3 days in the French Riviera
 

Hi, My husband and I will be spending 3 days in the French Riviera on a trip to France early September. We were thinking of staying in Nice the whole time and taking side trips to Monaco, Cannes and St. Tropez. Is that do-able in three days and if not, which ones can be missed? Also, is it more enjoyable to rent a car and drive or are buses and trains an equally enjoyable way to get around?

Thanks!

Skip St-Tropez and Monaco unless it's the glitzy lifestyle you want. If no, stay in Nice and go to Cannes, Antibes, St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Eze village, and St-Paul-de-Vence. Much more, too, but that would do well for 3 days, with one being reserved for beautiful Nice.

Ju

Too soon!

Just going to St-Tropez and back would consume an entire day. It's not easy to get there.

I vacation in Nice every year for about 9 days.
Public transportation is wonderful and cheap, buses are 1 euro
Trains are also cheap but a bit more than 1 euro
I take the bus or train to most towns that I want to visit.
I would skip St. Tropez , not worth the full day it would take to go, visit and return to wonderful Nice.
There is much to see and do in Nice . However yuu can visit
Antibes, St Paul de Vence , Vence with a beautiful Matisse Chapel which are all easily reached from Nice by either bus or train.
I am not a fan of Monaco , however I do know that most people will want to visit it , Ditto Cannes
There is a very nice 3 hour cruise from the port in Nice that will show you the beauty of the coast from the water.

Just go have a great time and then plan your return trip

Also, Cap Ferrat wirh the Villa Ephrussi and it's gardens is worth a day trip., Of the others mentioned, Antibes, Vence, St-Paul de Vence. However, with only three days for Nice, I would only do one day trip. Nice deserves time itself.

Public transportation! In 2007, I rented a car and drove from Nice to Monaco and planned to drive to Cannes. It was one of the most stressful days of my life. The aggressive drivers, the small roads, driving a stick shift for the first time in 19 years, motorcycles driving between the cars, the round-abouts (new to me at the time), and the areas without guardrails were more than I could handle. I took the car back to Nice and took public transportation to Cannes. The remainder of the day was heavenly. :)

Thanks KL467 for sharing your experience. I think we've decided to stick with the buses and trains rather than having to worry abt driving a stick shift on vacation.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Since this is our first trip to the French Riviera, we're going to leave St. Tropez out, keeping time to enjoy Nice and a few spots closer by.

Have a wonderful trip. It is an amazing place to visit!

Thanks KL467. We're really excited about our trip!