Private jet to Monaco

Monaco is a sovereign principality of about 2 km² on the Mediterranean, bordered by France on every land side and home to roughly 39,000 residents. There is no room for a runway: the only aviation site is the heliport in Fontvieille, used by helicopters alone. Every private jet bound for the principality therefore lands at Nice Côte d'Azur, about 18 km away in a straight line, or, for smaller jets, at Cannes-Mandelieu.

This page covers the country as a whole: the trips of residents and owners, the Grand Prix and the Yacht Show, the choice between helicopter and car, and the rules for passports, customs and pets. The district around the Casino and evening trips there have their own Monte Carlo page, and the airport is described in detail on our Nice page. As a broker with an office in Nice, we book the jet, the helicopter or the car, and the slot in one plan.

Send the route, the dates, the number of people and the address in Monaco, and we will reply with the aircraft and the transfer.

Who flies privately to the principality

How long is the journey

Monaco is reached in two stages: the flight to Nice and 7 minutes by helicopter or 35-45 minutes by car. Times in a Phenom 300 light jet to Nice, from the table below:

From landing to arriving in Fontvieille usually takes about half an hour: the walk through the business terminal, the short ride to the helicopter area and the flight across the bay. A family flying from London in the morning can be at lunch on the harbour before 13:00 local time. From Stockholm the flight is 3:01 h, from Larnaca 3:47 h and from Dubai about 6 h.

Prices for private flights to Monaco

Each figure buys the whole aircraft to Nice or Cannes-Mandelieu for one direction; handling, parking and passenger taxes are charged on top. The helicopter or car into the principality is quoted on a separate line. The flight time shown is for the first aircraft in the row.

From the European hubs

Geneva and Milan Linate are the cheapest hubs at EUR 9,500 in a Phenom 300. A Phenom 300 from London is EUR 13,000; for eight guests the Challenger 350, where adults stand upright in the cabin, is EUR 18,500. Cannes-Mandelieu costs the same as Nice from Paris; it suits light, midsize and super midsize jets arriving in daytime.

From the yacht harbours of the Mediterranean

In summer, owners and guests move between the boat and the principality. These hops are short enough for a turboprop or a light jet with a short take-off:

A PC-12 from Olbia costs EUR 7,500 and from Palma EUR 8,000. From Mykonos the PC-12 needs 3:55 h, so a Pilatus PC-24 at EUR 16,500 and 2:50 h is the usual choice.

Long-haul for the big events

Nice takes every long-range jet, and guests for the Grand Prix and the Yacht Show come from the Gulf, Turkey and the United States:

From New York the Falcon 2000LXS makes one fuel stop, while the Falcon 8X and the Global 7500 fly non-stop in under 8 h. Three things move the figure: the hours flown, the distance of the closest available aircraft from its base and the date; in race week and Yacht Show week a stand at Nice is rare, so the quote often includes empty positioning between the two legs. Arrivals pay no French tax. Each departure from Nice or Cannes adds the French solidarity tax: about EUR 420 per passenger in a jet to a European airport, about half in a turboprop and more on long-haul routes. Outbound from the UK, Air Passenger Duty depends on the aircraft (none under 5.7 t, the higher rate on jets of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats, the standard rate on other jets), Germany charges a departure tax and Italy EUR 100 per passenger up to 1,500 km in both directions.

Business jet price per flight hour

Heavy Jets from EUR 8,300 / hour

Light Jets from EUR 3,200 / hour

Ultra Long Range Jets from EUR 12,000 / hour

Super Midsize Jets from EUR 6,300 / hour

Very Light Jets from EUR 2,500 / hour

Long Range Jets from EUR 9,800 / hour

Midsize Jets from EUR 4,500 / hour

Turboprops from EUR 2,000 / hour

What a trip really costs

Price per person

The aircraft is priced as a whole, so the share per person falls with every extra passenger. The helicopter and the French tax are added per head:

Online calculator

Enter the departure airport, Nice as the destination, the date and the number of people. Mention in the comment if you need a helicopter or a car to Monaco.

Heliport, Nice and the other airfields

The principality has one aviation site, and it is not an airport. The table shows where the jet lands and how the last stretch works:

Helicopter or car from Nice

This is the one decision no trip to Monaco can skip. Both work, but in different situations:

By road Nice airport and Monaco are about 30-32 km apart: 35-45 minutes without traffic on the A8 or the coast road, over an hour on summer evenings and much longer in Grand Prix week, when many streets in Monaco are closed. We usually suggest the helicopter for a fixed appointment or an event, and a car outside the season, for a late arrival, with a large dog or with hard suitcases, golf bags and pushchairs. Often both: the guests fly and the luggage follows by car.

Questions about the helicopter, the luggage or a race weekend? Leave your number and a consultant will call you.

Which aircraft for the principality

The jet usually has more room for bags than the helicopter that follows it. For a stay of a week or more, tell us the number of suitcases, so that the car can be planned with the helicopter. On flights over two hours a midsize jet such as the Citation Latitude gives a stand-up cabin and an enclosed lavatory.

Living, working and staying in Monaco

The principality has four quarters: Monaco-Ville on the Rock with the Prince's Palace, La Condamine around Port Hercule, Monte-Carlo with the Casino and the large hotels, and Fontvieille, built on land reclaimed from the sea, where the heliport stands. Everything lies within a few minutes by car of the heliport, but the hills, tunnels and one-way streets make a driver who knows the town worth booking.

When to fly: the Monaco year

Monaco has a long season with two sharp peaks, the Grand Prix in spring and the Yacht Show in September, and a calm winter between them. The easiest months are October, November and the weeks after New Year, when slots, stands and helicopters are free at short notice. Empty Legs are most frequent right after the Grand Prix and the Yacht Show, and on Sunday evenings and Mondays after summer weekends.

Around the Grand Prix, Nice works under temporary rules: an aircraft is accepted only with a confirmed stand, slots are rigid, and instrument flights between Nice and Cannes-Mandelieu are not allowed. The usual plan is to land the party, send the jet to Toulon, Genoa or Le Castellet and call it back for the departure. In February the same trip needs a few days' notice.

Empty Legs to and from Nice

Few aircraft are allowed to stay at Nice in season, so a large share of the jets that land there leave without passengers. For Monaco the most frequent directions are:

An Empty Leg follows the original charter's timetable, and the helicopter to Monaco is not discounted. Send the direction and dates to empty-legs@jets.flights.

Flying with a dog or cat

Most owners who live in the principality travel with their dog. Since every arrival is at a French airport, the EU rules are the ones checked, and nobody controls the animal again on the way into Monaco. With the operator's prior consent it travels in the cabin. The standard set is a microchip, the EU pet passport and a valid rabies vaccination (the first one at least 21 days old on the day of travel), for up to five animals per person. Neither France nor Monaco requires a tapeworm treatment.

Owners based in Britain cannot use a British pet passport at Nice: the animal needs an animal health certificate signed by a vet no more than ten days before landing. On the way back, a dog bound for the UK, Ireland, Malta, Finland or Norway is treated against tapeworm between one and five days before arrival; after a short stay of up to five days the British vet can do this before the outbound flight, provided the return falls within five days of the treatment. Pets enter Great Britain only on approved routes with an approved handler. Dogs are kept on a lead in Monaco, and hotels have their own rules, so we ask the hotel before the date is fixed.

Passports, customs and taxes

Before departure

• Passport or ID card for every passenger, children included.
• Names and document numbers the day before.
• The address in Monaco: hotel, flat or berth in Port Hercule or Fontvieille.
• Number and size of bags, to decide between helicopter and car.
• The time you want to fly back, so the helicopter and the slot match.
• Event passes and times for the Grand Prix or the Yacht Show.
• Pet documents, breed and weight.
• Company details for the invoice.

Booking in five steps

1. Send the departure airport, date, number of people, bags and the address in Monaco.
2. We check the slot and parking at Nice, the helicopter for the date and, in event weeks, the overflow airport.
3. The offer lists two to four aircraft, each with the operator, the model, cabin photos and a single price, and shows the helicopter or car underneath.
4. Once the contract with the operator is signed and paid, we confirm the slot, handling, catering and the transfer.
5. At Nice the helicopter or the car waits next to the business aviation terminal.

Questions about private flights to Monaco

• • Does Monaco have an airport?

  • No. The principality has only a heliport in Fontvieille. Jets land at Nice, 7 minutes away by helicopter, or at Cannes-Mandelieu.

• • How much does a private jet to Monaco cost?

  • The flight to Nice starts at EUR 7,500 in a Pilatus PC-12 from Olbia. A Phenom 300 costs EUR 9,500 from Geneva or Milan and EUR 13,000 from London, one way for the whole aircraft. The helicopter and the French tax on departure are extra.

• • Helicopter or car from Nice?

  • The helicopter takes 7 minutes and is best in daytime and in event weeks. A car takes 35-45 minutes without traffic and suits a late arrival, a large dog or heavy luggage.

• • How much luggage can go in the helicopter?

  • On the shuttle, one cabin bag of up to 21 kg per passenger plus a small personal bag. Larger cases follow by car.

• • Can we land at Cannes instead of Nice?

  • Yes, in a jet up to 35 t and in daytime. The helicopter from Cannes-Mandelieu to Fontvieille takes about 15 minutes; on Grand Prix days Nice is the safer choice.

• • When is it hardest to fly to Monaco?

  • In Grand Prix week in late May or early June, during the Yacht Show in September and in July and August. Book the jet and the helicopter together as soon as the dates are known.

• • Can the jet stay at Nice during our stay?

  • For a few hours, usually yes. A stay of several days in July, August or an event week is often refused, and the aircraft then goes home or to Toulon or Genoa until the return.

• • Is Monaco in the EU and Schengen?

  • Neither, formally, but it uses the euro, belongs to the EU customs territory through France and applies the Schengen rules. All formalities take place at Nice.

• • Do I need a passport?

  • Nobody checks documents on the road or at the heliport, yet each passenger still needs a valid passport or ID card for the flight itself. British travellers show the passport on landing at Nice.

• • How do I get a residence card?

  • Through the police service Sûreté Publique, with a personal interview. The first card is valid for one year and can be renewed.

• • Can I bring my dog?

  • Yes, in the cabin, with a microchip, a rabies vaccination and an EU pet passport. Attack dogs are banned in Monaco, and the helicopter company decides separately whether to carry the animal.

• • Are there Empty Legs to Nice?

  • Often, especially right after the Grand Prix and the Yacht Show and on weekend routes to London, Paris and Geneva. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights.