The Hôtel de Paris in Monte-Carlo, seen through a guest's eyes

Some hotels you choose for the room and some you choose for the address. The Hôtel de Paris belongs firmly to the second group. It stands on one side of Casino Square, with the Casino across from it and the Café de Paris alongside, and its white façade is the one bounced back by Anish Kapoor’s mirror in the middle of the square. If you’ve seen a photo of Monte-Carlo, you’ve seen this building. Here’s what’s inside, what’s charged on top and who I think it’s really worth it for.

A palace that predates Monte-Carlo

The building went up in 1864, two years before Charles III gave Monte-Carlo its name. It belongs to the SBM, the company that runs the Casino, which explains a good many of its perks. After a full refurbishment it reopened in 2019 with 206 rooms and suites, and on the 2026 edition of The 50 Best Hotels it sits at number 40.

The part of its story that interests me most is out of sight. Twelve metres below the square are cellars dug in 1874 that now hold more than 300,000 bottles from around 11,000 different labels. In 2026 Wine Spectator gave them its Best of Award of Excellence. If wine is your reason for coming, that basement alone justifies a dinner here.

What the rooms are like

The entry category is the Superior overlooking the inner courtyard, 34 m², with a balcony and a marble bathroom, somewhere between the second and sixth floors. Above it come the Deluxe, the Prestige and the Exclusive rooms, which look out over the harbour, the Casino or the sea. If I were paying for this hotel, I’d go up to at least a room with a view, because sleeping on Casino Square and facing a courtyard seems a waste of the address.

At the other end are the Diamond Suites. The Princess Grace covers 983 m² over two floors, with a heated infinity pool on the terrace and the princess’s favourite books and poems on display inside. It has no public price and I’m not going to guess one. I mention it because it shows who the hotel is really aimed at, and why the Grace Kelly trail through Monaco passes this corner.

What’s included and what costs extra

This is the practical bit the photos leave out. Three things that are worth real money come with the room. In season, there’s the Wellness Sky Club, a heated outdoor pool with a bar and sauna for guests only. Then the Thermes Marins, the group’s large wellness centre, with a seawater pool. And, again in season, the Monte-Carlo Beach Club, with its Olympic-size pool and beach, which you should know is in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France. A private shuttle runs you there.

There’s a lesser-known bonus too. Anyone staying at an SBM hotel gets into the Casino free, while everyone else pays €20 in the afternoon. I cover the details in how to get into the Monte-Carlo Casino.

What isn’t included is just as specific. Each adult pays €7 a night in tourist tax, which the SBM adds to the bill, leaving the car costs €70 a day and a small dog is another €60 a day. The room is yours from 15:00 and you have to be out by midday.

How much does the Hotel de Paris cost?

You won’t get a figure from me, and here’s why. The SBM doesn’t publish a from-price. It sells by date, and the same room costs one thing on a Tuesday in November and quite another in Grand Prix week. Any number you read without a date attached is an old snapshot. The honest approach is to check your nights on the SBM website and on Booking side by side, because the SBM says it guarantees its best rate on its own site. And remember that the booking will be charged in euros, so if the card terminal offers sterling at check-out, say no.

Who I’d recommend it to

I’d recommend it to someone who wants one memorable night in Monaco and will use the whole hotel, with dinner at Le Louis XV or Le Grill, a spell at the Sky Club, the Casino that evening and the beach the next morning. With 24 well-spent hours you understand what you’re paying for.

I wouldn’t recommend it as a base for seeing Monaco over three or four days. You’ll be out all day and paying for an address you barely enjoy. For that, the Hôtel Hermitage makes more sense to me. It’s the neighbour on square Beaumarchais, with the same spa and the same Beach Club and a quieter feel. If you’d like a five-star with a different personality, the Hôtel Métropole is on the other side of the gardens. And if the budget won’t reach, every alternative by district is in my guide to hotels in Monaco.

Seeing it without checking in

There’s a way to set foot inside without paying for the night. The Bar Américain, with its terrace and live music, is one of the bars the SBM opens to anyone, and Cédric Grolet’s counter sells pastries in the courtyard. If you want to push the boat out, the Friday or Saturday lunch at Le Louis XV is the fullest way to understand the place from within. I’d start with the bar, and if it won me over, I’d think about the room for another trip. If it looks familiar from the 2011 film Monte Carlo, that’s because part of the plot takes place here, and I go through it with others in films shot in Monaco.