Joe18

We're taking the Oceania Barcelona-to-Venice cruise beginning Oct. 14. When we dock in Monaco, we would like to go directly to the Old Market (Cours Saleya) in Nice, spend some time there, and then return to the boat. We were there years ago and look forward to returning We have a quote for a private driver and car for four hours at $720USD. Are you familiar with public transportantion from the cruise ship docks to Nice, or a less expensive private means of getting there. (We don't want to rent a car this time.)

Full disclosure: I'm posting this on both the Europe and Cruise forums. I hope no one objects.

Joe

aliced

Joe, an additional reply from me via cruise forum. While the "other two" are posturing as to who knows more about what you should do, I shall add that we chose an Avis rental from Monaco with the plan to revisit the Matisse & Chagall museums in Nice and go onward to the Maeght Foundation in St Paul de Vence. Also, it took us an hour to actually leave the ship and arrive at the auto rental; our concierge did not recognize the address. It never happened. It's been 30 years since first staying in Nice and exploring the Riviera. Well, things change. The village of Eze is now a jammed & packed mini tourist destination with hardly any parking. When we followed a sign for additional parking, we ended all the way up on the Upper Corniche where my husband spent 10-15 minutes trying to get the car into reverse while parked illegally in a school parking lot. While we managed to get to the Middle Corniche and enjoyed that drive with a stop in Villefranche, our car did not have GPS. The maps I had downloaded onto my phone which worked perfectly in Italy and here at home (USA), did not come up at all. My husband had left the car charger in our stateroom. His Waze operated slightly but had us riding around in circles in Villefranche. It was 1:30 when we were driving thru Nice without a clue or a map. Our ship was hosting their White Night Party starting at 6p on the ship (Azamara line), and we decided to bail out and return. We did find parking then in Eze and enjoyed that special spot again. But there is alot of road construction going in Monaco and when I related our plans to the local on the ship who was there that morning to give assistance, she said we were undertaking alot. The tension in my neck was palpable. While your outing may not mirror ours, I stand with my earlier advice: train or bus. 'Nuf said. Have a wonderful time! Our weather last month was glorious, and we did the reverse trip from Venice to Barcelona, revisiting favorite cities where we had been before (with exception of Croatia). Bon Voyage!

Joe18

Alice,
Thanks very much. I appreciate your help.
Joe

doug_stallings

Since the train is easy and fast (about 20 minutes), why not just take that and a taxi on arrival? If you really want to visit just the old part of Nice, that would be a much easier solution to me than paying 700 euros for a chauffeur. The trip will cost you about 5 euros each way per person.