Your Monaco Life guide to all the amazing children’s summer camps and daytime activities in the Principality of Monaco and beyond.
The school holidays are almost upon us in Monaco. In a few short days, the kids will be “out for summer” until La Rentrée on 11th September. Here are some ideas that will keep your children busy and entertained this July and August.
The world of water
The Yacht Club de Monaco is running a jam-packed summer programme, with various camps for children aged between six and 17. “In, on and under the water” is the theme of the very diverse list of activities that will give kids a true taste of the sea and the adventures it can offer. Early reservations were reserved for members, but now the registration process has been opened up to all wanting to try out sailing and more at this iconic institution.
Kids can live out their Luca and Ariel dreams with the Académie Monégasque de la Mer’s two-months-worth of scuba diving, snorkelling and lifesaving workshops aboard the Pirates Of The Abyss catamaran. The price is €530 per week.
More at sea action can be found at the Société Nautique de Monaco, which is hosting a coastal rowing camp this summer for 10 to 15-year-olds. Various dates are available and the cost is €275 a week, including a daily lunch at the club’s restaurant.
Music, dance and circus arts
Mini acrobats from four and up can hone their circus skills at the Chapiteau de Fontvielle, the very home of the famous Monte-Carlo Circus Festival, and test out everything from the trapeze to aerial hoops and silks. Four weekly courses have been organised, but there are also flexi-options available for kids who want to do half-days. Click here for more information.
It’s gymnastics galore down at the Salles de Gymnastique Princesse Stéphanie, which will be holding two separate stages from 3rd to 7th July and 10 to 14th July. The sessions will all take place between 10am and noon. Click here for more information.
For the highly dedicated dancers of Monaco, the Ballets de Monte-Carlo will be hosting several stages over the summer that also serve as auditions for those hoping to get into the Académie Princesse Grace the following school year. Students must be between 11 and 19 to apply. Click here to learn more.
The seven weeks of musical instruction on offer this summer, just up the road in Beausoleil, will be music to the ears of avid musicians. Click here for dates and prices.
Classic sports
Roca Team fans won’t believe their ears when they hear about the AS Monaco Basketball camp: on-court play with the captain of the team, Yakuba Ouattara. Two separate weeks are available in early July, but places are limited so get in touch with the organisers now if you want to secure a spot!
Tennis stars of the future will love the mixed sessions at the Monte-Carlo Country Club. The morning “Tennis & Piscine” course is open to four to 14-year-olds and costs €223 for members of the prestigious clubs, while non-members will have to pay a little more. Beginner tennis classes for the youngest players, aged three to seven, will also be on offer from 3rd to 11th August for two hours in the afternoon. This costs €150 for a week of instruction for members or €192 for non-members. Click here for more information on both stages.
The Monte-Carlo Squash Racket Club will be hosting a number of different camps at the Stade Louis II for seven to 11-year-olds, including table tennis, badminton and, of course, squash. Call 06 63 60 01 68 for more information on dates and times. Reservations can be made directly at squashresa98@gmail.com.
Afternoon activities
It’s going to be a very busy summer over at the Centre de la Jeunesse Princesse Stéphanie (CJPS) on Avenue Papalins with an afternoon programme of activities on themes such as adventure, pirates, superheros and travel planned throughout July and August. The sessions are held from 2pm to 7pm on weekdays and are a very affordable €10 per day.
Outdoor adventures
The CJPS is also offering longer stays away for eight to 16-year-olds via its mountain summer camps in the Champsaur region. Tweens and teens can partake in everything from bike riding to treetops adventures and watersports while getting some of that much-appreciated independence from their parents. The camps are organised in collaboration with Monaco’s Department of Social Welfare and Social Services and may be part-financed for some families. The two-week trips cost €815 or €855 depending on the age of the child.
Similarly, but for a slightly different age group and in another mountainous location, La Boite de Jeux is organising a two-week-long stay in a dedicated chalet in the Orcières Valley near Gap for seven to 14-year-olds between 8th and 22nd July. Prices start at €700 for a camp that includes access to tonnes of activities, sports and experiences.
Further afield, there are many different summer camps and activity days being laid on by Nature Essentielle in the Alpes-Maritimes, from overnight camping trips to Pelagos-backed sea voyages and mountain adventures. Click here to discover the full list.
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Featured photo source: Académie Monégasque de la Mer / Facebook