>>At this point we are looking at public transport from and to airport and for day trips.<<

Public transportation in Nice only - or also in Provence? If the latter - you'll miss most of what we love about Provence.

Stu Dudley

I suggest that you stay in Nice and make day trips to Antibes, Eze-village, Villefranche-sur-Mer, St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, St-Paul-de-Vence, Vence, Tourrettes-sur-Loup, Mougins...that should take up your 8 days nicely. With only 8 days, it will be hard to see both eastern and western Provence.

Public transit in Nice is good. For St-Paul-de-Vence, Vence use #400 bus. Eze village is also reachable by city bus. Local TER train can be used to get to Cannes, Antibes, Monaco, etc.

Stu, I totally agree! We have done both public transport and driving in Italy on separate trips and there's a huge difference. With it being just two females we don't to hassle with the potential of car trouble, especially when neither one of us speaks French. Spanish, English and some Italian is all we got!

If you don't want to drive, I would spend the entire 8 days around Nice. You'll waste a lot of time if you go into Provence/Avignon by train and then try to take take public transportation into the Luberon (not advised), Les Baux, Pont du Gard, Uzes (no train station), or elsewhere etc. Like I stated on your other thread, there are just as many "cute little villages" around Nice as there are in Provence. Read my itinerary. Perhaps take the Cuneo train trip or the Entrevaux train trip as day-trip activities.

Gotta go - the Purdue/IU game starts in 5 minutes. We went to Purdue, FIL is an IU alum & he's coming over to cheer #3 IU on (to no avail - Purdue will win).

Stu Dudley

Yes go watch that game!!! I bleed black and gold over here....and married into an IU family.

So the more I think about it, the more I am leaning towards driving. I am set on seeing some of the towns to the west.The husband who is staying back is even urging me to do so. HIs reasoning --- I drive a stick, seasoned traveler, rent a GPS, international data plan on the iPhone ---- what can go wrong?

If driving, does this seem doable?


Sunday, October 20 --- arrive in Nice
Monday, October 21 -- Nice
Tuesday, October 22 -- towns around Nice
Wednesday, October 23- drive to St Remy
Thursday, October 24 - Aix en Provence
Friday, October 25 -- Avignon
Saturday, October 26 --- Marseilles
Sunday, October 27 -- drive to Nice
Monday, October 28 --- fly home

You are staying in Nice twice. If redo the sequence to aggregate all you Nice stay in one, you get one night elsewhere.

Oct 20 - arrive in Nice, drive to Aix en Provence
Oct 21 - Aix en Provence (more time in Aix, for example)
Oct 22 - St Remy
Oct 23 - catch Wed morning market at St. Remy (then Pont du Gard,) drop car in Avignon unless towns around Nice requires a car.
Oct 24 - train Marseille
Oct 25 - train Nice
Oct 26 - Nice
Oct 27 - Nice
Oct 28 - Fly home

>>Yes go watch that game!!! <<

Jeeze - what a slaughter. Purdue lost by 37 pts - at home.

I'll comment on your itinerary tomorrow. Glad you're comfortable with renting a car.

Stu Dudley
Purdue '69 - when we were runner-ups in the NCAA basketball final (lost to UCLA & Lew Alcinder's senior year).

I agree with greg about heading into Provence first, and then back to Nice. However, you arrive on a Sunday and Aix is pretty "dead" on Sundays & Monday mornings - compared to the other days of the week. Shops are closed then, and Aix is my wife's favorite shopping city. Read the paragraph in the itinerary I sent you about my survey of shops closed on Sunday/Monday in Aix. Visit Aix at its best (one of my favorite cities).

Also, I think you are trying to do too many large cities - Nice, Marseille, Aix, and Avignon. What keeps us returning to Provence is the pretty countryside and charming small villages - like those in the Luberon. Marseille is one of my least favorite large cities in France. I can name about 25 other large cities that I prefer over it (Dijon, Toulouse, Rennes, Rouen, Aix, Avignon, Lyon, etc). Sitting by the Port in Marseille having lunch is nice - but not in late October (Marseille is farther north than Milwaukee WI).

I would re-arrange your itinerary this way.

Oct 20 Sun - arrive & drive 2 1/2 hrs to St Remy. Explore St Remy. Shops are mostly open - at least they are in the summer.

Oct 21 Mon. Explore the charming villages & countryside in the Luberon. Shops in Gordes & Roussillon will be open. See my itinerary for details.

Oct 22 Tues. Explore the area around St Remy - Les Baux, Arles, Eygalieres, perhaps Pont du Gard.

Oct 23 Wed. Market in St Remy. Then head to Aix. Lunch on the Cours Mirabeau in Aix. Explore Aix.

Oct 24 Thurs. Market day in Aix. If you missed the one in St Remy - visit Aix's. It is a little less touristy that St Remy's, Linger a little more in Aix. Head out towards Nice and visit St Paul, Tourrettes sur Loup, and perhaps Vence on the way (see my itinerary for the "Loup loop"). Head into Nice & dump the car at the train station (or do it tomorrow).

Oct 25 Fri. Nice/Villefranche/Antibes/Eze for the remaining 3 days. Don't visit Antibes on a Sunday. Nice is OK on Sunday.

If you don't want to drive 2 1/2 hrs to Provence the day you arrive, instead drive to St Paul (short drive), stay at Le Hammeau, and do St Paul, Tourrettes, "Loup Loop" then. Shops are ALWAYS open in St Paul & Gourdon. Next morning head to Provence/St Remy.

Stu Dudley

Thanks Stu! I agree on Marseilles, after doing a bit more research, don't think I want to go there. How about Cassis and the Calanques... worth checking out on our drive back towards Nice?

I was also wondering if Villefranche would be a better base towards the end of the trip. Our flight doesn't leave until 12:30 coming home so we would have time to get to the Nice airport in the morning,

Cassis & the Calanques are good stops - but Cassis might be a little dead in late October. Perhaps have a quick look around Cassis & concentrate on a Calanques boat trip. I think the best part of Cassis is lunch/dinner on the port - but that time of year it might be a little too cool to sit outside.

I would stay in Nice - a LOT more stuff to do there than in Villefranche - especially in October with perhaps less time to sit at outdoor cafes. We "did" Villefranche in about 1 1/2 hrs before dinner one evening at an outdoor restaurant overlooking the Med.

#3 IU beat #1 Michigan last night!!!

Stu Dudley

Re: Villefranche-The second trip to the Nice area, we rented an apt in Villefranche. It's a great location for visiting areas such as Eze, Monaco,St Jean Cap Ferrat and other towns. Antibes was about 30-45 min away if I remember correctly. Nice was about a 15 min drive. Villefranche has a lovely harbor, and a wonderful citadel where you could spend some time.

For hotels in Nice: Try La Perouse-stayed there 4 nights-fab views, lovely place- a bit pricey. Also stayed at Mercure Notre Dame, very large room with balcony. Rooftop pool with great views, although it will probably be closed in Oct.

Stu Dudley...Who cares #3 over #1..Even giants have an achilles.Monica in indy does black and gold fall into the same blood type as maize and blue?? Bet it does!!.But I do agree with you, Stu, on Marseilles.Not a favorite stop. Good idea no car in Aix..Rush hour traffic is a killer.