according to the same planner. That’s one particular day, and timetables shift with the calendar and with engineering works, so I’d check the SNCF Connect or TER app before ordering dessert. SNCF has also flagged engineering works with no trains on the Nice-Ventimiglia stretch until 17:30 on both 10 and 11 November, which hits this route squarely.

By car, by bus or by boat

By car it’s about 55 km from central Cannes to central Monaco, just under an hour without traffic on my OpenStreetMap calculation. I couldn’t confirm the A8 tolls from a reliable source. Once you arrive, the first hour in a public car park is free and a full day is capped at €24, with the details in parking in Monaco. I’d only drive if you want to stop at Èze, La Turbie or Villefranche along the way.

The bus isn’t a real option. There’s no direct line, and pairing ZOU! 620 (Cannes to Nice) with the 600 (Nice to Monaco) means crossing Nice from one side to the other. If you want to save money, the small-group train ticket or the ZOU! Malin card does it better.

The boat is a different animal. In summer 2026 Trans Côte d’Azur sailed on Wednesdays from 1 July to 31 August, leaving Cannes’ Quai Saint-Pierre at 10:00, with time ashore in Monaco from 11:30 to 16:30 and back by 18:00, for €71 per adult and €59 for ages 4 to 10. I think it’s a lovely day out on a calm sea, but it isn’t transport. If you want to weigh it against other trips around here, they’re all in day trips from Monaco.

What about a taxi?

Taxi fares in Monaco are fixed by ministerial order, and the 17 September 2026 table puts Cannes at €200 per car, tolls included, for one to four people. If there are four of you with luggage and the trains don’t suit, I can see the case. For a couple, with the train at €12.80 each, I wouldn’t.

My pick, depending on the plan

For a day in Monaco, a morning train and home before 21:00 without cutting it fine. For a group of five or more, the same train on the small-group fare. For a special summer day out, the Wednesday boat if it runs again in 2027. And if you’re travelling from further afield, everything else is in getting to Monaco, with the Nice leg compared on its own in Nice to Monaco.