kenav

Will be in Nice for 3 days beginning on Sat (if my sore, sore throat doesn't stop us). Wondering what the best one day trip to hill towns would be. Could do the costal areas (not Monaco,though) as well, if that worked out. But think it's too much to do in one day. People tell me about Eze. What other towns are doable from there?

(We have our other days in Nice already figured out.)

HappyTrvlr

Cap Ferat is beautiful with Villa Ephrussi and kt's gardens, nave lumch in St-Jean le Port.
Or, Antibes.
Those would be my first and/or second choices.

isabel

Eze and Villefranche can be done in one day, they are in the same direction. For hill towns Vence would be my choice. Most people would say St Paul de Vence but it is so full of day trippers that I don't think it's that pleasant during the day. I actually really loved Tourettes-sur-Loupe but I'm not sure that could be done by public transportation. Will you have a car? I also enjoyed a day trip to Antibes.

Here are my photos of those places: www.pbase.com/annforcier/france_-_cote_dazure

calgary1989

If you are driving, the town of Casis is delightful. Its a beautiful town that has manage to elude the typical commercialization that you'll find every where else.

kenav

We won't have a car. I know buses go to these places (but not Casis?). Correct?

Had planned to go to Rothschild Villa on another day.

I see that Vence is in the same direction as Tourettes-sur-Loup. Now I just have to see if there is a bus that goes there.

calgary1989

By bus might be too long on the road for a day trip. Renting a small car from eurocar and maybe visiting casis or drive thru st.remy will be a lot of fun and quite cost effective. to me, these areas are the true south of france where the locals outnumber the tourist.

Pvoyageuse

Take the Train des Merveilles from Nice main station. The train leaves at 9.24 am and arrives at Tende at 11.05 am. Return trip: departure from Tende at 5 pm. There is a guide on the train and you will see lovely villages such as Peille, Peillon Saorge, etc....
http://www.royabevera.com/index.php/...erveilles.html

Every day until September 30, week-ends only in October.

Underhill

Cassis and St-Rémy are really too far for a day trip.

In one day you could visit Villefranche-sur-Mer, St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat (book lunch at the tea room, which has gorgeous views), and Eze village. On another day, visit St-Paul-de-Vence, Vence, and the mountain village of Tourettes-sur-Loup, known for its artisans who do beautiful work in ceramics and wood.

For info on bus routes and scheduled, go to the tripadvisor.com, where there are very helpful local experts with the information at their fingertips.

kappa1

Maybe Calgary is not aware that Cassis is 200km away (and St.Rémy 250km) from Nice. They are nice ( have been to Cassis many times from Marseille - only 20km away) but as a day trip from Nice? Or he really likes driving.

Christina

Cassis is near Marseilles, you can't do that from Nice.

I'd suggest Antibes.

Christina

oh, you can do Grasse from Nice (not by train) if you want something smaller and more in the hills. It has a sort of interesting perfume museum.

TDudette

We took a one-day van trip from our hotel in Nice to: Eze, a perfumerie, Monaco, Cannes and St. Paul de Vence. I was having breathing problems and this worked very well. Google online for van tours if you think it could work for you.

PalenQ

Eze - tour bus group mecca - has never awed me as much as hill towns such as Saint-Paul-du-Vence or Vence or Grasse, a larger town but one that exudes wold-world romance and is the home of the perfume industry - Eze just has a faux perfume factory selling wares to mainly bus groups - go to Grasse for the real deal - trains will take you there. St Paul and Vence are easily reached by buses from Nice.

Antibes is my favorite town right on the coast (after Nice of course) - old-worldish and in the town fort a Picasso Museum - nice town center.

For something far different hop the famous Train des Pignes - The Chemins-des-fers de Provence - a tiny narrow-gauge train trundling into the heart of backwater Provence - get off at a sleepy town like Annot - have lunch and think you've traveled back in time a century or so - you can do some easy walks between stations and experience the real Provence not seen on the posh Riviera.

The tiny train tracks up the Var River Valley into the mountains. For lots of good info on Cote d'Azur trains and the Train des Pignes check out these good sites - www.ricksteves.com; http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/si...s/rg011210.pdf - see pg 26 "Train Excursions Into the Maritime Alps"; and www.seat61.com.

These are all local trains so with a ticket just hop on any of them - ditto for the regional trains along the coast from Ventimiglia, Italy to St Raphael - change at Cannes for Grasse - take a boat from St Raphael to famous Saint-Tropez and its renown beaches.

kenav

Was difficult for me to find, but I checked out bus timetable from Nice to Vence to Tourettes.

Seems on Sat it would be:
Leave Nice 10:30 arrive Vence 11:45; leave Vence 2:30 arrive Tourettes 2:45; then go home with <u>last bus</u> at 6:10PM from Tourettes. Guess I would really have to make sure we get that bus or we're screwed!

The Train de Pignes sounds interesting too. Will have to check it out.

Interesting to hear different views on Eze and St. Paul du Vence. I heard St. Paul was overrun with tour groups; but I would guess Eze is too. What to do what to do!

HappyTrvlr

We were told by many to avoid Eze as it's over run with cruise ship tours and tour buses. Perhpas we were wrong, but we skipped it. St-Paul de Vence also exists for tourism but is quite pretty and is a short walk from Foundation Maight.
Best bets are Antibes, Cap Ferat, Villefranche. You only have three days in Nice and need to spend time there too. Lots to see and do.
With two weeks in Nice, we took five trips outside the city, some only a half day.

Christina

Since when do trains take you to Grasse? They never used to, but I haven't been there in quite a few years. You used to have to take a bus.

kappa1

re : Eze, it's about the timing. Most of my visits there were in low seasons, early in the morning. I enjoyed them quite including visit to the tropical garden at the top of the village, free of crowds. Also a late afternoon, early evening at the terrace of Hotel Chèvre d'Or, with glasses of rosé champagne (quite expensive though ..) with nibbles served in silverware, with a magnificent view of Cap Ferrat in sunset.

> Since when do trains take you to Grasse?

Obviously, there is a train line to Grasse from Nice-Ville, no change and a little over 1 hour. I got the timetable easily. The train goes via Antibe - Cannes ( so along the coast at first ).

TDudette

Do check on location of train station vis a vis the town you are visiting.

Again, we were in a tour van and it was not high season so nothing was overrun. We got a good look at the places I mentioned above without having to schlepp for our own tickets.

Obviously "to each his own" in preferences but with only 3 days, the van tour accomplishes a lot, and with someone else doing the heavy lifting.

adrienne

If you go to Vence allow enough time to visit the Matisse Chapel.

Although it's a delightful small town, three hours is a bit too much time in Tourettes. Could you stay longer in Vence and take a later bus to Tourettes?

PalenQ

The train line to Grasse was reopened a few years back - it takes you into a valley below the town center but there is a lift to take you right to the town center. I supposed buses still run the route.