traveler1118

Thank you again everyone. Presently I have a reservation for 3 nights in St. Tropez, and plan to head to the Nice area for the remaining six nights. Deciding between an Airbnb in the old town, vs. hotel or a combination. I appreciate the various hotel recommendations and restaurant recommendations as well. (La Perousse looks very interesting....wondering if it will open on time!). Any thoughts on having a car near the water in or near old town Nice......will it be difficult getting "out of town" each morning if we're visiting small villages inland? Not sure what to expect.

gooster

Getting out of Nice via car is not a problem. Down by the Prom and the old town is an entrance to tunnel Andre Liautaud. There is a second entrance, at the Rue de Congres and the Prom, in the Carre d'Or. This is an underground express route up to the A8 highway. The return from the highway is much slower (If you are going to nearby points along the coast, the slog is slower along the coast route --- basically the Prom through to Antibes, and your choice of corniches to the east). You might reserve your car journeys for some nearby towns for the hinterlands, not the coastal destinations. After a few days, you can return your car.

Car parking can be a bit problematic (and expensive) as you have to reserve a place in a 24 hour garage if your hotel or apartment does not have a space. Parking Corvesy has lower rates than Cours Saleya (avoid). Parking Sulzer is inbetween.

The Old Town can get a bit noisy and filled with tourists, so choose your apartment location carefully. The same can be said for restaurants -- I've been pleasantly surprised how many new restaurants and business opened since the pandemic, quickly filling any business that shut down.

StuDudley

"""The Old Town can get a bit noisy and filled with tourists, so choose your apartment location carefully.""

Glad you mentioned this. I would never stay in Old Town. Find a place in the area around the Negresco - east of Blvd Gambetta, west of Meyerbeer, and south of Blvd Victor Hugo. When we stayed in this region for 2 weeks, we rented a car the second week and secured a weekly parking rate at a nearby parking garage.

Stu Dudley

HappyTrvlr

We stayed in the area Stu Dudley suggests and it was a much better experience than we had on an earlier trip to Nice.

gooster

Although this is my neighborhood, I think you can also book a couple blocks east to Congres and then maybe from Rue de la Liberte up to Victor Hugo and bordered on the right by Jean Medecin I would just avoid Rue Massena (pedestrian only) and the streets heading to the sea as they get the most tourist traffic in the central city and it is harder to base with a car. Many of these streets in the central city between Victor Hugo/Debussage and the Prom/Coulee Verte have been turned into one lane roads with bike paths and expanded sidewalks.

The garage Stu used is probably Palais Massena, which I use also all the time. It is very easy to get in and out of this one, as there is an exit directly onto the Prom and from the other side, on Rue de France, you can head down to Congres, enter into the Tunnel Liautaud for a straight shot to the A8 tollway.

flygirl

One thing to keep in mind: traffic into and out of Nice is awful. Distances are short but times are long. It's also a real bear to park in Nice especially near the "old town". Lots of narrow one way streets and the parking garage electric signs lie about whether or not they have open spots.

I had the most luck parking near the port (a huge parking garage that had ample spots as well as being off a larger road so not as slow) and I wish I had done that on my first go-around instead of circling around looking for something "closer". Even if your hotel has parking it's a real pain to drive the back streets.

Plan your days accordingly - I would try to do all "leave town with a car" things in as few days as possible, even if it means a long day or two long days away from your base in Nice. I stayed in Saint Paul de Vence and it was quite easy to get around all over the hinterlands, but for going into/out of Nice. My next visit I will actually stay in Nice for a number of days - I would like to see more of it but not if I have to give up a few hours of my day just getting in and getting out.

traveler1118

Again, thanks to everyone for all the helpful suggestions...My latest plans are as follows.
Nights 1-3: Land at NCE on Sunday morning, immediately rent car and drive to Saint Tropez for 3 nights. Will plan to visit some of the little villages that Stu recommended, such as Ramatouelle and Gassin. Also, some downtime at the beach and just hanging out. My kids would love to get to some of the inlet beaches in the Calanques.....Im thinking that may be too far as a day trip since it sounds like there is quite a long hike involved once you get there to get down to them.....any further input there is appreciated.
Nights 4-5, possibly 6: Then we'll move to a hotel either at the base of St. Paul de Vence or in Biot. The one is Biot is much less expensive and seems to get good reviews (Le Bastide de Biot, vs. Du Mas de Pierre). I thought we could stay there 2 or 3 nights, and visit St. Paul, Biot, etc on one day, and another day drive to Eze (even though its on the other side of Nice, I thought it makes sense because we will still have the rental car at this point) and possibly Peillon or other villages near there. If we stay 3 nights, is Antibes worth a whole day?
Nights 7-9: So then we'd move back to Nice proper, and get a hotel or apartment, turn in the car, and use the train to visit Monaco and Menton one day, and perhaps Villefranche the next. If we have an extra day, perhaps the last day hang at the beaches and just walk around the old town of Nice.
Please let me know if anyone has any suggestions to improve this itinerary. I'm really open to anything, and am still having a bit of trouble with distances and how much time we need in places. When I look at a map and look at the scale, it seems like many of these places are extremely close to one another, so I'm wondering if we're allotting too much time to see too little!

StuDudley

Staying near St Paul is a better choice than Biot. You'll have better access to the Nice Hinterland from St Paul. Read my Loup loop drive in the Itinerary.

Antibes is a half-day visit at best - unless you visit the Vauban stuff (which, I imagine, your kids won't find very interesting) or spend a lot of time at the daily market.

IMO, Ezes is a long drive & LONG walk up, & up, & up. Spend the time exploring the Nice Hinterland.

Menton is a half day visit & Villefranche is less than that. Unless you love concrete, glitz, crowds, congestion - skip Monaco. Take my suggestion (from the itinerary) and take the bus to Menton, which goes through Monaco, and if Monaco appeals to you - visit it on the way back. I think you'll enjoy Nice more than you think you might. Your kids will probably love the vibe of Nice.

Stu Dudley

gooster

Biot is interesting but for older teens it may make more sense to stay in St. Paul de Vence (the glass factory is nice, as is the Leger musee, and it is closer to the a8 tollway). Do you mean le Mas du Pierre? That's a pretty high end hotel. The restaurant used to have a Michelin star, I think, but lost it. Search around the area, you may find another you like --- le Hameau is one I've seen referenced below. I've stayed at one a few driveways down that was very nice but I don't believe they are open anymore. Places in the center of the village generally can get a parking pass for the parking lot on the exterior. The Foundation Maeght is a very good Museum, btw, and nearby Vence has the Matisse chapel I second Stu's loop (if it is the one I'm thinking about, to Tourettes sur Loup and Gourdon), it is quite a terrific journey, but I think you will like the drive to Eze. The views down are beautiful and your older teens will love it. Also, I do suggest hitting La Turbie as well, for a view from the Trophee des Alpes, some nice restaurant choices and a view less-trafficked view down. There is also a nice mall down the hill, for the older teens, if they need something to do at night (although there will be much more of all of that in Nice).

stephpaige

My husband and I rented an apartment from Nice Pebbles near the Negresco and loved it. They are like AirBnb but local to the area.

We also did a walking food tour of Nice that was really fun and delicious - they have some unique local dishes and this was a great way to see/learn about the city. My college-age daughter also really enjoyed it when she visited the city on a study abroad trip.

We took the bus to Eze so we didn't have to walk up. It's cute, and SMALL. You can't really see anything from the little town itself unless you pay to eat or have a drink at a restaurant. But you *can* walk the path down - pretty easy and spectacular views. We did this. Bonus - you get to see Bono & Edge's houses at the bottom near the train station.

Romul81

Tourette-sur-Loup - this medieval town is called the city of violets. There is an 11th century castle, ancient churches, the Saint-Jean chapel, as well as about 30 workshops and art galleries. The town is famous for hand weaving. Every year in March there is a festival of violets and a big jousting tournament.

bilboburgler

For those who recognise that the car may not be a solution in this town. I recommend cycling along the front (goes on for miles) and there is another fine cycle path that follows a river inland to the west of town into a very pretty bit of nature.

Underhill

For a hotel in Nice, consider the Westminster. It's a grande dame on the Promenade, with a delectable breakfast buffet. Try for a room with a sea view.