Monaco Unveils Landmark Parking des Salines and Subterranean Galerie to Decongest Western Entrance and Link Fontvieille

Major Mobility Breakthrough at the Western Gateway of the Principality

MONTE CARLO, Monaco — In a decisive step forward for urban mobility, environmental sustainability, and regional traffic management, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II and the Prince's Government have officially unveiled the monumental Parking des Salines and Galerie des Salines infrastructure megaproject. Situated at the western entrance of the Principality near the Jardin Exotique district, the massive multimodal development provides a world-class 'park-and-ride' interceptor hub designed to dramatically curtail private automobile congestion entering Monaco each day.

Constructed over seven years of complex cliffside and subterranean civil engineering, the facility forms a cornerstone of Monaco's comprehensive National Mobility Plan (Plan National de Mobilité). By capturing inbound vehicular traffic from the Moyenne Corniche (Route Départementale 6007) before it penetrates Monaco's historic and commercial districts, the complex resolves chronic bottlenecks while ensuring seamless, rapid pedestrian and public transit connections into Fontvieille, La Condamine, and Monte Carlo.

Monaco's Largest Car Park: 1,790 Spaces Across 15 Subterranean Levels

The Parking des Salines represents the single largest parking structure ever built in the Principality. Descending 15 subterranean tiers into the limestone rock, the facility offers 1,790 parking spaces, including dedicated spaces for motorbikes, bicycles, carpoolers, and large commercial delivery vans. In alignment with Monaco's strict environmental objectives, over 100 parking stalls are equipped with high-speed Monaco ON electric vehicle charging stations, powered 100% by certified renewable electricity.

To make the interceptor hub compelling for the tens of thousands of French and Italian cross-border workers commuting into Monaco daily, the Prince’s Government introduced subsidized commuter tariffs paired with free transit passes. Commuters parking at Les Salines enjoy free, direct transfers onto dedicated CAM (Compagnie des Autobus de Monaco) express shuttles—including Line 2 and the dedicated Express Shuttle—which whisk passengers directly to Place d’Armes and the Monte Carlo railway station in under ten minutes.

The Subterranean Galerie des Salines Adorned with Roger Capron Artworks

Complementing vehicular infrastructure is the breathtaking Galerie des Salines, an excavated subterranean pedestrian gallery bored through the cliffside that directly links Level -15 of the parking facility to Avenue Pasteur and the newly constructed Princess Grace Hospital (CHPG) complex. Equipped with high-speed passenger elevators and modern travelators, the climate-controlled gallery allows commuters and visitors to walk comfortably from the Jardin Exotique border to the heart of Fontvieille in just 10 to 12 minutes without navigating steep cliffside stairs or surface traffic.

Demonstrating Monaco's devotion to preserving civic cultural heritage, the walls of the Galerie des Salines are lined with magnificent, meticulously restored ceramic frescoes by legendary 20th-century French ceramist Roger Capron. Originally commissioned in the 1960s for a maritime holiday complex in Larvotto, the historic ceramic tiles were carefully preserved, cataloged, and remounted inside the tunnel, creating an extraordinary subterranean open-air art museum for everyday pedestrians.

Pioneering Carbon-Neutral Urbanism and Environmental Leadership

Prince Albert II and Minister of Equipment, Environment and Urban Planning Céline Caron-Dagioni affirmed during the ribbon-cutting ceremony that Parking des Salines demonstrates how sovereign infrastructure investments can actively improve citizen quality of life while advancing climate goals. By eliminating thousands of idling cars from Monaco's dense urban core every working day, the facility cuts localized air pollution and noise, setting a shining international benchmark for sustainable Mediterranean urbanism.