kovsie

I have an invitation for a two week home exchange to ANTIBES over the Christmas period.

My questions:
I read that the Cote d'Azur is 'quieter' in winter. What does this mean? Will restaurants and other intersting places be closed?
I prefer to use public transport. We will have time for a few day trips. Any suggestions?
It looks as if the weather should be nice for walking and sightseeing. Are there easy walks (say, perhaps east of Nice in the mountains) that can be reached by bus or train?

Thanks in advance, dear wise Fodorites!

madodc

I've been on Côte d'Azur over the winter and it is quieter than other times of year. You will find some restaurants closed, but not all. Museums will be open. Some shops geared more to tourists might also be closed but Provençal market in Antibes is open every day except Monday.

Trains and buses are very easy to use and quite inexpensive. Cannes is only 12 minutes away by train and Nice less than 30 minutes. You can also take train to Monaco which is worth a trip just to say you've been there. From Antibes, you can take bus to Biot which is a nice village known for its glassware or to Valbonne which has lively Friday market. Some other places like St. Paul de Vence maybe a little hard to get to from Antibes by public transport.

Weather is mostly good though there will be some cloudy days with some rain.

There are books you can get - probably on Amazon - that shows walks you can take along Côte d'Azur using buses and trains. Very doable.

Hope this helps.

Tulips

Hi Kovsie, there's a nice short walk along Cap d'Antibes, starting at Plage de la Garoupe. It's quite beautiful. Have lunch at Plage Keller if it's open.

And have a look at Gourdon - it's a beautiful perched village. There's a walk to Pont du Loup.

Whathello

Weather is often splendid. I am usually int shirt from 10 am to 3 pm.

Tulips probably refers to Le sentier des douaniers. There is along the seaside a walk that you can follow nearly indefinitely.

St trop was deader than dead last time I came around Xmas.

Some small villages in the mountains are also nearly closed.

Antibes is a town and lives through the year. I have no idea about public transport always having a car there but it is easy to drive and there are no traffic jams at that period.

sandralist

Some parts of the Cote d'Azur claim to get more sunny days per year than any other part of Europe -- and while there is much justification of that claim, there can be severe storms that blow through, with very heavy rains and occasionally snow. So you cannot head to the Cote d'Azur with the idea you'll be in shirtsleeves and guaranteed to be able to do all the outdoor walking and eating you like. You might need to spend some days indoors -- so the question really is weather there are enough indoor activities in the area for you personally to feel engaged and having a good time in case the outdoor weather is strong cold winds and rain.

During the summer season, the Cote d'Azur is positively mobbed with holidaymakers and the venue for non-stop events/performances/festivals. By contrast, almost anything could be described as 'quieter." It's a summer beach destination for most people, and most people who target it in winter are interested in going to the fine musuems and historic towns when they will be much more empty of tourists.

Whathello

The storms i encountered in Cote d'Azur has always been in summertime.
November or easter I have seen insistent rains (this year we're having some days of rain - we still managed to use the swimming pool mind you) but Chistmas is mostly dry time.

Snow... yes my neighbours showed me pics of the beach with snow. They had it once in their lifetime between 4 am and 2 pm some years ago. The pics are shown quite a lot.

kovsie

Thank you all, for valueble information. I am trying to decide if this will be a good place to spend our winter break, and talking to you really helps.

SANDRALISTt: I take your point that it is in contrast with summer that it is seen as quieter. Two years ago we went to Stockholm in December. Many places were closed, the chirstmas market had nothing on 21 December, there was only one ferry per day (at 8am I think), to a nearby island. We still had a good time though.
Last year we were in Prague. I struggle to think what it must be like in high seasion - the little streets were mobbed! From what I read, it seems as if Antibes and surroundings will mostly be quiet, but still functioning. If I have that right, it will be totally acceptable.

About the weather: the luxery of having enough time in one place, is that you can enjoy rainy days, cooking and reading and just (as the kids say) chilling. I will not mind the occasional stormy day, as long as there is also the possibility of good weather coming.

WHATHELLO: If I go, and if there is snow on the beach, I promise to take a photo and post it!

MADODC: thanks for telling about the market. That tells me that we should be fine!

TULIPS: your mail makes me want to go tomorrow!

kovsie

If a student had written my comment above, I would write: "please consider using fewer exclamation marks".

traveller1959

Who would not be excited with the prospect of spending two weeks on the Côte d'Azur? So, feel free to use as many exclamation marks as you feel.

As everybody has said, expect mild weather, but be prepared for a few rainy days.

There are zillions of museums in the area, including modern art in Nice, Marc Chagall in Nice, Fernand Léger in Biot, Picasso in Antibes, more modern art in St. Paul..

You can do daytrips eastwards, westwards and northwards. Worthy destinations are:

- Nice (largest city in the area, Italian-style old town, French boulevards, many museums, ugly beach).
- Monaco (Palace, Oceanographic Institute, Casino, Cactus Garden).
- Cannes (beach boulevard, Old Town).
- Saint Paul (picturesque village, lots of art galleries, Fondation Maeght).
- About 20 picturesque hilltop villages in the hinterland (including Èze, Saint Paul, Gourdon..).

There are many beautiful hiking trails in the area. Here is my favourite trail:

Take the extremely scenic train to Dramont (44 minutes), then hike the trail round Cap du Dramont with a peep into the beautiful cove of Plage du Camp Long. It is an incredibly scenic trail with dramatic views from red cliffs across the deep blue sea. On the way, you will see some fortifications from WWII and on the beach of Dramont a monument with an U.S. landing boat. Total distance: 5km (extension possible).

More beautiful hiking trails go up into the Esterel Mountains, especially to Pic du Cap Roux and Pic de l'Ours. They will be longer and include more inclines.

Whathello

The Chagall I like is the one in the castle Ste Roselyne. Where you can have an excellent rosé wine.......
(consider my points as exclamation marks )

http://www.sainte-roseline.com/domai...inte-roseline/

(The family is right now on the cote d'Azur and I'm working in Paris).

kerouac

I personally find the Côte d'Azur totally depressing at the end of the year. It is an area that is best seen warm and active, not when it is in hibernation. Locals of course do not see it that way, because the season is spent at home. When my parents lived in Languedoc (quite similar to the Côte d'Azur), I enjoyed spending Christmas with them, but all of the enjoyment was at home, not out in the streets.

Frankly, the weather is often terrible, too. People tend to remember mostly the good times and blank out the rest.

I will always prefer northern cities in winter, because they are much more active since they need to fight the cold season. The Christmas markets are spectacular, as are the Christmas decorations and it is the height of the cultural season in December -- the absolute opposite of the south.

traveller1959

Kerouac, as much as I like your usual knowledge of France, this post of yours is anything but helpful.

And be honest: Languedoc is not similar to the Côte d'Azur. In no way. Not even in terms of climate. Not to speak of culture.

Yes, I love Christmas in the Black Forest, with snow one meter high. But Christmas in mild climate, with views on azur blue sea is also charming!

kovsie, you are a lucky guy!

kerouac

You're right -- the Côte d'Azur has become the playground of the Russians and the Saudis, unlike Languedoc which is still sort of French.

kovsie

kerouac: you may remember that I spent a month in a suburb near Paris in summer 2015, when I highly appreciated your comments and guidance. I agree that winter in the northern cities is special. I could not get enough of the christmas lights and the snow in Sweden ... when it was -13C. I must also say that I have no desire to go to the Cote d'Azur during summer. I had an invite from Cannes two years ago that I did not even consider.

My question now is - are you negative about the Cote d'Azur because of personal preferences, and because of your experience of the rest of France (that I will never have), or are you telling me that it is not a good idea to go there? Ever?

whathello: thanks for the link, it looks stunning!!! And it does seem as if they are open and functioning in December.

traveller1959: thanks for all the detailed info. I love taking trains on scenic routes, and this seems like a wonderful daytrip.
You are totally right - I am a lucky lady

kerouac

I have nothing against the Côte d'Azur as a place to visit. I'm just saying that of the 4 seasons, winter is the worst time to go there.

kovsie

Weather: I found this site
https://weatherspark.com/averages/32...-d-Azur-France

They say here that Nice has 9 hours daylight in December, 45% chance of cloudy skies, 33% chance of rain or thunderstorms, temperature between 6C and 13C over Christmas.

Thus: no promises of uninterrupted sunny skies, but perhaps not too bad in general.

Whathello

south is not equipped to fight bad weather.
it just gets depressing after some rain.

Tulips

At Christmas it is sometimes warm enough to have lunch outside. Of course you could get bad weather, but it's seldom 2 weeks of grey drizzle, as we get here in Northern Europe. And there are so many beautiful places to visit regardless of weather.
Or you can take a cookery course, I did this a few year ago
http://petitsfarcis.com/

I wouldn't hesitate to spend 2 weeks in Antibes in winter.

jtpj777

The Cote D'Azur was originally a winter sun area for the British and Russian aristocracy, so that should answer your question re the weather in relation to Northern Europe.

Of course, no weather is guaranteed but you will have more chance of being able to sit in the sun outside for lunch or a drink than most other places in Europe.

I don't know Antibes so well at this time but have spent New Year in Nice many times, Occasionally finding it warm enough to sunbathe on the beach in a sheltered spot. The city is lively, being filled with many Italian visitors.

I don't understand the comments from people who suggest that it is depressing in winter, guess they haven't spent enough time there and have been unlucky with the weather.

kovsie

Thanks jtp777! Nice is all of 30km from Antibes, so the weather will be the same, I think. Good to know that Italians will join the Russians and Suadis. Hopefully a few French citizens will also be in evidence.

Tulips: a cooking course sounds great fun, I will certainly look into it.

The mere fact that the number of visitors to the Cote d'Azur significantly dwindels during winter, shows that many do agree with kerouac that December is not prime time for this area. In the end, I think that will work for me and my personality just fine.

Based on the feedback and thoughts and ideas from this thread, I think I am going to go for it!

Thanks so much everybody, for your knowledgable input.