Diary dates for this year.

It seems perverse to start the new year with a day off, but most of you will have had your first holiday of 2011 on 1st January, just like us. Your next holiday is the 27th January, to celebrate Sainte Devote's Day, with a traditional mass, procession and boat burning on the evening before.

To help you plan ahead, we've listed the official holidays in Monaco for 2011 below. There are 2 extra special days off this year to celebrate the marriage of Prince Albert II to Charlene Wittstock, and don't forget too that many businesses close in the run up to the Grand Prix. This year's F1 race takes place on 29th May, so many workers can expect to take Thu-Sat, 26th-28th May as holidays too.