Monaco Grand Prix 101

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When to start

For a June Monaco Grand Prix, serious planning normally starts the previous autumn.

You can sometimes find something later, but the earlier you start, the more choice you have of both yachts and possible berth positions. By the time the port opens its formal application window, you ideally already know which yacht you want.

The wider programme opens on Thursday 3 June with the support series. 2027 is Monaco’s first sprint weekend. Dates are as published and remain subject to confirmation.

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What you are buying

For Grand Prix week you are choosing two things: the yacht you will live on, and the berth, its place in the harbour, from which you will watch the race. They are separate. You charter the yacht. Then the yacht applies for the berth. This page follows that order.

For the Grand Prix, the port divides Port Hercule into positions.

Track side places the yacht directly beside the circuit, where part of the race can be watched from on board. The inner harbour is close: you hear everything and may see part of the circuit. The outer quays are in the harbour for the week, but the race is round the corner. Not every berth in Port Hercule has the same view of the race.

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Choose the yacht

I send you a short list of yachts that fit the dates, your group, your budget and the type of berth you are trying to secure.

You choose your first choice and usually keep one or two backups. The reason is simple: yacht calendars move, owners make decisions, and another client can act first.

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What you commit to

You sign for the yacht before the port has answered on the berth. That is how it works for everyone.

You sign the charter contract and make the first charter payment. That payment secures the yacht. The berth is a separate port process, and it is not guaranteed.

Because of that, we agree before you sign what happens if the berth or position you want is not awarded. The exact protection depends on what we negotiate with that yacht’s owner. It can include agreed alternatives, different commercial terms, or a cancellation and refund mechanism. We put it in writing before you commit whenever the owner agrees.

The contract also tells you exactly where the charter funds are paid, who holds them and when each payment is released. The party named to hold them is called the Stakeholder. We go through that before you sign.

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Before and after signing

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How the port decides

There is no simple first-come, first-served formula. The port receives more requests than it has berths, and its Allocation Committee reviews each yacht individually.

Under the latest published rules, applications with a genuine connection to Formula 1, the Monaco Grand Prix or its sponsors receive priority. If a genuine sponsor or Formula 1 connection exists, we document it properly, and if a sponsor is on board, the port asks for an original letter from them.

It strengthens the application. It does not guarantee the berth.

Anyone who promises track side before the Committee has written is guessing.

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When you get the answer

The port publishes an application deadline each year, and the Allocation Committee considers the files after that. Under the latest published rules, for 2026, applications closed on 27 February, with a fee of €300 that the port kept whatever the outcome.

Under the latest published port rules — the 2026 procedure — the Committee’s decision is final. Do not assume the yacht can simply be changed once a berth is allocated; we confirm the current rules before you commit.

2027 berth procedures, dates and prices will be updated here when Monaco Ports publishes them.

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If it is not what you wanted

This is why the protection is agreed before you sign.

What happens next is whatever your contract says, and that was agreed before you committed.

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The yacht stays. Are you stuck?

No. The yacht itself normally stays in its allocated berth for the whole event period. You do not.

Guests move between the yacht and Monaco all week. Roads around the circuit close during live sessions, so walking becomes important, and everyone who needs to enter the port needs the correct pass, arranged in advance.

The yacht’s tenders, its own small boats, can also be used, but they need the port’s permission and they do not move freely at every moment. During race sessions and other controlled periods, movement on the water can be restricted.

We plan arrivals, dinners, shore time and tender movements around those restrictions before the weekend starts.

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Hosting on board

The twelve-guest rule normally applies while the yacht is operating as a yacht at sea. When the yacht is securely berthed for an event, additional day visitors may be possible, subject to the yacht’s safety certificate, the captain and the port and event rules. We confirm the actual hospitality capacity before you build the guest list.

A Grand Prix berth is not a licence to sell tickets to your yacht. Commercialising access after allocation can put the berth at risk.

Track-side hospitality, paddock access and grandstand seats are separate arrangements. They can be made, but they are not part of the charter.

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What it costs

Grand Prix week is priced as an event, not an ordinary week. Expect the yacht’s rate to be well above its summer rate.

Short charters are often priced differently from a simple nightly rate. A common industry method is to divide the weekly rate by six rather than seven, but Grand Prix yachts may also have their own fixed event rate. We show you the actual event price before you commit.

The berth

The port publishes the price of a Grand Prix berth every year. It depends on the length of the yacht and where it lies. These are the latest published prices, for 2026, with tax, for the yacht sizes on this page.

The berth is an additional Grand Prix cost. Depending on the charter structure, it may be budgeted through the APA or shown separately. Either way, you see it before you sign.

2027 official port rates and procedure: pending Monaco Ports publication.

APA

APA stands for Advance Provisioning Allowance. It is your onboard spending account for the week, funded before you arrive. It pays for fuel, food, drink, port passes for your guests, cars and anything else you ask for. The captain manages the APA account during the charter.

If the account is running higher than expected during the week, the captain may ask you to top it up. If there is money left at the end, it comes back to you, with the receipts.

VAT

For a charter beginning in Monaco, French VAT is generally relevant. The exact tax treatment is confirmed for the yacht and itinerary before the contract is signed. The examples below show 20% for illustration, based on the standard French rate.

Illustrative examples

Five nights in Port Hercule at Grand Prix rates. These are examples, not quotes. Yacht rates, APA, berth fees and tax are confirmed for the actual yacht before you sign.

Funds before charter means the example charter fee, the tax and an illustrative APA advance. The APA is reconciled after the charter and unused funds are returned. Actual APA and berth treatment depend on the yacht and the contract.

The tandem charter

Some clients use two yachts. A larger yacht stays outside the harbour as the private home base. A smaller yacht holds the Grand Prix berth for watching the race and entertaining. The two yachts operate as one plan.

Tender transfers between them depend on port permissions and movement windows during the event. Both yachts are quoted for real before a proposal is made.

Yacht or hotel?

They are different experiences. A hotel gives you a room and access to Monaco. A yacht gives your group one private base for sleeping, eating, hosting and watching the event. The right answer depends on what you want the weekend to be.

Gratuity

Gratuity is always at the charterer’s discretion. It is customary, but never compulsory, and under MYBA’s current guidance it must never be requested by the crew.

Grand Prix week is demanding for the crew, but gratuity remains entirely your decision. If you choose to leave one, it can be arranged during the final accounting.

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Getting there

Nice is the main arrival airport. Road travel to Monaco can become very slow during Grand Prix week because of closures and traffic. Helicopter transfers are another option, and take only a few minutes in the air.

We plan the arrival around the event schedule rather than leaving it to the day.