Bonnie

I will be arriving in the morning into Nice after a transatlantic flight. Meeting friends in Venice the next day. Should I stay overnight in Nice, and if so where? I am a university student on limited funds. Should I save the money and take an overnight train? Should I tour Nice that day and if so is there a planned tour I should take or should I just hang out somewhere? Looking for some good advice. First trip to Europe.

Book Chick

Bonnie, <BR>When are you going? Also what kinds of things do you like? Are you into art, or would you prefer to hang out at a beach if given the option & the weather is good? If you can furnish this info, you'll probably get an answer that will fit your interests & budget. <BR>BC

YS

Depending on how much luggage you have with you, perhaps you can explore Nice for a little bit, take a train to Monte Carlo (about 20 minute ride from what I hear), spend some time there and take overnight train to Venice. I'm pretty sure you can do Nice-Monte Carlo-Venice on the same ticket, but I'll let others to correct. In any way, Nice-Monte Carlo will cost you about $3.

Bonnie

Like the beach. Like small cafes where you can get a feel for the local scene, like interesting architecture. Would you know how far the airport is from the area of Nice I should head for? How do I get there from the airport and what would it cost, approx. Would it be better to take the train from Monte Carlo? Sounds like an interesting idea since I've always wanted to see it. Appreciating you taking the time to answer.

Book Chick

Okay, Bonnie, <BR>Thanks for clarifying. Nice is rather compact, so I can't imagine it would be too expensive getting from the airport to wherever you want to go. (I arrived by train & took a taxi to my hotel & it was inexpensive as I recall it.) <BR> <BR>As Yuri mentioned, it's very economical to take the train, which is what I did, and yes, you can take one from Nice right to Monte Carlo. Also, if you want to see other Riviera towns, you can do this, but you may have a time constraint from what I'm reading. A very picturesque & reasonable hotel is the Hotel Flots d'Azur, right on the Promenade des Anglais, on the Bay of Angels in Nice. Gorgeous views! Breakfast served outdoors on the terrace! The Hotel Eden next door is also very nice & priced very well indeed. In either Nice or Monte Carlo you can walk around & there are tons of outdoor cafes. (I kind of based myself in Nice & used the train to get around. I thought this was a great value, provided me with a lot of different views of different Riviera towns & was immensely less hassle than renting, driving & parking a car.) <BR>Bon Voyage! <BR>BC

Bonnie

Getting great information! Now, need to know what to expect on trip from Nice or Monte Carlo into Venice. Should I book train ahead of time (is that even possible?) Is the overnight train a good or bad idea? Meeting my friend in the Venice train station - is that a good idea or should we both make our way to the hostel or hotel (haven't booked anything yet). Also, should we stay outside of Venice as some people have suggested to us and come in for the day or should we try and get reasonable accomodations in Venice itself? Need help with these questions!

Book Chick

Bonnie, <BR>You will definitely want to stay in Venice proper. Otherwise the time you spend getting in & out will be both a waste of time & $$$ & a hassle, when you could be in that splendid, beautiful, magical city proper, enjoying yourselves. <BR> <BR>My guess is that you will need to change trains in Milan. You might want to try to reserve ahead, although I think Nice to Milan is probably okay without reservations, Milan to Venice could possibly be booked up. I don't have any direct experience with night train travel, but if you're on a limited budget, I might advise against it---the only way to be truly comfy is to book a sleeper & it runs about the price of a really, really, really good hotel room. Otherwise you'll be sitting all night & will not be optimally rested for your arrival in Venice, which I think would be an enormous pity. <BR> <BR>Also, sorry to say I don't have experience booking trains while not in Europe, but perhaps you might do a search on Google, or someone else on the board here can assist you with greater experience & knowledge than I. <BR>Bon Voyage AND Buon Viaggio, <BR>BC

Bonnie

Bookchick you are amazing.Any suggestions for hotels in Venice around $100.00?

Susan

Hi Bonnie- <BR>I am taking the overnight train from Venice to Nice in Sept. I am sure that they have one going from nice to venice. I have made my reservations through my travel agent but there is also a website i went to for info(www.eurorail.com) <BR>I think the train may stop in Milan but we do not need to change trains. <BR>We are going to be in nice for 1 night and I have made a reservation at the flots d'azur.(thank you bookchick for recommending this)

Book Chick

You're welcome! <BR> <BR>Bonnie, you might want to try my "fave rave" in Venice, the Antica Locanda Sturion. I liked their location a lot, right near the Ponte Rialto. (BTW, there's no elevator, but the marble staircase more than makes up for it, IMO.) Their address is Calle del Sturion-San Polo 679. Their phone is 39-041-5236243, and their fax is 39-041-5228378. They renovate their rooms regularly & the staff is most helpful. (Hotel trivia: this is where Jennifer Beals stayed while filming the last scenes in the film "The Bride") <BR>Enjoy! <BR>BC

Jim

Bonnie, <BR>There are frequent buses leaving the nice airport for the center of Nice for about $2.00 & change,about a 15-20 minute ride.Would suggest stowing your gear at the Nice train station while sight seeing. <BR>Good luck.

Cindy

Albergo Doni is another inexpensive hotel in Venice, about two "blocks" behind St. Marks. They also have 2-3 apartment for rent, if you are traveling with a family or small group. I don't have the number.

elvira

SNCF site showed this routing: <BR>depart Nice 18:40, arrive Monaco 19:03. <BR>Depart Monaco 21:21 (gives you two hours in Monte Carlo in the evening) arrive Venice next morning at 7:09, all for US$58 in a 2nd class couchette. There are lots of trains from Nice to Monte Carlo all day, as well as buses, so you could spend a few hours in Nice, then train or bus to Monte Carlo, then pick up the night train from there. <BR> <BR>The bus from the airport to Nice Ville departs about every 30-45mins and costs less than US$3; there is a train station at the airport (St Augustin) so you might play around on the sncf.com site to work out a couple of itineraries. <BR> <BR>Here's a great site for things to do in Nice, and guided tours: <BR>http://www.ville-nice.fr/americain/c...ce_visite.html <BR> <BR>

Susan

I don't know how you feel but I read that you are not going to catch any zzz's in the 2nd class couchette. I just booked my train reservation and I paid a whole heck of a lot more for a 1st class private compartment for me and my husband. If you are going from nice to venice and then meeting a friend there you probably want to be well rested. I have heard that you share the space with 6 others in the 2nd class couchette!!