My wife and I are going to be in Nice for three full days. We arrive by train about 3pm, then we have three full days to enjoy ourselves. Can anyone help us on how to take full advantage of our short stay. I know that we can't see everything, but what are the MUST DO'S, and what can we skip.

Visit old Nice and just wander around. Take a train to Monte Carlo and visit the cactus garden, the casino, the palace, and Cousteau's museum. Take a bus to St Paul de Vence to visit a wonderful old walled city up in the hills (kinda touristy but in an ok way) with a couple of incredible art museums. There are other hill towns like that accessible by bus. Visit the beach... note the comfortable black stones. Eat pizza (the southern French make the best pizza in the world; get one with an egg sunny-side up on it...it is really heaven on a piepan). Note the McDonald's on the ground floor of the upscale Meridian hotel...take a walk along the street that runs along the seashore (Promenade Anglaise or something like that, 'cause the Brits used to vacation here and they'd stroll along here in the evening). Nice is wonderful (there are open air markets - fish, produce, etc. in the old city. Ever seen a whole tuna?)

RENT A CAR! Drive along the Moyenne Corniche to Eze Village, about a 20 minute drive, for a fantastic view. Eze is a perched village, medieval, little walkways, shops. A very unique place. Drop on down to Monte Carlo for the afternoon and go up to the Palace for a walk around. Check out the Casino. Parking is in the side lot underground. Definitely drive to St. Paul de Vence for a walk through the walled village--sunset there is lovely. <BR> <BR>I prefer renting a car to taking the bus--you have so little time, and with a bus you are tied to their schedule. <BR> <BR>What hotel are you staying in, or are you needing suggestions? 3 suggestions: your first night at Chateau de la Chevre d'Or in Eze Village. Second night at Le St. Paul, in St. Paul de Vence (that is the ONLY way you can take a car into the city. Third night at Moulin de Mougins in Mougins, just about 30 minutes northish of Nice. If you have a car, don't stay in the same place for 3 nights, get a great experience by trying 3 different places. <BR> <BR>From where are you training in, and where will you go after Nice? <BR>

Take the train to Monaco and spend the day there. Beautiful!

Contrary to previous responders, I am not fond of Monaco, which never had the feel of a real city to me. Nice, Antibes, Menton and other towns in the area have interesting old towns and a sense of history. In Nice, visit the Matisse Museum and the surrounding Roman ruins in Cimiez. Also, I always enjoyed the Russian Orthodox Cathedral, completed shortly before the revolution and very ornate. Eze and St. Paul de Vence in the interior are both very interesting, as others have pointed out. Nice has more of the feel of a real city than any of the other towns from Marseilles to the Italian border.

Another charming spot is Villefranche-sur-mer. A lovely seaside town with pastel houses lining the harbor, steep narrow streets climbing the hills above.

I loved the Roman Ruins and museum in Nice - if you want a bit of history, they're a must do. <BR>

If you are interested in art there is a wonderful Chagall museum in Nice, not too large but beautifully organized. If gardens are to your liking, visit the villa Rotshchild between Nice and Monaco - a gorgeous villa, displays and a tea room to enjoy, plus huge gardens of all varieties with some wonderful views. It is a lovely break from the ratrace.

Get going with your map of the area and this will all start to make sense for you. GET THE MOST DETAILED you can. Pay some money for this and you will not be disappointed. Yellow mark your travels as you drive around. <BR> <BR>Chagall is buried at St. Paul de Vence. <BR> <BR>Drive to Italy for the day! Have lunch at a seaside cafe in Bordighera! We did. Stopped at Italian border to exchange about 100,000 lira and drove to the little town, turned right and headed for the sea, and found a cafe literally hanging over the ocean. Balmy day, one cook, one waiter, great seafood, great wine. <BR> <BR>We chose Bordighera because Monet painted there! <BR> <BR>I'm also not really a fan of Monaco, but you may as well breeze through to see it, on your way to lunch in Italy. You don't even have to park, just drive slowly past the Casino, or when you are driving down from the Moyenne Corniche, gaze over at the Palace! <BR> <BR>Go to Antibes to the Picasso museum!

Get going with your map of the area and this will all start to make sense for you. GET THE MOST DETAILED you can. Pay some money for this and you will not be disappointed. Yellow mark your travels as you drive around. <BR> <BR>Chagall is buried at St. Paul de Vence. <BR> <BR>Drive to Italy for the day! Have lunch at a seaside cafe in Bordighera! We did. Stopped at Italian border to exchange about 100,000 lira and drove to the little town, turned right and headed for the sea, and found a cafe literally hanging over the ocean. Balmy day, one cook, one waiter, great seafood, great wine. <BR> <BR>We chose Bordighera because Monet painted there! <BR> <BR>I'm also not really a fan of Monaco, but you may as well breeze through to see it, on your way to lunch in Italy. You don't even have to park, just drive slowly past the Casino, or when you are driving down from the Moyenne Corniche, gaze over at the Palace! <BR> <BR>Go to Antibes to the Picasso museum!

Get going with your map of the area and this will all start to make sense for you. GET THE MOST DETAILED you can. Pay some money for this and you will not be disappointed. Yellow mark your travels as you drive around. <BR> <BR>Chagall is buried at St. Paul de Vence. <BR> <BR>Drive to Italy for the day! Have lunch at a seaside cafe in Bordighera! We did. Stopped at Italian border to exchange about 100,000 lira and drove to the little town, turned right and headed for the sea, and found a cafe literally hanging over the ocean. Balmy day, one cook, one waiter, great seafood, great wine. <BR> <BR>We chose Bordighera because Monet painted there! <BR> <BR>I'm also not really a fan of Monaco, but you may as well breeze through to see it, on your way to lunch in Italy. You don't even have to park, just drive slowly past the Casino, or when you are driving down from the Moyenne Corniche, gaze over at the Palace! <BR> <BR>Go to Antibes to the Picasso museum!