Chamonix to Nice, where would you stop?
 

My husband and I will be finishing an alpine hiking trip in Chamonix next September and plan to head south to Nice for 4 or 5 nights before flying home. My plan is to rent a car in Chamonix and make our way to Nice with a visit to the Gorge du Verdon on the way. I would appreciate advice on a possible overnight stop that would makes sense for visiting the Gorge du Verdon. Also, I’d appreciate advice on towns or sights that we should see before we drop the car in Nice. I plan to use public transportation while in Nice. Thanks for reading and all tips are appreciated.

You forgot some important information. How many overnights are planned for this trip???

Chamonix to the Gorge is about an 8 hour drive. Just a drive around several scenic roads in the Gorge will consume 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hrs. If you plan on some hiking or kayaking - a whole day. A visit to Moustiers is about 1-2 hours. Then it is a 2 1/2 hr drive to Nice. So, IMO, you really can't do it in 1 overnight and also visit other sites.

Attached are two of my itineraries for France. Alps/Chamonix, & Provence/Cote d'Azur. Also something I posted several years ago about our experience with the weather at Mt Blanc.

Stu Dudley

Stu,
Thank you for your reply and the great info. After coming off a hiking trip in the Alps we will probably not do any hiking in the gorge, but we'd like to see it, so we are thinking one night, but would consider two. Do you think Moustiers would be a good overnight stop?

Moustiers is next to the Gorge, and one of the most interesting & picturesque villages in France. It could work as a 1 nighter if you don't mind a 6 hour drive (correction from my previous post) to get there. Pick up the car the day before you depart Chamonix, get an early start the next morning, and stay overnight in the village. We've stayed overnight in Moustiers twice and visited it on a few other occasions on a day trip from elsewhere. Be aware that many restaurants are closed on Sunday & Monday.

Stu Dudley

You can do it in two dayus, if that's what you want, with an overnight in Briançon.

https://flic.kr/p/279HKws

Moustiers probably makes the most sense given its proximity to the Gorges. Another possibility, a bit further south than Moustiers but en route, is Cotignac, a charming village with a number of good restaurants.

If you can manage the time, I think you'd be happier doing this over two nights. It's a lot of driving on narrow roads and seeing the Gorges and Moustiers will together take several hours.

Going up up up at the Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix is a magical memory, gorgeous views!
We enjoyed Annecy also.

Thanks for taking the time to respond. Based on your feedback, we are now planning on two nights in Moustiers before heading to Nice. I'm thinking about stopping in Biot before we drop the car off in Nice. I was there briefly about 40 years ago and thought it would fun a fun stop. Any advice on Biot or dropping off a rental car would be appreciated.

Biot is OK. Make sure you visit the glass making exposition on the road to Biot.

Stu Dudley

Biot is fine, but it pretty much is the Leger Musee and the Glass workshop --- there are some nice restaurants in the upper village. Depending on your route, there are also other villages along the way.

You can usually return your car at the aeroport,, the train, or in-city (depending on the rental company). For some, being able to follow signs indicating the airport may make the airport return easier. The Terminal 2 car rental return is in the middle of the parking garages near parking P5 and is fairly well indicated once you enter the airport -- there is a roundabout, a first exit, and then you must stay in the left lane past the gas/petrol station (on the right) and then the road splits -- take the left branch. There will be an exit to the left in about 100m that splits into two lanes... stay in right for the Rental Return..

StuDudley and gooster, Sounds like we can skip Biot and do some other sight seeing on our way to Nice, so much to see! Thank you for the feedback.

I rather liked Biot just for strolling around (and we had an excellent dinner at Le Jarrier, which is now closed), but there are certainly loads of places to investigate--Vence, Tourrettes-sur-Loup, Mougins, Valbonne come to mind.