★ Rallye Monte-Carlo

01Pourquoi c'est important

This is the event that made Monaco a motoring destination before the Grand Prix existed; Prince Albert I created it in 1911 to show what motor cars could do. In our reading its value today is contrarian: the one Monaco fixture where access costs nothing.

02La semaine environnante

Monaco is quiet in January and stays quiet: the working center is inland, and the principality supplies the ceremonies and the paperwork. The interesting logistics belong to the mountain towns, where every room near the service park is taken by teams and media.

03Quand arriver

Wednesday for the opening night stages, Thursday if the weekend will do. Following stages needs a car, winter tires and patience.

04Où séjourner

Base in Monaco or on the coast at Nice or Menton, comfortable and out of season, and drive up to the stages; or base inland near the service park, which cuts the driving but means small hotels booked far ahead.

05Accès et hospitalité

Roadside spectating within marshalled zones is free, which is the essential fact about this event. The club publishes stage timings, access routes and closure times, some stages carry paid parking, and the ceremonial start and podium are public.

06Où se déroule l'activité sociale

The service park, busy with teams working in the open; Casino Square and the Port Hercule quayside for the ceremonies; and the villages along the Turini route.

07Comment s'y rendre

08Informations pratiques

09Historique

Built around the concentration run, in which competitors set off from cities across Europe and converged on Monaco, a format that survived until 1997. The rally has opened the World Rally Championship from 1973 to 2008 and again since 2012, and its reputation rests on the Col de Turini stage.

10Qui s'y trouve

Rally specialists who travel for it every year, manufacturer teams and their tire partners, regional French spectators in large numbers, and a small Monaco contingent.