I am planning a 3-day visit to Nice. I would like to plan a side trip for each of the 3 days. So far I have Monaco/Eze and Cannes/Antibes on my hit list. I am looking for a more adventurous side trip on the last day in Nice -- either taking a train to Portofino via Genoa/SML or taking a ferry to Corsica. I estimate the travel time from Nice to Portofino around 4-5 hours. Is this accurate? We will be going in January, so the days will be short and we will need to return to Nice the same evening. Is it too ambitious? Perhaps I need a reality check. Thanks.

I can't help but wonder why 3 side trips (have you been to Nice before??) and WHY make the ambitious one on the LAST day??? Just a heads up on one thing-if you're planning to go by train, the train tunnel EAST of Monaco collapsed a while ago & last I heard it was not yet fixed so you have to get off the train & be bussed past the problem & then get on the train again.

Too far--do St. Paul de Vence and follow the Loop river thru the villages in the hills instead.

Following courtesy of a poster on the AOL board:

Deeper into the Nice Hinterland allow full day
There are dozens of cute perched villages in the area behind Nice. This gets up into the ?serious? Alps and driving to these villages is the best part. - fantastic gorges and breathtaking views galore.

Get on the N202 (west side of the Var river) heading north. If you?re departing from the St Paul area, follow the route described in the Villages overlooking the Var section.

When you reach the D2565, turn right and head up through the Gorge de Vesubuie** toward Lantosque. This entire drive is beautiful ? you will want to get out of the car quite a lot to take in the scenery. Explore Lantosque a bit. If my memory is correct, the best view of this town is from the north of the town. Continue on the D2565 to St Martin-Vesubie.

Explore St Martin-Vesubie* This is a real cute town. A good spot for lunch.

You might notice that your green guide says that le Boreon is a ** attraction. It?s actually a starting point for many hikes into the higher mountains in this area and not really a ?place? to visit.

Re-trace your route back the way you came toward Lantosque. Just before Lantosque, where the D70 hits the D2565 (that you are on) turn left on the D70 & drive to la Bollene-Vesubie. I have this town circled on my map, but I don?t know whether it?s a ?get out & explore? town.

Continue on the D70 & then turn right (south) on the D2566. Pass Peira-Cava (don?t stop). Continue on to where the D21 intersects with the D2566 & take the D21 east.

If you don?t know the French word ?Lacets?, you will soon be very familiar with it. There are 16 of them on this road. Take the D21 to Luceram.

Explore Luceram*. This is one of our favorite towns in the area. Wander around as much as possible. This village is in a remarkable setting. If you think that you are in a deserted village, notice the number of satellite dishes perched on buildings.

When you finish exploring Luceram, take the D2566 which heads west of the village ? not the D2566 heading south. Take this road just far enough to obtain more views of Luceram. When it?s no longer in site, turn around & return to Luceram and then head south on the D2566 to L?Escarene.

Explore L?Escarene then take the D2204 northeast toward Sospel.

Explore Sospel*. This is another very cute town. There?s a little more commerce here ( good, not ugly commerce). The last time we were here, they were filming a movie & everyone was dressed in Medieval clothes. Notice the buildings on the riverfront. Take time to explore this town thoroughly.

Return to Nice. The best way is to retrace your route through L?Escarene, and then take the D2204 to Nice where you pass under the A8 and then loop to the right to get on the A8 toward Cannes. Get off at exit # 48 ? St Paul/Vence.

Thank you for your feedback. Unfortunately, we will not be renting a car. St. Paul de Vence sounds like a good alternative.

Or you could take the Ligne Digne narrow-gauge mountain train into the hills to Annot, about 1.5 hours each way. This train is very famous in Nice and the line traverses gorgeous river valleys in the Maritime Alps. Annot is the quintessential sleepy Provencal town. If into walking, nice walks go out from town. The train eventually goes on to Digne, terminus of the line. Run by the Chemins de fer de Provence, the train leaves several times a day from a small station some blocks north of the main Nice train station. For another great scenic rail journey from Nice, take the mainline to Sospel, another sleepy regional mountain town and on this route you can even come back down to the coast via another scenic line to Ventimiglia, returning to Nice from there by rail (or bus if the Monaco tunnel repairs are not finished yet).

It's easy to get to St.Paul de Vence from the main bus station in Nice. It takes just under an hour. If you decide to go, try to make reservations ahead for lunch or dinner at La Columbe d'Or, an old manor house just outside the city walls. Lunch is served in a beautiful terrace garden overlooking the valley . The food is out of this world.

After lunch or dinner, visit the main house, where you can see works by Picasso, etc. which were given to the original owners in return for room and board by the artists. It's quite amazing.

Have a wonderful time!