Alright, so yesterday, this random question pops into my head while planning a Europe trip: does Monaco even have its own airport? Seems like a no-brainer, right? Tiny rich country on the coast, gotta have one. Figured I’d just Google it real quick and be done.
Step One: Straight to the Source (Sort Of)
Opened Google Maps first. Zoomed right into that tiny blob of land squeezed between France and the Med. Scanned the whole area, coastline included, looking for that classic runway outline. Nothing. Seriously? Not a single airstrip? My first thought was maybe Maps was glitching. Tried refreshing. Still zilch.
Step Two: Diving Deeper with Search Engines
Hopped over to Google search, typed in “airport in Monaco”. Expected a quick list. Instead, the top results kept talking about Nice Côte d’Azur Airport in France. My reaction: “Huh? That’s not Monaco!” Wasted fifteen minutes digging through articles just to be sure I wasn’t missing some hidden heliport or seaplane terminal called “Monaco International” hidden in a cave. Spoiler: no cave airport.
Started noticing a pattern. Every single travel website or flight booking service mentioning Monaco? They all pointed straight to Nice. Got curious about other close options. Checked flight paths and distances:
- Nice Côte d’Azur (NCE): Like 20-30 minutes drive? Crazy close.
- Marseille Provence (MRS): Further out, couple of hours drive probably.
- Genoa Cristoforo Colombo (GOA): Over in Italy, maybe like 2.5 hours? Also an option.
So Monaco basically just outsources the whole airport thing entirely to Nice (and maybe Genoa). Like borrowing your neighbor’s driveway because your mansion sits on a cliff with no parking.
The Big Realization
It finally clicked. Monaco is ridiculously tiny – smaller than most city parks. Fitting a full runway? Physically impossible unless they demolished half the principality and reclaimed miles of sea. Plus, all that noise and fumes over Monte Carlo? Not exactly the vibe they’re going for. Turns out rich people don’t like 747s roaring over their yachts any more than the rest of us.
Wrapping It Up
So yeah, mission accomplished. Monaco has exactly zero airports. Zero runways. Zero terminals. They just use Nice like everyone else heading to the French Riviera. All it took was one stupid question tumbling down the rabbit hole of maps and travel sites. Kinda blew my mind that a place famous for glitz and glam doesn’t even control its own first step into the country. You literally fly into France first. Wild. Guess even billionaires sometimes need to catch a taxi from the neighbor’s place.
