MONACO IN WINTER, A MONTH-BY-MONTH GUIDE FROM NOVEMBER TO MARCH
Winter in Monaco runs from November to March and is mild, bright and full of occasions. January daytime highs average 13°C, and the calendar moves from National Day on 19 November to the Christmas village on Port Hercule, Sainte-Dévote on 27 January, the Rallye Monte-Carlo, the International Circus Festival and the opera season.
WHAT MONACO'S WINTER WEATHER IS LIKE
Monaco has a mild Mediterranean winter. Measured at the Monaco weather station over 1981 to 2010, average daytime highs are 16.5°C in November, 13.9°C in December, 13°C in January and February and 14.9°C in March. Frost is rare, with fewer than one day a year at or below 0°C on average. November brings the season’s heaviest rain, around 103 millimetres over about seven days, while March averages four to five rainy days.
In practice, this is a season of clear light and low sun. Lunch on a terrace is often possible in January, the coastal walk along the Larvotto promenade is a pleasure at midday, and a coat is usually needed only in the evening.
WHAT DAILY LIFE IN MONACO FEELS LIKE IN WINTER
Monaco is a year-round city, home to 38,857 residents in 2025. In winter the rhythm shifts from the summer calendar of yachting and beach clubs to the everyday life of a small capital: school runs, working weeks, concerts, exhibitions and long lunches in the sun. The Principality’s venues stay open through the season. The Casino de Monte-Carlo opens every day of the year, with its gaming rooms and bars open from 2pm.
Winter is a sociable time, with friends, neighbours and visitors meeting at the same concerts, markets and celebrations, and it is an easy season for newcomers to integrate into their neighbourhoods.
NATIONAL DAY ON NOVEMBER 19TH
Monaco’s National Day, the Fête du Prince, falls on 19 November and is a public holiday. It has been celebrated since 1857, under Charles III, and has been held on 19 November since the reign of Rainier III. The day begins with a Mass at the Cathedral in the presence of the Sovereign Prince, followed by a military parade on the Palace Square, and the streets are dressed in red and white flags. The evening before, fireworks are launched over Port Hercule; in 2026 the display is scheduled for Wednesday 18 November at 8.10pm. The same evening, the 20th Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival opens at the Salle Garnier, running to the 29th of November.
DECEMBER IN MONACO, FROM SAINT NICHOLAS TO NEW YEAR'S EVE
December is a festive, sociable month. On 6 December, children in traditional costume parade through the streets of the Rock for Saint Nicholas, and 8 December, the Immaculate Conception, is a public holiday. The Mairie de Monaco’s Christmas village opens on the Quai Albert Ier at Port Hercule from Friday 4 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, under the theme “La forêt enchantée”, and stays open until 2.30am on 31 December. Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo perform Bronia and Altro Canto at the Grimaldi Forum on 19 to 21 December, followed by Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Ma Bayadère from 28 December to 2 January. The Opéra de Monte-Carlo ends the year with Offenbach’s La Vie parisienne, with performances from 23 to 31 December.
JANUARY IN MONACO, SAINTE-DÉVOTE, THE RALLY AND THE CIRCUS
January brings the season’s principal sporting and cultural events together. The 95th Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo opens the 2027 FIA World Rally Championship from 21 to 24 January, with the official start and the prize-giving both on Port Hercule and the special stages in the French Alps. The 29th Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique follows from 27 January to 3 February, for models that took part in the rally from the early 20th century to the 1980s, and finishes on Port Hercule.
The 49th Festival International du Cirque de Monte-Carlo runs from 22 to 31 January 2027 under the big top in Fontvieille, with the awards gala on 26 January. Sainte-Dévote, Monaco’s patron saint, is celebrated on 26 and 27 January. On the evening of the 26th, the Princely Family sets alight a symbolic boat by the harbour; the 27th, a public holiday, brings a Pontifical Mass and a procession of the relics.
THE OPERA AND BALLET SEASON
The Opéra de Monte-Carlo performs through the winter. Its 2026/27 programme, the fifth under the artistic direction of Cecilia Bartoli, runs from 7 November 2026 to April 2027. The winter months include Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess in November, Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri in late January, Verdi’s Rigoletto in late February and a concert with Anna Netrebko on 8 March 2027. As the days lengthen, the Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo follows; its 2026 edition ran from 11 March to 19 April across 24 venues in Monaco and Nice. An evening at the opera, followed by dinner nearby, is one of the pleasures of a Monaco winter.
SKIING NEAR MONACO
One of the most attractive parts about living in Monaco year-round is the accessibility of all of Europe’s most popular travel destinations. While summer months are easily spent nearby in Saint-Tropez or Sardinia, the winter months can be spent skiing at resorts across France, Italy, Austria, and Switzerland.
The Alpes-Maritimes resorts of Isola 2000, Auron and Valberg sit north of Nice. Isola 2000, at 2,000 metres, gives its distance as 1 hour 30 minutes from Nice and its international airport, and reopens for the 2026/27 season on 5 December 2026. World-renowned resorts are also within easy reach through direct flights to major cities in Switwerland, France, Germany, and Italy.
MONACO IN WINTER FOR FAMILIES
The school year sets the pace for families. Monaco’s 2026/27 school calendar places the Christmas holidays from Friday 18 December 2026 after school to Monday 4 January 2027, a holiday on 27 January for Sainte-Dévote, and winter half-term from Friday 19 February to Monday 8 March 2027.
International schools may set their own calendars and student programs for the winter. Residents with children often find the calm nature of the season’s daily life in the Principality ideal for family activities and school day evenings. The annual Christmas decorations and fair make entertainment and family weekend plans easy.
VIEWING PROPERTY IN MONACO IN WINTER
Winter is a good season to view property in Monaco. The low sun shows which apartments hold the light through the day and how a terrace feels in December. In our team’s experience, a winter viewing also gives a clear sense of everyday life in a building and its street, which helps buyers and tenants decide with confidence. Ultinately, apart from summer events and tourism, the character and amenities of each neighbourhood remain the same across seasons. Current listings are available under our buy in Monaco and rentals pages, and the choice between the two is set out in our guide comparing buying vs renting for Monaco residency.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT PUBLIC HOLIDAYS DOES MONACO HAVE BETWEEN NOVEMBER AND MARCH?
Monaco observes six public holidays between November 2026 and January 2027: All Saints’ Day on 2 November, the Sovereign Prince’s Day on 19 November, the Immaculate Conception on 8 December, Christmas Day on 25 December, New Year’s Day on 1 January and Saint Dévote’s Day on 27 January. Easter Monday falls on 29 March 2027.
HOW COLD DOES IT GET AT NIGHT IN MONACO IN WINTER?
Monaco’s winter nights are cool rather than cold. Average overnight lows are 7.4°C in January and February, 8.5°C in December and 9.1°C in March, based on Météo-France records for 1981 to 2010. The lowest temperature recorded at the Monaco station since 1966 is minus 5.2°C, in February 1986.
IS WINTER A GOOD TIME TO RENT AN APARTMENT IN MONACO?
Winter is a sensible time to rent in Monaco. A lease signed before January fits the start of the second school term and residency planning for the year ahead, and gives a household time to come to know the different districts before deciding where to buy.
