Travel from Nice Airport to Monte Carlo at night---please help with travel

That area is very safe to drive at night. If you are going to be going on driving day trips you will probably be returning to Monte Carlo at about that time on any night.

Return the car to Nice airport, fast and easy and quick.

Thank you for the response. I am wrong to be renting a car vs taking the train/bus for such a short trip? I am thinking that the car will make things easier and faster vs public transportation---am I wring in thinking this?

I think if you are going far afield it will be better to have a car but if you are just going back to Nice and some of the other towns along the coast you may as well take the train.

I like the freedom of a car but then I like to go into the back country and further along the coast.

What are your plans?

That depends on where you'll be going--but having a car to visit Eze village is a real plus. Otherwise it's a long hike up from the bus stop.

A caution: be sure to take the lower corniche road out of Nice to Monaco--the middle and upper roads are not to be driven at night your first time on them. Scary even during the day time, but then I don't like heights.

A taxi all the way from Monte Carlo would cost quite a lot; you could easily take the train to Nice and then a taxi to the airport. And yes, the airport is busy, but you could arrange to drop the car off in Nice proper and then take a taxi to the airport.

Now that I think of it, going from Nice to Monaco by the autoroute (freeway) would be your best bet.

We only have two full days but I want to see alot. We are both 31 years old so are young and ready to move. I want to soak in each area but also want to see many areas. I would like to go to Cannes, Nice, Eze, Menton, and on into Italy if there is time. We do want to explore Monte Carlo but I know is small and easy to see quickly---MC will probably be our dinner/evening place I would think. I just did not want the renting of the car to be a hassle especially since our flight back to the states is at 7:45am.

Hi enlehman76,

I would definitely rent a car to explore the area, you can cover a lot more ground that way.

Of course it's safe to drive at night between Nice Airport and Monte Carlo! Not sure what you mean by that question actually, what dangers are you thinking of?

Re: rental car return at Nice airport: what airline are you flying out from Nice on? If it uses terminal 2, the rental car offices are all conveniently located right in front of the terminal building. If your flight leaves from terminal 1, you will need to take a shuttle bus there from terminal 2 (takes about 10 min. + waiting time), so plan on getting to the airport at about 6:00 AM.

The airport website will show which terminal your flight leaves from:
http://www.nice.aeroport.fr/vols_en/compagnies/

Hope this helps,
Andre

Thanks Andre,

We are flying Air France so return of the car should be easy. I asked about driving at night being safe b/c I have heard that the roads are not well lit and are cliffside. That is what I meant.

What cities to you all recommend visiting?

If you take the lower road you are right on the water, there are three levels of roads. Get a good map.

It is easy to return a car that early in the morning, I have done it many times.

Have fun.

Hi seaurchin,

Thanks for the help. I will rent the car at the airport and return it there as well. What cities do you recommend seeing in the 2 days?

How long is the drive from Monte Carlo to Cannes and from Monte Carlo to Menton?

I think the ones you have mentioned will be great. Remember you have to take some time to park and drive between the towns so don't plan so much that you get frustrated. Relax, it is the Riviera!!

I love Eze and St. Paul and Roquebrun and I even like Cannes and Menton and Monte Carlo. See, I am easy.

oh go to San Remo in Italy if you would like. Traffic will determine the driving times. look at mappy.com and get directions which will give you estimated times too.

Thank you for the website---it will be helpful. You sound like me about liking all of the towns---I love traveling so much that I love all the places that I go.

SeaUrchin,

what is the travel time from Monte Carlo to Cannes? What about Monte Carlo to San Remo?

Do you recommend spending more time going from Eze to Italy vs going to Cannes and Nice? Should we skip Cannes?

The drive from Monte Carlo to Cannes is about 45 minutes, depending on the route. Cannes and MC are both resort towns; you might not need to see both. So skip Cannes, but do NOT skip Nice--much more interesting than San Remo.

I wouldn't characterize the lower corniche as being on the water for most of the way. It's situated some way up along the mountains, with the middle (moyen) and high corniche still higher up. You get down near the water by leaving the corniche and taking a side road to something like St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat or Villefranche-sur-Mer.

yes that is the road I was talking about, along the water. Cap Ferrat has the Rothschild residence which may be interesting with beautiful views and gardens.

I went to San Remo for good Italian food.

I suggest you look around on the internet at the different cities and get an idea of what they are like. There are art museums in Nice for instance.

I like the beach at Cannes and having a drink at the Carlton. It is all up to what you enjoy doing. Have fun investigating.

When are you going there? Traffics between the cities mentioned are heavy in July and August.

Greg-
we are going next week. what do you think the driving times will be like between Monte Carlo and Cannes; aswell as, Monte Carlo and Menton?

Antibes is also a nice town and worth an hour or two.