The Monaco Grand Prix is the most storied race on the Formula 1 calendar. A street circuit of barely three kilometres where history, glamour, and sporting drama come together each year. With a handful of extraordinary hotels sitting within metres of the track and a dining scene that holds more Michelin stars per square kilometre than anywhere else on earth, the principality offers an experience quite unlike any other race weekend in the world. Here is where to stay and where to eat.
The setting amplifies everything. Port Hercule fills with some of the world’s largest superyachts. The casino terraces become viewing platforms. The bars and restaurants of Monte Carlo operate at full capacity, and the hotel rooms are among the most coveted reservations in sport. Staying and dining well here is genuinely part of the experience, and what follows is a guide to the very best of both.
Where to stay
Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo
There is no more strategically placed hotel in Monaco than the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo. Built in 1864 and sitting directly on the Place du Casino, the property occupies the single best position on the entire Formula 1 circuit, cars pass below its windows as they navigate Casino Square, one of the most photographed corners in motorsport. During race weekend, hotel guests have complimentary access to the trackside Garden Terrace from Thursday through Sunday, placing them within arm’s length of the action without leaving the property.
Aside from it incredible location, the hotel carries considerable weight on its own merits. Following a comprehensive four-year renovation, the interiors balance the grandeur of a nineteenth-century palace with a contemporary sensibility. Its flagship restaurant, Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse, holds three Michelin stars and ranks among the most accomplished dining rooms on the Riviera. The 71,000-square-foot Thermes Marins Monte-Carlo spa, accessible to all hotel guests, is widely regarded as one of the finest in Europe. As a member of the Société des Bains de Mer, a stay here also grants complimentary access to the Casino de Monte-Carlo and the Monte-Carlo Beach Club’s private beach.
Hôtel Hermitage Monte-Carlo
Sitting just moments from Casino Square, the Hôtel Hermitage Monte-Carlo offers one of the most complete Grand Prix experiences available. The hotel’s 278 rooms and suites, including 54 junior suites, 32 suites, and 13 diamond suites, face Port Hercule and the Rock, with the Mediterranean stretching beyond. The Winter Garden lobby, designed by Gustave Eiffel, sets the tone, it is Belle Époque in character, quietly spectacular in execution. During race weekend, the property’s Midi Terrace becomes one of the circuit’s most sought-after viewing positions, with sightlines directly over the Beau Rivage straight and Sainte Dévote corner.
The hotel holds direct access to the Thermes Marins Monte-Carlo, the 6,600-square-metre wellness centre shared with its sister property, the Hôtel de Paris. For dining, guests are well served by the one-starred Le Vistamar, known for its terrace overlooking Port Hercule, and Pavyllon Monte-Carlo, the one-Michelin-starred restaurant by acclaimed chef Yannick Alléno. The most dramatic Grand Prix weekend option is the hotel’s Penthouse suite, whose multiple race-viewing balconies offer uninterrupted views of the harbour and the cars accelerating up the hill.
Hôtel Métropole Monte-Carlo
The Hôtel Métropole, steps from Casino Square, occupies a different register from its neighbours. It is intimately scaled, intricately designed, and intensely focused on the quality of its food and service. Originally opened in 1889 and redesigned by Jacques Garcia, the property blends the bones of a classical palace with a contemporary interior of considerable warmth. Its pool area, conceived by Karl Lagerfeld, is among the most distinctive in Monte Carlo. Note that the hotel was closed for refurbishment in 2025, so prospective guests should confirm current availability well in advance of the 2026 race.
The Métropole’s culinary credentials are strong. Les Ambassadeurs by Christophe Cussac, which earned two Michelin stars just nine months after opening, occupies the grand dining room and serves modern Mediterranean cuisine of real ambition. Yoshi, the only Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant on the Côte d’Azur, offers a contrasting but equally accomplished option within the same building. Front terrace tables at the Métropole restaurant are among the most coveted race-viewing spots in Monaco, positioned to watch the cars navigate the circuit just outside.
Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, A Four Seasons Hotel
Set in seven hectares of Mediterranean gardens on the Cap Ferrat peninsula, the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat sits approximately 25 minutes from Monaco by car. It is close enough for race days, far enough to feel like you can disconnect from the weekend’s energy when needed. The property offers 74 rooms and suites, several with private pools, and the Club Dauphin infinity pool remains one of the most celebrated on the Riviera. Its Michelin-starred Le Cap restaurant, a 750-square-metre spa, and the particular quality of Four Seasons service make this the natural choice for those who want to anchor themselves in exceptional surroundings and commute to the circuit when the racing is on.
The hotel draws a notably quieter crowd than the Monaco addresses, one that tends to value discretion and garden views over trackside proximity. Race weekend aside, the property functions as one of the finest coastal retreats on the French Riviera, and the food and service standards are consistently ranked among the best the Four Seasons network offers.
Where to dine
Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse à l’Hôtel de Paris
Le Louis XV was the first hotel restaurant in the world to be awarded three Michelin stars. It has held this distinction for decades and it remains the most significant table in Monaco. Located on the ground floor of the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, the restaurant is overseen by chef Emmanuel Pilon under the continuing direction of Alain Ducasse, and its kitchen draws on the produce of the surrounding Riviera with considerable precision. The wine cellar, containing over 350,000 bottles, is one of the most comprehensive in Europe.
The menu centres on Mediterranean haute cuisine, including sea urchin, gamberoni, wild vegetables from the hills above Monaco, all presented in a way that defines the Ducasse approach. During Grand Prix weekend, the restaurant operates at full intensity, and reservations are among the most competitive in the principality. Booking ahead is essential.
Les Ambassadeurs by Christophe Cussac
Les Ambassadeurs opened in 2023 at the Hôtel Métropole and collected two Michelin stars just nine months later. Chef Christophe Cussac, formerly a disciple of Joël Robuchon, draws on a deep understanding of classical French technique and applies it to distinctly Mediterranean ingredients. The dining room itself, designed by Jacques Garcia in bronze, ivory, and gold tones, provides one of the most theatrical settings available in Monaco.
The tasting menu runs to ten courses and demonstrates considerable range, moving between lightness and intensity with evident confidence. A Chef’s Table format, with an open kitchen visible from the room, lends proceedings a sense of engagement that purely formal restaurants often lack. The wine list and service both operate at the level one would expect from a newly minted two-star address, and the restaurant has quickly become one of the most talked-about openings on the Riviera.
Pavyllon Monte-Carlo by Yannick Alléno
Yannick Alléno, a three-Michelin-starred chef, opened Pavyllon Monte-Carlo at the Hôtel Hermitage in April 2022, and the restaurant earned its first Michelin star not long after. The concept is built around what Alléno describes as the best of the simple — produce-led cooking of genuine lightness, with sauces achieved through cold extraction and fermentation techniques that are central to his culinary philosophy. The open kitchen and counter seating create an informal atmosphere uncommon at this level, and the terrace offers panoramic views over Port Hercule and the Rock.
The restaurant is well positioned for pre- or post-race dining during Grand Prix weekend, given its location within the Hermitage. The menu reflects the South of France without resorting to cliché — seafood, herbs, and seasonal vegetables treated with both intelligence and restraint. For those who find the more formal Michelin addresses too ceremonious, Pavyllon offers a credible and genuinely distinguished alternative.
Blue Bay Marcel Ravin
Blue Bay, located at the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel and Resort, is where Caribbean and Mediterranean cooking meet with two-Michelin-star results. Chef Marcel Ravin, who also holds a Passion Dessert award through his pastry chef Floriane Grand following the 2025 Michelin ceremony, draws on his Martinican heritage to produce a menu of bold, aromatic flavours that is quite distinct from anything else in Monaco. The dining room opens directly onto the sea, and the combination of outdoor tables and open kitchen makes for an environment that feels lively rather than reverential.
The tasting menu traces a journey between the West Indies and the Riviera, with dishes that carry real personality and anchored in the produce of both the local market and Ravin’s imagination. This is not classical French cooking dressed up, it has its own distinct point of view, and the two-star recognition reflects a kitchen working with originality.
uinely new in Monaco’s dining scene, a Japanese restaurant of serious standing, embedded within one of the principality’s oldest hotels. For race weekend, it offers an experience that sits entirely outside the conventional Grand Prix dinner circuit, and is all the better for it.
Buddha-Bar Monte-Carlo
Opened in 2010 and set within the Casino de Monte-Carlo complex, Buddha-Bar Monte-Carlo occupies the space where the original Cabaret Monte-Carlo once stood, a history that lends it a particular sense of occasion. The room features impressive seven-metre ceilings, gilded mouldings, a colossal meditating Buddha imported from Asia, and a design that draws on the Opera Garnier in Paris for its structural bones whilst adding layers of colonial Asian atmosphere. Two open-air terraces extend the experience onto the Place du Casino, making it one of the most dramatic settings for an evening drink during Grand Prix weekend, steps from where the cars pass Casino Square.
The kitchen is led by chef Éric Guillemaud, whose background spans the Hôtel de Paris and several Michelin-recognised establishments before his appointment here. The menu ranges across Japan, China, Thailand, and Southeast Asia, featuring sashimi, maki, dim sum, grilled specialities. The cocktail list is extensive and the DJ programme adds an energy that builds as the evening progresses. For Grand Prix weekend, the combination of trackside proximity, spectacle, and a genuinely strong kitchen makes it one of the most complete evening destinations in the principality.
COYA Monte-Carlo
COYA Monte-Carlo sits at 26 Avenue Princesse Grace, at the Monte-Carlo Beach Hotel, and opens each season from April through October, meaning it is perfectly timed for the Grand Prix each May. The restaurant is part of the international COYA group, with addresses across Mayfair, Dubai, Mykonos, and Marbella, but the Monaco outpost carries its own character, with Mediterranean light, sea views, and an energy that suits the principality naturally. The setting combines warm tones, textured surfaces, and Latin American artwork, with live music and DJ performances adding a rhythm that shifts from animated dinner to something more electric as the evening develops.
The cooking is Peruvian at its core, with the kitchen bringing real personality to a menu of ceviches, anticuchos, sharing plates, and signature mains. The yellowfin tuna atún chifa ceviche with soy, sesame, and shrimp chips is a strong point of entry, and the Degustación menu covers the full range of the kitchen’s approach. Pisco-based cocktails and an intelligent wine list complete the offer. COYA runs special Grand Prix evenings each year, and the combination of outdoor terrace, sea views, and high-energy service makes it one of the most enjoyable tables available during race weekend.
L’Abysse Monte-Carlo
L’Abysse Monte-Carlo, located at the Hôtel Hermitage in Square Beaumarchais, opened in July 2024 and was awarded two Michelin stars just eight months later, which wad a result that marked a significant moment for the Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer’s already impressive collection of stars.
The restaurant was conceived by chef Yannick Alléno and sushi master Yasunari Okazaki as a meeting point between Japanese culinary tradition and the flavours of the Mediterranean. All fish is sourced locally and caught in accordance with reproductive cycles, giving the menu both an ethical and a practical coherence.
The Omakase menu, best taken with a paired wine selection from the cellar, is the natural way to experience the kitchen’s range. L’Abysse represents something gen