A day trip from Nice to Monte Carlo
 

Once again I am asking for help with organizing our France vacation. My husband, myself and my 17 year old daughter will spend 5 nights in Paris, travel by train to Nice for four nights. We are deciding if we should book a 1/2 trip to Monaco/Monte Carlo or do this on our own. Is there anyone out there in the world that did the tours which are approximately $103. They take us to Eze to do the perfume factory tour and then onto Monaco. In Monte Carlo we see old town, Palace & casino. We travel in a van with a total of 8 people.

My husband thinks we should venture on our own....any tips on organizing a trip on our own? We will be in Nice March 28, 29, 30 31 and leave very early April 1st.

We have been to Monaco twice, and Eze once. Monaco is very easy to do by train, about 45 minutes from Nice, if I remember correctly. That was on our most recent trip. I'd do it on your own. Monaco is small, and you can make arrangements on your own. Don't forget the Aquarium while you're there, and the lovely, coastal walk.

We drove to Eze the only time we visited there. If memory serves, it was also pretty close to Nice. I understand that you can hike up to the top, but I think it's pretty strenuous, so maybe not an option. Very charming hilltop village.

You can easily take buses to Eze and onto Monaco and trains back from there. These are largely commuter trains no need to book in advance - no reservations are taken and very cheap - just buy at station (to Nice-Ville station, the main one). Trains run up and down the coast all the time. For lots on trains in the area check www.oui.sncf - French Railways - BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com.

Very easy to do on your own, a good day trip. Another day trip could be Cannes and especially Antibes by train. Another day trip could be via bus to pretty Villefranche (we often have lunch there) and/or Beaulieu-sur-Mer where there is a beautiful waterside walk to ritzy Cap Ferrat. There also are longer shoreside hiking trails around the peninsulas on Cap Ferrat.

Nice – Eze Village. Buses #82 and #112
Map: https://www.lignesdazur.com/ftp/docu...toral-2018.pdf

Eze Village – Monaco. Bus #112
#112 bus. Note only 6 buses a day Mon – Sat. No bus on Sunday. Time your trip carefully.
Alternate way to travel is to travel Eze Village (430m above sea level) to Eze-sur-Mer (at sea level) using hourly #83 then SNCF train to Monaco.

Monaco-Nice: Bus #100 or frequent SNCF train
#100 bus
SNCF train: www.oui.sncf Monaco - Monte-Carlo to Nice Ville

The entire trips should be less than 10EU per person. .
To find #82, #83 schedules, goto https://www.lignesdazur.com/en enter these numbers into the Timetables.
To find #112, #100 schedule, Google search “TAM bus 100”.

>>Monaco is very easy to do by train, about 45 minutes from Nice<<


About half that - 21 to 26 mins depending on which train you take. I think the route is all underground - so you won't see anything. Take the bus instead.



Can the 17 year old get into the casino??


We're not big fans of Monaco - too much concrete, noise, crowds, glitz, and congestion.


Stu Dudley

>.They take us to Eze to do the perfume factory tour and then onto Monaco>>

This would be a red flag for me! I wouldn't want to waste my time and money at a perfume factory.

The perfume tour at Eze was more interesting than I expected, as I got to try to identify different aromas. (I did better than I expected.) However, it was really more of a shopping op as the main factory is in Grasse..

Monaco is worth about 2 hours of anybody's time, so the trick is to figure out what to do with the rest of your day.

Do you know anything about the buses? Some mention taking the bus and not the train so you can enjoy the coastal view. Thanks for your help and tips.

Thank you for the great details. This helps!!

I am hoping she can go inside just to see it. She looks much older than 17. We will see.
Thank you for your help.

I was wondering if it was worth it. I think we are going to pass on the perfume tour.
Thanks for the tips.

Thank you for all of these awesome tips! There is never enough time to do it all! Ugh! I am excited to see Nice. I have been doing a lot of research. I hope the weather is as good as it can be during the end of March. I am wondering now if another day trip might be too much or fitting. We will determine that when we get there. Any other hints/help are definitely welcomed. The research is so much fun. We are foodies so it has been fun learning about the things Nice is noted for....Socca!

When we were in Nice, I took the bus over to Eze for a day and loved it. I did the perfume factory tour, and like thursdaysd, really enjoyed it. I found it very interesting and learned a lot. It is free, so nothing to lose, and I knew I was going to buy perfume anyway, so it worked well for me. In the town itself, I loved walking all over.

Another day, I took the train to Antibes and really enjoyed that as well.

FWIW, I know our daughter at that age would have loved these places! In college ,she studied in Paris and made weekend trips to this area and raved about it.

I just noticed your post about food and socca. We did a food tour with A Taste Of Nice and it was excellent! We went to a socca place on the tour, but honestly everywhere we went was excellent and I highly recommend doing this!

FWIW, which isn't much, the first time I went to Monaco, it was my own choice - I felt like I had wasted more than half a day.

The second time I was dragged there by starry-eyed first-time visitors to Europe, and it was even worse. I bought a magazine and sat by the port and read. Some sinfully ugly architecture ruining a perfectly nice hillside, full-of-themselves rich people cavorting on yachts, and sandwiches that cost as much as my monthly electricity bill.

Bus 100 leaves from the Nice Port area and follows a coastal route to Monaco. The train is quicker but some feel the views are not as great. (The views are best actually best by driving and being able to stop along the way). Bus 82 (or 112) goes to Eze le village up high. Weather in March can be highly variable, but the crowds should be done.

Best Socca is at Chez Pippo or if you are at the market, Chez Theresa's stand is the classic.

In Monaco, if you go, the Old Town and Palace have more charm. And it is possible to find a reasonably priced meal there. There is also high end tax free shopping down below, in town. Note the dress restrictions and passport/ID requirements for the Casino.

Assuming that the casinos in Monaco use the same document readers as the casinos in France (and I'm pretty sure that they do), nobody aged 17 will be allowed inside.

I was being flippant in my last post. If you visit the aquarium and the botanical garden of Monaco, you can spend quite a few interesting hours there. But there is nothing interesting in the city itself, and it takes just 10 minutes to look at the palace and the casino from the outside.

I skipped a lot so sorry for possible dupe info:

DH and I took a van tour to the destinations you mentioned. We were picked up from and dropped back at the hotel. Cannes was also on our tour. I enjoyed it very much. Although one cannot take one's own time on tours, we felt like it was enough. DH and I decided to go back to Monte Carlo on the train and it was easy and well-marked. We went to the Big Casino but weren't dressed up enough for all the rooms. Also, we had to show our passports.

This is from my Cote d'Azur & Provence itinerary:




In '14, we also took the 100 bus from Place Garibaldi to Menton**. More fantastic views of the coast. This bus went through "downtown" Monaco which, from our point of view, was sufficient to "visit" Monaco. Driving yourself is difficult in Monaco, so this gives you an opportunity to "check out" Monaco (we're not fans of Monaco - to much congestion & concrete) without undue effort. Get off at the Casino exit in Menton and walk past several shops to the port area and explore Menton. Follow the walking itinerary in the Green Guide. I think Menton is our second favorite city in the Nice/Cannes area. To get back to Nice, you'll have to walk several blocks past (west) of the Casino stop - the 100 goes inland once past the eastbound Casino stop, and because of one-way streets the return stop is farther west. We spent 2 1/4 hrs in Menton and had a sandwich for lunch.


Stu Dudley

But there is nothing interesting in the city itself,=> Monte Carlo - that depends on the eye observing - no no real neat sights except Royal Palace and Changing of the Guard - well that is Kitsch but to me seeing all the fancy yachts and boats in the marina was interesting and the whole idea of the Principality itself is neat. That said, a few hours yes would be enough here.

We took the bus.. and yes.. it was VERY scenic ( and I was glad we were not driving so we could enjoy the view ) .. It was cheap too. .. think we paid 1 euro something each.. we took the bus there.. walked around about 2 hours.. ( I thought the views of the harbour and yachts was pretty cool.. looked inside casino ( did not enter ) .. had an ice cream.

Then we took same bus back.. however we got off at Eze sur Mer and spent afternoon on beach.. then hopped back on bus to Nice.. total transportation cost for the day was just over 3 euros.. deal.. !

The train stops at Eze Ville.. we have never been there.. but apparently there is a more to see.. We were there in july and wanted beach time.. I imagine in April that would not be high on your list.

Eze Ville has little to see IMO except hokey perfume factories and the real sight - the views down over the coast. Otherwise a touristed place manly though some nice hotels with views. Folks with energy can take the Philosopher's Path down to Eze-sur-Mer - rather steep down - the path Nietszche used to perambulate on.

And for novelety get Monaco stamps and send old-fashioned postcards to folks at home. Monaco and San Marino and especially The Vatican all once made tons on stamps - stamp collecting today is rather passe.

I still have some of my childhood San Marino stamps, which, at one time, made a bundle marketing them all over.. No one is interested in them today, as many other countries eventually copied them. And now no one has any idea of what a "philatelist" is. But, San Marino got some adult money from us, since we have been there two times. A beautiful spot when it is not crowded.

I am glad you mentioned to bring our passports to get into the casino....I didn't really think of that. Thanks.

>>I am glad you mentioned to bring our passports to get into the casino<<


You will need to find something else for your 17 YO daughter to do.


a Google search


"Most people who visit the Monte Carlo casino don't have any problem with rules. Starting off, no one under the age of 18 is allowed into the casino for no reason whatsoever, no exceptions. You must have a correct ID upon entering the casino and you must adhere to the dress code that is enforced."


Dress code is no shorts or flip flops. After 8PM jackets for men are "requested"



Stu Dudley

We have stayed in Nice a couple of times and I recommend it's worth taking a day trip there. We have drove once and then took a bus the second time. Monaco is small country and you can walk over to Monte Carlo all in the same day. There is an underground garage visitors can park in Monaco and signage was pretty good to direct you there.

I can't recall the age limit for the casino but really it was more fun to admire all the luxury cars parked outside the casino and the huge yachts dock in the marina. We also drove to Eze which is a charming hilltop village. If you are in good shape you won't have a problem climbing the hill.
There is a wonderful hotel (I think Chateau Eze?) that has amazing restaurant to have lunch where tables outside have incredible views of St. Jean Cap Ferrat peninsula. St. Jean Cap Ferrat is another beautiful place we have stayed a couple of times. Another good day trip to do the boardwalk along the peninsula and then stop at Villefranch Sur Mer (village on the Mediterranean sea). Have a great time!