After 5 days in Paris, 3 in Loire,9 in Provence, we will finish up our first trip to France(sept-oct 08) in the Cote d'Azur area, with a very early returning flight(8:00am)from Nice airport.So far,I am thinking of Villefranche sur Mer as a base for these last few days, but the early flight worries me,there is no bus service that early from Villefranche to Nice(we have to leave around 5:00am.Should we take a hotel room(maybe the Ibis near airport)in Nice for the one last night & keep Nice to explore this last day? Or are we better off basing in Nice the entire 4 days, with no hotel change to do? I also want to see Eze,Antibes,la Turbie,Vence,a quick visit to Monaco,& Menton...I don't want these last days to be too rushed though. Any suggestions? In what order would you visit these places?
As much as I dearly love Villefranche, I think I'm going to recommend that you stay the whole time in Nice. I'm assuming that you will not have a car. Nice is the transportation hub in the area and you will probably be traveling through Nice to most of the places that you mention.
I also think it is best to stay in Nice and take an early morning taxi to the airport. I know taxis are expensive in the region but the ambiance at the hotels near the airport is terrible. We also had an early morning flight out of the Nice airport. Our flight left at 6:10am! We thought we'd save money and stay at one of the hotels near the airport with a shuttle. We didn't realize that the shuttles didn't start running until 6:00am. Much too late for us. We had to take a taxi after all which ended up costing us 20 euros because it was Sunday and early in the morning. It picked us up at 5am and it was only 5 minutes to the airport from the Novotel in St Laurent across from the Cap2000 Mall. I think you can walk from a couple of hotels but even so, there is absolutely nothing near by those hotels. Our last night was pretty depressing at the hotel. I really wish we had stayed in Nice instead so we could have walked around and had a nice dinner. I think it is better to just decide to stay in town and chalk up the taxi ride as part of the expense. From Nice, it will probably be closer to 30 euros or more.
I would probably cut down your list of places to visit. The public transportation is very good but it still takes a bit of time to get to these places. Bus is going to be the better way for a couple of the towns. The buses run between 6-7am and 6-7pm. This makes it difficult to see several places in one day. Plus you will want to spend some time in Nice. The traffic on the Cote d'Azur can be bad during rush hour or when students get out of school. Also many of the bus lines do not run on Sunday so keep that in mind if you plan to travel on Sunday.
Villages accessible by train are a bit easier to get to but I found that the train only ran once an hour. It was on time when I took it but most people say never runs on time or schedule. Also, there can be long lines in Nice to purchase tickets.
- Vence and St Paul de Vence. TAM bus 400 goes to this two villages. It is about 1 hour from Nice to Vence and the bus does also stop at St Paul de Vence on the way.
- Eze - Ligne d'Azur bus 114 goes to Eze Village. Don't take the train which goes to Eze sur Mer. This is not the same location. There is a trail between the two locations but it is a steep climb (1600ft).
- Villefranche, Beaulieu, Cap Ferrat, Villa Ephrussi - This can be done as a nice day trip. TAM bus 100 or Ligne d'Azu bus 81.
- Monaco and Menton can be done either via train or TAM bus 100.
I didn't get to Antibes but I think it is easy to go to Antibes via train from Nice.
Late September/Early Oct is a nice time. It is less busy and it is still warm. You might have a little bit of rain but you will have a great time.
Originally posted by Fiona&Max: … we will finish up our first trip to France(sept-oct 08) in the Cote d'Azur area, with a very early returning flight(8:00am)from Nice airport.So far,I am thinking of Villefranche sur Mer as a base for these last few days, but the early flight worries me,there is no bus service that early from Villefranche to Nice(we have to leave around 5:00am.Should we take a hotel room(maybe the Ibis near airport)in Nice for the one last night & keep Nice to explore this last day? Or are we better off basing in Nice the entire 4 days, with no hotel change to do? I also want to see Eze,Antibes,la Turbie,Vence,a quick visit to Monaco,& Menton...I don't want these last days to be too rushed though. Any suggestions? In what order would you visit these places?
F&M, Sorriest I have trouble reading your message with no separation after the comma. Your message looks as rushed as your trip. Do I understand you only have 4 days? Did you say somewhere in your message whether you will have a car? That would change a great deal. I deduce you don't have a car but I could have missed the info in your message. Without a car, you wil have to take buses to La Turbie and Eze. You need to juggle with the bus schedule. As I explained in another thread, the bus system covering the Riviera is not like a bus system that covers an inner city. The buses are not that frequent and do not run in the evening. You can't hop on hop off half a dozen times in an afternoon...
In any case if you don't want to rush, then you may want to eliminate some destinations. 4 days is an big rush to try to see "Eze, Antibes, la Turbie, Vence, a quick visit to Monaco & Menton..." Never mind a quick vist to Monaco. Everything else will have to be a lightning visit too.
If I were you, I would stick to the coastal towns all of which are well connected by train. It makes for an enchanting and much more leisurely travel. Why not visit Menton first? You will pass by many towns and can decide which towns are appealing enough for a longer visit later during your stay. For example, if you are so pressed for time, do you really need to see Monaco? On your way to Menton, you will pass it. Will that qualify as a very short visit?
Lastly, whether to stay in Nice or Villefranche... Nice is a bigger town with the advantages of a bigger town. It is a hub for buses and trains. The old town with its everyday market is fabulous. But much of Nice is overdeveloped and covered with anonymous modern architecture buildings. For me Villefranche has a much more intact feel of the old glamous Riviera. Many on this board disagree with me, but I would go for Villefranche myself for that reason... Again I am not sure if somewhere in your message you specified whether you are staying in a rental or an hotel. You can ask your hotel or your rental owner to help you book a taxi in advance to take you to the airport in time. Bon voyage.
I'd also forget about Monaco if you only 4 days and I probably would also skip Vence or St-Paul-de -Vence. I'd keep a full day for Nice's Old Town and the Castle Hill (Colline du Chateau), the market at Cours Saléya and just relax by the Promenade des Anglais. Here's a suggestion for a day in Nice: There are musts like walking on the Promenade des Anglais , both looking at the sea, the beach and the hotels.
The Old Town and the Cours Saléya: Start from Place Masséna and walk towards the Promenade on Rue de l’Opéra. Make a left on Rue St-Francois-de-Paule, check the boutiques but don’t buy there (touristy prices way too high). Walk straight ahead to the Marché aux Fleurs (Cours Saléya). There is a market every day except Mondays. Walk to the end of the market and you get to the Chapelle du St-Suaire. Make a left on J” Gilly street . It ends on Rue de la Préfecture. Make a left there and walk until you reach Rue Ste-Réparate. Make a right and you will see the Cathedral Ste-Réparate and get on Place Rossetti. Very typical (look at the warmth of colours if you are there 1hr or 2 before sunset). A left on Rue Rossetti until you reach Rue Droite. Make a left on Rue Droite and walk to its end. Stop by Palais Lascaris (free visit) and some nice artist shops (check Christian Dury’s gallerie => he puts typical Nice things in Plexiglas frames). Rue Droite falls into Rue St-François the in Rue Pairolière. Both typical Old Nice streets with locals shops, food store, fish and meat stores, etc. Open your eyesand your ears and take a deep breath. Now you see the real thing. You get to the Place Garibaldi. Time for lunch. Help yourself, there are plenty nice spots at cheap prices.
From Place Garibaldi keep your right and stay on Rue Catherine Ségurane from where you will get a road that brings you up the Castle Hill (Colline du Chateau). Walk up to its top and have a look at the whole area (the Port, the beaches, the town). Stop by the Cemetery on your way down and wak to the Port. Look at the small fishermen boats on Quai des Deux Emmanuel. And walk back to town circling the Castle Hill by walking on the sea side to reach back Promenade des Anglais.
That one should take not far from a day long, especially if you stop often at boutiques or for an ice cream cone…
Wow! That brought back a lot of memories. That is a great walk. I love Vieux Nice.
Every Saturday, there is a guided tour of Vieux Nice. I enjoyed it and you can also do most of it on your own following the route above. It ended at Palace Lascaris and I had just enough time for a quick visit of Sylvie T studio. It is a great place to buy watercolor souvenirs such as bookmarks, postcards or paintings.
Nice is a wonderful city, especially if you stay in or near the Old Town. I agree with those who suggest that you base there.
The taxi service in Nice is excellent. We had an early morning flight on our last trip there, and obsessed for two days because we tried to reserve a taxi ahead of time and were told we couldn't reserve but had to call when we needed one. Apparently there are taxis lined up at the stands 24 x 7, and when you call you get immediate service. We called around 6 am and had a taxi at our hotel within 5 minutes.
If you click on the link under my name, you will find links to two trips we made to Nice -- one last December and another in 2005.
Thanks Marta,Americana & Roz for the good feedback.And YYMCA, I am printing out that walk suggestion for Nice & will take it along with me. Americana,I definitely do not want these last days to be rushed & didn't realize it sounded like that.I guess as it is the last leg of our 21 day trip, we tend to want to get to as many heard about places as possible before heading home.I will cut back... sigh...I guess I could have worse problems than deciding on which places to cut back on in Cote d'Azur...Roz, I had previously gone on your trip report & enjoyed it, as I enjoy all the trip reports on this site that everyone generously takes time out to write...
F&M, Like you, I like to plan a maximum but knowing I will not do them all. Maybe for the 1st day, you can take the train and go as far east as Menton then as far west as Antibes or Cannes, and not get off. The train tracks are way out by the coast most of the time, giving the most amazing views. My fave list would be: - Menton and its gardens - the old town and market of Antibes - Beaulieu and St Jean Cap Ferrat, especially the grounds of Ephrussi de Rothshild Vill where "To catch a thief" was shot. - Villefranche - of course the old town of Nice.
By the way, just in case it wasn't clear, I don't think there's any reason to spend a night near the airport in Nice. It's a very easy taxi ride to the airport from the center of town, and especially early in the morning you should have no problem getting there in 15 minutes.
Nice is a bustling, vibrant city with many different styles mixed in (classic Italian, 19th century glamor and opulence, modern art, even Roman ruins). Villefranche is more quiet and elegant.
So the choice is one of preference in style. Nice has a slight leg-up for ease of access to the resorts and villages you mentioned wanting to see.
I definitely don't recommend staying in a hotel close to the airport. The only reason to visit that western edge of town would be to experience the nearby Parc Phoenix, if kids are visiting along. The park's giant tropical green house, its elaborate landscaping and frequent exhibits makes for a pleasant stop for folks with kids. We went hunting for chocolate eggs there this weekend and were delighted...
The inland hill towns, such as St-Paul-de-Vence, are wonderful and quite different from the overdeveloped coast (although the coast is beautiful too). You did not say if you are interested in art, but St.-Paul has many art galleries and the Maeght Foundation is nearby (although there was no public transportation to the museum when I was there). Also the Chateau Grimaldi in Antibes houses a fabulous Picasso museum. It's an easy day trip from Nice. I would suggest one day inland, one day in Antibes, and maybe one day just take the train along the coast and get off wherever you like, whether it's Monaco, Villefranche sur Mer or wherever.
Having just gotten off the plane yesterday, I'd suggest that you stay in Nice. It's a wonderful place and the Promenade is lovely, as well as the markets and Old Town.
It's an easy bus ride from Nice to St. Jean (Cap Ferrat) to see the Villa Ephrussi and gardens. We then walked over to the tourist office (just down the road from the villa) and got a map from the TI office. We walked downhill to the harbor and had lunch. Then, we took a very nice (paved) walking trail all the way up to Villa Kerylos in Beaulieu sur Mer. (There are more challenging paths on Cap Ferrat, too).
While we didn't stop at Villefranche, I believe it is just as easy to access. I recommend you try to get started out for your excursions by 8:15am.
By the way, if your stay includes a Friday, we found very heavy traffic problems (on a bus or in a car) that would make me stay off the roads on that day!
We had a 7:20am flight out of Nice, and we drove from Mougins. It took about 30 minutes on the A8. There was no traffic at 5:00am in the morning, so it was a breeze to drive.
We took the train from Nice to Villefranche and it was a very nice ride, (it's been a while, but I think about 30 minutes). A very easy walk from the Villefranche train station to the town itself. It was a very enjoyable day. I will never forget watching our then 17 year old son walking along the beach seeing the topless sun bathers. Needless to say, he really enjoyed the day.
Sharon J
Posts: 604 | Location: Houston, TX USA | Registered: 01 November 2003
I would definitely second (or third) making Nice your base as it will be much easier to visit other towns. If you want to avoid the taxi, the airport buses run along the Prom and start early. They are extremely reliable.
I would skip Menton for such a limited time in the region. I would take a bus to Eze instead. With a bus you travel the Moyenne Corniche and get wonderful views of the coast. You also get views from the bus along the Grande Corniche to La Turbie but it's often misty up there.
Villefranche town and bay is lovely plus there's a sandy beach at the eastern end.
Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat would also be a highlight, in my view, even though most of the glamorous villas are walled off.
To find out how the upper, upper crust lives and shops, try Cannes now the most expensive city in France.
Thanks everyone for all the help & information. We reserved our room at Hotel Rex, in Nice.I just get so excited as time goes by and our trip gets closer-next week it will be 4 months away!
