For a place better known for fast cars, luxury yachts, casinos and high society, Monaco carries a surprising amount of folklore. Ghosts, apparitions and unsettling tales are said to linger in its grand palaces, solemn cathedrals and even along the sea.
So if you’re planning to visit this Halloween, you might find more than just the stunning scenery keeping you awake at night.
Prince’s Palace of Monaco
The best place to start is the Prince’s Palace of Monaco, perched proudly on the Rock overlooking the Mediterranean. The palace has been home to the Grimaldi family since the late 13th century, which means its walls have seen centuries of triumph and tragedy.
Many a visitor has reported whispers in empty corridors, footsteps on staircases when no one else is around, and glimpses of figures in old-fashioned dress disappearing into rooms that are locked for the night. It isn’t difficult to imagine that a place so bound up with power and legacy might cling to the souls of those who once held sway there.
Walking through its courtyards at dusk, the air can feel a touch colder than you’d expect from the Mediterranean climate, which may or may not be the ghosts reminding you whose house you’re visiting.
Casino de Monte Carlo
Next up is the Casino de Monte Carlo, which is probably the most glamorous gambling hall on earth. It drips with marble, chandeliers, history – and ghosts, apparently. One story speaks of a phantom gambler who appears at midnight, quietly places bets and then vanishes.
Another tells of a woman in Victorian dress, sometimes thought to be Marie Blanc, wife of François Blanc, who helped shape the casino’s destiny. She’s said to wander the salons, drawn back by either triumph or ruin at the tables.
If a visit to a haunted casino isn’t for you on your Halloween trip to Monaco, but you still want a little gambling action, you might prefer to play online slots from the cosy comfort of your (hopefully not haunted) hotel room. If you’re really lucky, you might even be eligible for bonuses and free spins when you sign up. Just don’t tell those long-departed souls at the Casino de Monte Carlo, though.
Saint Nicholas Cathedral
Just a short walk away is Saint Nicholas Cathedral, an arresting white stone building that serves as the final resting place of Monaco’s royals. It is here that Princess Grace and Prince Rainier lie side by side for eternity, and many other members of the Grimaldi dynasty are buried. The atmosphere inside is solemn and heavy.
Some visitors claim to have felt unseen presences near the crypts. Others insist they’ve spotted a woman in white moving silently through the aisles. That particular figure is often said to be Princess Grace herself, though there’s no proof beyond the occasional tale shared by a spooked tourist.
Whether or not you believe it, stepping into the cathedral late in the day with stained glass glowing above can most definitely send a shiver down your spine.
Oceanographic Museum
For something less sacred but equally eerie, the Oceanographic Museum is said to have ghosts of its own. Perched dramatically on the edge of a cliff, the building itself looks like it belongs in a Gothic novel. Inside, long corridors lined with aquariums and old exhibits create plenty of space for the imagination to wander.
Legends say that the museum’s founder, Prince Albert I, walks the long, imposing corridors in death. Visitors have spoken of hearing footsteps echoing in empty rooms or books falling without explanation in the old library.
Of course, buildings of that age creak and settle, and aquariums have their own watery acoustics. But after dark, surrounded by shifting light from tanks full of creatures that look ancient and alien, even some sceptics have admitted that the place can feel unnervingly alive.
Larvotto Beach
Not every haunting in Monaco is tied to grand architecture. The sea itself carries a few ghost stories. Along Larvotto Beach, there are tales of swimmers feeling invisible hands tugging at their ankles or hearing voices carried by the wind when the beach is otherwise deserted.
Local folklore suggests these are the spirits of fishermen lost at sea, or unlucky sailors whose ships went down in sudden storms. Down at Port Hercule, where yachts bob under the glittering lights, some claim to have seen phantom ships appear in the fog or shadowy figures moving across the decks of unlit boats.
Of course, Monaco also has its share of Belle Époque mansions and a hillside cemetery that feed into the ghostly atmosphere. The older mansions, with their shuttered windows and sprawling gardens, are said to be home to spirits of star-crossed lovers or long-forgotten servants. The cemetery on the edge of the principality holds its own share of whispered stories, though many of these amount to little more than the natural human instinct to feel uneasy among graves. That said, standing among weathered headstones on a windy night with the Mediterranean crashing below is enough to stir even the most pragmatic imagination.
One thing is certain: Halloween in Monaco doesn’t need rubber masks or cheap thrills. This is the world’s smallest, most stylish ghost town – one that still manages to look like paradise in the daylight.
It’s only after the sun goes down that the other Monaco begins to stir…
