The Monaco Historic Grand Prix, the weekend I'd choose over Formula 1

The Historic Grand Prix is the Monaco race the fewest people know about, and the one I’d most recommend for a first time. It uses the same street circuit as Formula 1, and in 2026 it ran three weeks before the E-Prix and six before the Grand Prix, but with cars ranging from before the Second World War to 1985. The crowd is made of real enthusiasts, Friday costs nothing and children don’t pay either.

When does the Historic come round?

In April of even-numbered years. The 15th edition took place from 24 to 26 April 2026, and the Automobile Club de Monaco has already announced the next for 2028, with no dates yet. Its roll of honour shows the first was in 1997, then 2000, and since then every two years, with one exception, because in 2021 it ran in an odd year before returning to its rhythm in 2022.

There’s no Historic in 2027, so if your trip is next year, spring motor racing comes down to the E-Prix and Formula 1. You’ll find both month by month in the yearly calendar of events in Monaco.

Old cars on a very familiar circuit

The organiser calls it a living museum, and that’s exactly right. The series are grouped by era and type of car, and in 2026 there were eight, from pre-war Grand Prix cars and voiturettes up to Formula 1 cars from 1981 to 1985. In between came front-engined post-war single-seaters, the first rear-engined cars, 1950s sports cars and three series of 3-litre Formula 1. On track you’ll see Bugatti, Maserati, Ferrari, Lotus, McLaren, Ligier and Brabham, often with former Formula 1 drivers at the wheel.

Every edition has its tribute, and 2026 honoured Niki Lauda, for the 50 years since his Monaco wins of 1975 and 1976. The poster brought back the 1976 design, with his Ferrari 312 T. Saturday also had a lap by Prince Albert II in a Bugatti Royale and a Ferrari parade led by Jacky Ickx.

What draws me most is the contrast. Watching a 1935 car take Sainte-Dévote or the Fairmont hairpin shows you how narrow this circuit is better than any broadcast. And if this race rings a bell from Iron Man 2, that scene wasn’t shot here, as I explain in films shot in Monaco. If you want to get to know it corner by corner on another day, I describe it in the Monaco circuit on foot.

A free Friday and an open paddock

This is the big difference from Formula 1. At the Historic, Friday is free and every grandstand is open without a ticket. In 2026 they opened from 10:00 to 18:30 for practice in all eight series, half an hour each. For anyone on a small budget it’s a gift, and it’s the day I wouldn’t miss.

On Saturday and Sunday you pay per stand and per day. There’s no three-day pass, and the two-day one, Saturday and Sunday, comes with 10% off. Under-16s get in free with an adult, although the ACM advises against bringing very young children near the track. The 2026 prices are no longer online and the 2028 ones don’t exist yet, so I’m not giving you figures.

The other perk is the paddock. With any Saturday or Sunday grandstand ticket you can go in, children from age 6, subject to capacity, and on Friday it opens to the general public as well. What no ticket allows, not even the GOLD ones, is a visit to the pits. If the racing leaves you wanting more cars, the Prince’s car collection is right on the harbour, although the Palace ticket office warns that it closes on Grand Prix weekends, Historic included.

How I’d spend the weekend

On Friday I’d go mid-morning, change stands a couple of times and head down to the paddock in the afternoon. Saturday is qualifying and parades, and Sunday is race day, from 08:00 until after 18:00. If I only paid for one day, I’d choose Sunday, and within it the slot for the 1970s Formula 1 cars.

Your ticket covers every race that day and lets you leave and come back in if you scan it at the gates, so you can eat outside the circuit. Watch what you bring, because glass bottles, cans, pushchairs, helmets and tripods aren’t allowed in the stands, and Monaco has no left-luggage office for suitcases.

Arriving without a fight with the traffic

The circuit closes to traffic every morning, and in 2026 that happened at 06:00 or 06:15 on the busy days. I’d go by train, which the organiser says takes about 30 minutes from Nice or Ventimiglia, with one every quarter of an hour. Frequencies and tickets are in the train from Nice to Monaco, and in 2026 the government put the Historic on its list of events with free town buses.

If you’re driving, the Parking des Salines, at the western entrance opposite the Exotic Garden, had an event rate of €10 a day in 2026, with a free shuttle every 10 minutes to Fontvieille. The other car parks are in where to park in Monaco. And if it’s the big June spectacle you want, dates and the 2027 Sprint weekend are in going to the Monaco Grand Prix.