Best village to stay in on French Riviera
Apr 12th, 2011, 06:14 PM
#1
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Best village to stay in on French Riviera
Hello,
We will be travelling to this area in August and would love recommendations of a good village to base ourselves. We have heard that NIce, Cannes etc are madhouses esp traffic wise so thought we would stay "out " and do day trips "in" and around!
Thanks so much
We will be travelling to this area in August and would love recommendations of a good village to base ourselves. We have heard that NIce, Cannes etc are madhouses esp traffic wise so thought we would stay "out " and do day trips "in" and around!
Thanks so much
Apr 12th, 2011, 07:04 PM
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Did lots of research on that area a couple of years ago and was going to stay here. Ended up staying in Provence instead, but it still looks nice.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._Provence.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._Provence.html
Apr 12th, 2011, 07:22 PM
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We stayed right in Cannes and didn't feel the traffic was congested. We were there in June. But then I live in So. California so I suppose I'm used to some traffic, ha. Yes it was touristy with its big tower hotels, but I didn't feel it was a mad house. It was nice to be able to just walk across the main street from our hotel and go down to the beach during the day. The area was also great to walk around at night while going out for dinner. We found it quite easy to drive to all the towns you mentioned, and we did. I especially loved Grasse...you can smell the floral scent as you approach the city. We had been to lots of small towns leading up to our stay at the French Riviera so a little bit of city-ish time was a nice change and gave us some variety.
Apr 12th, 2011, 08:53 PM
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Even though there will be plenty of fellow visitors, I would recommend doing just the opposite of your plan. Were you planning on getting a rental car? Would recommend basing yourselves in Nice and then making use of public transport to bus, train or boat to get to the other places. Nice is a wonderful city to function perfectly well on foot. Lots of shops, restaurants, old town.
You can take the train or bus to the other towns you want to see and there's a great boat ride from Cannes to Monte Carlo. You can see the entire coastline and then be in MC in about 45 min.
I wasn't particularly thrilled with Cannes and I did not like Grasse at all. The Fraconard factory was the only saving grace about it.
Nice has a wonderful open flea market with antiques in Mondays and it's a lot of fun. If you like shopping for antiques, there are several stalls of dealers by the port.
If you give us more of an idea what you want to do on your French Riviera experience, you'll get more suggestions.
You can take the train or bus to the other towns you want to see and there's a great boat ride from Cannes to Monte Carlo. You can see the entire coastline and then be in MC in about 45 min.
I wasn't particularly thrilled with Cannes and I did not like Grasse at all. The Fraconard factory was the only saving grace about it.
Nice has a wonderful open flea market with antiques in Mondays and it's a lot of fun. If you like shopping for antiques, there are several stalls of dealers by the port.
If you give us more of an idea what you want to do on your French Riviera experience, you'll get more suggestions.
Apr 12th, 2011, 10:56 PM
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we want to stay in a village where we have the option to visit the towns of Nice, Cannes etc, ot to just take a day out to relax. We have looked at Mougins, St paul and Cap de Ferrat, but have no idea if these places are nice to stay. We have never visited this area before. We are coming from the Cinque Terre and going to Aix after
Apr 13th, 2011, 04:30 AM
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A couple of years ago, on our way home from the S of France, we stayed a couple of nights in Grasse, whIch we enjoyed okay. I don't think I would stay for any longer, as after you have done the main perfumeries, there really isn't alot more to do.
What is your itinery? How many days where? Where are you flying in and out of? CYESQ, is right, more details would help. FYI, due to time constraints, we never did make it to St. Paul de Vence, but I'm kicking myself now.
Happy planning!
What is your itinery? How many days where? Where are you flying in and out of? CYESQ, is right, more details would help. FYI, due to time constraints, we never did make it to St. Paul de Vence, but I'm kicking myself now.
Happy planning!
Apr 14th, 2011, 07:41 AM
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Have you considered Villefranche sur Mer? It is very charming and also near Nice. A room at the Welcome Hotel with a balcony overlooking the water is my idea of a dream vacation.
Actually I agree that Nice would be a good choice as it is a fun city, very easy to get around in and has easy access to everywhere on the Riviera. Stayed once for a couple of weeks in Antibes, which is also very charming but a bit too quiet (in my opinion). I would imagine August to be busy no matter where you are.
You trip sounds wonderful. Aix is a beautiful town and has wonderful markets, lots of
fountains, shady boulevards and great cafes.
Actually I agree that Nice would be a good choice as it is a fun city, very easy to get around in and has easy access to everywhere on the Riviera. Stayed once for a couple of weeks in Antibes, which is also very charming but a bit too quiet (in my opinion). I would imagine August to be busy no matter where you are.
You trip sounds wonderful. Aix is a beautiful town and has wonderful markets, lots of
fountains, shady boulevards and great cafes.
