Julie stenberg

Some of you have helped me out recently as we try to plan a trip for the end of Jan or beginning of Feb. Can you help me out again? One of our possibilities might be to spend 10 days along the Cote d'Azur and then to follow the coast as far as Avignon. This choice of area in France is probably based solely on weather concerns. We read that the average high in Nice at this time of year is in the mid to upper 50's. For a Minnesotan that sounds downright balmy. But, the more guidebooks I look through I get confused as too whether or not it is really where we want to spend out time and money. I spent a few days in the Nice and Grasse areas 30 years ago while in college, but I can remember very little other than the scenic road into Monaco, plus it was August.<BR>Some things I read make it sound as though most of the coast is developed for rich sun seekers who are into high end shopping and gambling. That's not us! Then other things I read make it sound as though there are some interesting sights (beautiful drives and quaint villages). If you are familiar with the area, please give me your insights.<BR>First of all, we know how to really squeeze a dollar and to travel cheaply. High end spending is not for us and we don't want to go to an area that has no budget options. Normally on past European trips we have balanced large cities with smaller towns, and always prefer to stay in small family run inns or hotels. We like to see historic sights, to visit some museums, to just walk through interesting places and soak up the ambience, to visit unique gardens, going to classical music concerts, to visit colorful local markets (mostly just to look), to hike in interesting locales etc, and seaside locales are always interesting to us. If we do this area, we would have a rental car. So here goes with some of my main questions. From what I've described, does it sound at though we would be interested in spending a week in this area? How far up north from the coast can we go on drives at this time of year without getting into wintry weather? (I'm confused by those mountains that seem to tumble almost down to the shore in some areas.) Is there anything in bloom at this time of year in this area, or is everything dormant? Is the Carnaval in Nice or the Lemon Festival in Menton worth planning a trip around? If we wanted to have several bases from which to operate from in this area, where should they be? Is this area super pricey or would we be able to find some smal quaint affordable options for lodging and some cheap restaurants?<BR>We have narrowed out trip down to 3 possibilities--just doing Paris even though we know we will expect crummy weather, the Cote d'Azur because of the weather factor, and trying for the Perpignan/Nimes/Carcassone etc. area where we think we might find a combination of semi-decent weather and activities that interest us. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.<BR>

Dina

Julie, I can't tell you a thing about the weather in the south of France In February, because we were there only once, in September of this year. Nor do I know about the Festivals. But we were on a tight budget and found plenty of cheaper hotels (some with charm, some without) and plenty of inexpensive diversions, beautiful scenery and browseworthy brocante and farmers' markets. I'd visit the anywhere in the south of France again in a minute. <BR>I have an online photo-travelogue; if you start at www.costumegoddess.com/southfrance.htm<BR>which starts at Perpignan, and follow the links through Provence, the Riviera, and Nice, you'll get my impressions. We did this in 7 days, ten would be better. Hope it helps somewhat.

Capo

Hi Julie. I'm a former Minnesotan (St. Paul), and during the gloomy Seattle winters, I'm definitely a sun seeker. :~)<BR><BR>But I'm not rich, nor into high-end shopping or gambling (or dining or accomodations)...and I LOVE the C&ocirc;te d'Azur! It's unfortunate you seem to have gotten the impression that this area is only for wealthy travelers and has no budget options. <BR><BR>I've been there four times and have always stayed in Nice because I find it a great base for the area, as well as a wonderful city in-and-of itself. Nice has accomodations (and restaurants) in all price ranges. <BR><BR>Let me address your interests...<BR><BR>Historic sights? While none as dramatic as the walled city of Carcassone, and probably not as many Roman buildings as you'd find in Nimes, there is the wonderful Roman Tropee des Alpes in La Turbie, and a interesting Genoan chateau that has been restored in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. <BR><BR>Museums? You can't throw a baguette without hitting one. :~) Picasso (Antibes), Matisse & Chagall (Nice), Leger (Biot), and Cocteau (Menton), and the renowned Oceanographic Museum, which clings to a side of "The Rock" in Monaco, to name just a few. (There's also the Fondation-Maeght near St Paul-de-Vence. see: http://www.eusearch4you.com/vence3.html ) <BR><BR>Unique Gardens? There's the Jardin Exotique, which perches high atop the dramatic perched village of Eze, the gardens of the Villa Rothschild on Cap Ferrat, and the slogan of Menton is the delightful "Ma Ville est un Jardin" (My city is a garden) http://www.villedementon.com/ (A lot of British settled in Menton -- allegedly the city in France that gets the most days of sun -- and brought their gardening prowess with them.)<BR><BR>Interesting places? Menton's pastel-colored old town, the casino at Monte Carlo (you don't have to gamble, just admire the magnificent architecture of Charles Garnier), the aforementioned Eze Village perched high above the Mediterranean, Villefranche's pastel-colored buildings, the wonderful labyrinth of streets in Vieux Nice, the old town of Antibes, and Haut-Cagnes. And then there's spectacular hilltowns like Peillon, near Nice. (Vieux Nice is probably my favorite place for walking around and soaking up the ambience.)<BR><BR>Colorful local markets? The March&eacute;s aux Fleurs in the Cours Saleya in Vieux Nice is a treat for the eyes, and there's also a March&eacute;s &agrave; la Brocante (an antiques market) in the same location. Another well-known market is the March&eacute; Proven&ccedil;al in the old town of Antibes. I recall a lot of blooming flowers -- especially primroses -- in Nice in February, but I don't know if they're grown locally or not. <BR><BR>I don't know how far north from the coast you can drive at that time of year as the one time I was there that time of year, in mid-February, I didn't have a car. But I'm pretty sure you could drive up to Peillon, for example.<BR><BR>I've never made it to either Nice's Carnival (just missed it) or Menton's Lemon Festival, but a woman who I helped with her trip there last winter went to the Lemon Festival and really enjoyed it. The downside of going at this time, of course, would be that accomodations might be a bit harder to come by.<BR><BR>If you haven't already checked it out, a great website for the area is "Provence: Beyond the French Riveria" at: http://www.beyond.fr/<BR><BR>Good luck with your decision and hope you have a wonderful trip! <BR><BR>

Tara

Julie, I agree with Capo once again.<BR>And remember you are going to find on your travels that almost no place will be the same as when you saw it 30 years ago. But enjoy where you are at the time you are there now. Capo gave you good suggestions. I, too, would stay either in Nice or in Eze.

Tara

Or in Rocquebrun.

kavey

If you search on the word "utelle" you should find my trip report of our holiday in this area a while back.<BR><BR>I use the word Utelle as it is unusual and also the name of one of the mountainous perched villages we visited in the rental car. A hair raising drive through stunning scenery with few other cars (thank goodness).<BR><BR>Please let me know if you can't find it.<BR><BR>Kavey<BR><BR>PS We were also on a budget and did very well...<BR><BR>We avoided Nice most of the time...

Marc David Miller

I first visited Cannes in 1981 after high school, and the city was quite elegant and not overbuilt. When I next came in 1996, the city still appeared to be quite elegant, but very much overbuilt along the water. Most of the old mansions have been torn down in favor of apartment/hotel blocks.

Sherry

Hi Julie. I happened to vacation near Nice this last May. I must say that a friend asked me to go with her. I really had not considered this area but that is where she wanted to go. Well, what a wonderful surprise. In the week we spent there, I didn't begin to see everything. There are beautiful drives and quaint villages. In May there were not a lot of tourists and we liked that. In Feb. there will probably be even less. Listen to Capo, although he is somewhat biased!! Go and enjoy. We did very well on a budget. I had a car and loved driving along the coast.

John

Julie, either end of the coast ought to be warm and interesting enough for a week or 10 days. Capo's descriptions are right on and enforce the temptations of the eastern Cote d'Azur. We really like Menton for its lower-key and even historic feel; it's close enough to Monaco or the other (ritzier) villages along this coast, but also just a short hop to the Italian Riveria, too. <BR><BR>On the other end of the coast, Perpignan, Carcassone, Narbonne and Montpelier are fascinating places, and close enough to the Camargue to include that in your travels, too. Or, go a little farther east into Spain and get a feel for Catalunya, even as far as Barcelona. <BR><BR>I don't think you'll go wrong either way. Lucky you.

John

That's WEST into Spain, last time I checked the pigeon. Late at night.

Julie stenberg

Thanks for all the help. Considering the weather just got a whole lot colder in Minnesota than it has been, I think this area is moving up on our list because it should be warmer than Paris and sounds interesting too.

beth anderson

I did a TON of reading on this area before our trip in September... <BR><BR>we were there for only 4 days and barely barely touched the tip of the iceberg. I really wish we had stayed a lot longer... but then again Provence was wonderful too!<BR><BR>The Albert Premier was a nice hotel, not fancy or anything but clean and one block from the water (Nice). 100 bucks a night for a double.<BR><BR>We stayed in the Azurene in Cannes, again a block from the water and 60 bucks a night double. nice but not fancy, very clean.<BR><BR>would love to go back, hope to next spring/summer...<BR><BR<BR><BR>Beth

Dina

Julie, <BR>Forgot to mention, the Hotel de la Buffet, a very decent 2-star in Nice, was three blocks from the water and less than $70 a night for a double in September, as I recall.

jw

Hello everyone. Since you all seem so enthusiastic about the area, maybe you'd care to say which is the smallest, prettiest place with rail connections? Any chance there might be a tiny, pretty place with rail connections and a sea view? And with a nice 2-star? Not asking much -- thanks if you can.

cc

hmm, jw, maybe most people in the area use a car? <BR><BR>any place with a sea view, would have a rail connection. it's pretty much axiomatic that the most popular places (seaside) will provide the general public with a way to get there)<BR><BR>can't help you with two stars..<BR><BR>

Capo

Thanks Tara, Sherry, & John. (You really think I'm biased, Sherry? :~) <BR><BR>John, I really like Menton a lot too, for the reasons you mentioned, although I prefer staying in Nice. <BR><BR>Julie, I remember cold Minnesota winters all too well! (Of course, I've just traded the cold and snow for gray skies and incessant rain.) Whether you pick the C&ocirc;te d'Azur, or the Perpignan/Nimes/Carcassone area (or both), I'd certainly think that either would have to be warmer than Paris in January & February. <BR><BR>Hi jw. You might want to consider Villefranche sur Mer. Fairly close to Nice, it's small, very picturesque (with pastel-colored buildings and a beautiful harbor), and has rail connections. Check out: http://www.provenceweb.fr/e/alpmarit...a/villefra.htm <BR><BR>I haven't stayed there so I can't give you any personal recommendations, but here's a list of hotels, including four two-star hotels, and a one-star pension. See: http://www.provenceweb.fr/e/alpmarit/villefra/hotels.htm<BR><BR>You might also try doing a search on this forum for "Villefranche" to see if you can find any personal recommendations for accomodations there. Good luck!

Capo

Julie, P.S. Here's the Provenceweb website for Menton. It mentions that Menton has won the competition for the best city of flowers in France five different times.<BR><BR>http://www.provenceweb.fr/e/alpmarit/menton/menton.htm<BR>

Yolanda

I was in Carcassone in March of 2000 and it was cold, windy and overcast. The weather gave the city a "medieval" touch. An interesting place to be but as for the weather--I doubt it will compare with the Cote d'Azur. You might also consider the Amalfi coast in Italy. A beautiful, peaceful area close to Pompei, Capri and Naples. Have a great time.

ttt

ttt

julie

Just stumbled across this. Someone had topped it. I'm the original poster. Guess I'll answer my original questions since we did that the trip last year.<BR><BR>We were surprised we actually enjoyed the area a lot more than we originally thought we would. Prices didn't seem too lout of line in comparison with other trips. The weather was okay for the most part, but certainly not extremely warm. There was only one afternoon when we able to take our jackets off. The Lemon festival in Menton was a joke. Don't plan around that. Don't use Alamo rental out of Nice we had a horrible experience with them--the worst we have ever had with a car rental. Traffic was bad enough on a Sunday evening off season--I can't even imagine driving the area in high season. We spent our time seeing the area in general, visiting some of the smaller hill towns, visiting the Villa Krylos (my all time favorite) and the other estate whose name escapes me that is close to it has absolutely marvelous gardens. Renoir's house was also interesting.<BR><BR>Weather deteriorated as we drove west along the coast. By Arles there was nothing green any more. Then, when we hit the Collioure area, we ran into the tremontaine wind which was incredible--steady winds of 80 miles per hour for several days.<BR><BR>So, to sum it up, if you have some of the same concerns I did, go. I think you'll like it.