Cote d'Azur help!
 

We are planning a day trip from Nice to visit Eze, Monaco and Menton.

What is the easiest/fastest way to do this trip, i.e. train, car or other?

What are the "must-do's and must-sees" for those areas?

Any other cities we should add to the list?

thanks!!!!

Train would work nicely, although it doesn't go up to Eze-village; for that you'd need to climb or take a bus.

How long will you be in the Nice area?

Buy a train ticket from Nice to Menton. Get off at Eze-Bord-de-Mer. Take the shuttle bus up to Eze-le-Village and back down. Get back on the train and get off in Monaco. Be sure to visit the Musee Oceanographique (Cousteau Aquarium). Get back on the train and go to Menton. Visit the Tourist Office for guided tours of Menton's gardens. Visit the Musee Jean Cocteau and/or the Eglise St-Michel.

For another day (or days): the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild on Cap Ferrat, Antibes, St-Paul-de-Vence, Vence, La Turbie.

3 Days - based in Nice.

As of today, we're thinking:

Day 1 - explore Nice
Day 2 - Eze, Monaco, Menton
Day 3 - Cannes, Grasse, Antibes

Can we use a train for this entire intinerary or should we just get a car?

If going in July and August at that times i've found the whole area roads grid lock - so the train would be better then - driving is no fun during these two months to me in this area.

You won't need a car. There is bus service between Nice and Grasse and train service between Grasse and Cannes. And, of course, there is train service between Nice, Antibes, and Cannes.

Train is faster but bus tends to give better view from Moyenne Corniche and along the coast route. Also as Underhill said train does not go to Eze-Village. The follwoing is what I did last November. Took bus No.80 something, maybe 80 or 81 from the bus terminal near Place Messena in Nice. The bus took the Moyenne Corniche route to Eze-village (20min). I took time visting the village and its top sculpture garden. Then walked down the Nietschez's path to Eze-Mer (45 min). That was a bit of steep hike so you want to be reasonably fit to do this. Once at the Eze-Mer that is sea level, I took No.100 bus back to Nice, via Beaulieu-Sur-Mer and Villefranche-Sur-Mer. Another great view. I could have taken No.100 bus to the other way to Monaco and Menton. That would have been beautiful too via Cap d'Ail. If you do this by train, that's not bad (I did it once to Ventimiglia - spl?) but often the view seemed to be hidden behind buildings and by many tunnels. Another good thing about bus is between Nice and Menton, disregarding the distance, one ride costs only 1.30 EURO. You could think about buying a day ticket for 4 EURO too. I found this Nice-Cote d'Azur bus network great and cheap. Train ticket is not so much more expensive but farther you go, you pay more. If the bus works for you, I will recommend it.

I enjoyed the last few days in Nice but got a shock this morning.To-day is a public holiday in France and that means that in Nice at least there was no public bus service. Taxis were overworked and we had to walk the three miles to the airport.Fortunately for us we were not too far away but if one were in e.g. Menton one would have to pay about €100 taxi fare where yesterday one would have got there for about three dollars in the bus.