Hi,<BR><BR>My husband and parents are going on a cruise mid-July with a day and a half in Cannes. We would appreciate any ideas on what to see and do there - is Nice and Monte Carlo too far away? If not, how long by train?<BR><BR>Any info is appreciated!<BR><BR>Thanks!<BR>Kelly

Kelly<BR> I just came back from Cannes and it is very close to Nice, Monaco, Eze and some other wonderful places. I saw many people comming off the launches from cruise ships , i would imagine that the cruise line would have some sort of excursion.<BR> if not the train station in cannes is basically a straight line from the beach and there are many trains into Nice and Monaco. Enjoy your trip it's lovely

Have been to Cannes twice; in fact we stayed there as our base from which to travel along the Riviera. By car Nice and Monaco were less than an hour away; speed limits are very fast on the highway. If you drive the coastal route it takes you through Juan les Pins, Antibes, Nice, etc and therefore takes much longer, especially in the summer. In October the coastal route was a little faster. But Sandra is right; the train staion in Cannes is a 10 minute walk from the beach and the local trains run constantly. Cannes itself is a beautiful city and quite walkable. You can go up Le Suquet (Old Town); lots of little shops, restaurants and a great view from the top. There's the Rue Menardier with food shops, Marche Forville, flowere markets, and the main shopping street, Rue d'Antibes. It's an eye-opener to how the rich live but there are lots of affordable shops too. Walk along the Croisette; it's the walkway parallel to the beach. There are public beaches as well as those where you pay. You can see the Film Festival building, buskers, Walk of Fame stars and lots of restaurants, food stands and beautiful flowers. I f I went anywhere from Cannes I'd go to the mountain village Eze (probably you'd have to arrange a tour) or I'd go to Monaco. It's absolutely breathtaking. My friend and I easily walked around for a day and saw lots: the casino, the royal palace, the aquarium, etc. We had a rental car so drove to Monaco, about an hour away; so I imagine the train wouln't be much different time-wise. Hope this helps.

Sandra: Just curious; where did you stay while in Cannes? I've stayed at Hotel de Paris, just back of the train station and last trip was at Hotel Splendid which is across from the film festival buildings.

HI Linda<BR> We stayed at The Majestic on the Croisette, since it was post film festival it was a bargain at 172 euros a night including breakfast. Location was great and service fantastic. Got a great deal in February thru expedia. I felt like a princess.<BR> They booked tours for us with a company called Great Tours small van guided tours and they were wonderful, hotel actually waves it's commision so hotel guest receive a 10 percent discount.<BR> I would go back in aheart beat if i could get that rate. My room when the hotel is filled to capacity was about 750 euros a night, not something i would want to spend for 11 days.<BR> They also gave us free admission to Regines ( Jimmy Z's ) the Casino and tons of other places really worked out well. I was lead to The Majestic by a man from belgium on another hotel chat site , best recommendation i ever got.

Message Sandra: Thanks for the response. Sounds like the Majestic was great..but a bit more than I want to pay. In Canada right now the euro costs about $1.50. I CAN afford it but choose to spend my money otherwise. Hotel Splendid is directly across from the film festival buildings but my friend and I paid about $120 (cnd)/night for a large double room. It had a large bathroom, big closet and a kitchenette as well; nice to have a frig for cold juice, pop, etc. We walked through the other hotels along the Croisette and they were truly lovely.

Sandra and Linda:<BR><BR>Thank you so much for the info!

Linda, Interested to hear more about Hotel de Paris in Cannes. I've seen pictures that interested me but would like to hear your first hand experience. Looks charming.

To Linda, we are booked into the Hotel de Paris prior to our cruise. Can you tell me what it is like? Also, you say it near the train station. Would we be better to get a train from/to Nice airport or use the bus shuttle?

Help please Linda!

Great ideas. Try to get to Eze for lunch overlooking the Mediterranean or drive along the coastal route and stop in Cap Antibes in Voile d'Or or one of the seaside restaurants on the port.