Day trips Nice -Italy
 

Am going to be spending some time in Nice next April. Looking for day trips to areas around Nice and into Italy by public transport....any suggestions?

Antibes is about 45 minutes away by train.

St Jean Cap Ferrat can be reached by city bus from Nice. You can visit the Villa Ephrussi Rothschild from that bus, too. It is walkable to Cap Ferrat from the Villa.

I don't know if boats are running in April for other trips, but there are lots of opportunities to day-trip from Nice by train. We really enjoyed our short stay there.

By public transport you don't want to go as far as Italy, even though it seems so close. Trains (connections with two changes en route) take a good two hours just to San Remo, and when you get there, you need to know exactly where you want to go, and find a bus or taxi to get you there. I'm just picking San Remo as a popular place. It's the same elsewhere.

I strongly suggest renting a car for the day. If you have wheels you can be in San Remo in about an hour. And there are lots more fun routes up into the mountains if you drive yourselves, no need to cross over into italy just to have sightseeing fun.

If you don't drive a good bet is stepping into a local travel agency in Nice and asking about escorted coach daytrips (such coaches are sometimes called "pullman" or autocar).

This has nothing to do with your trip, but I am curious. Were you really a Wren in 1958 ........... and if so, British or Canadian ? Sorry to change this subject Jenny.

Ventimiglia, Italy, where the Cote d'Azur shuttle trains end is as Italian as they come - a delightful seaside town with a very lively market some days.

A sweet taste of Italy is just a short train ride away. Nothing French about Ventimiglia.

Exploring the area by bus is often more convenient than train and CHEAP. I thought the buses went all the way into Italy - maybe another poster will know for sure. We used the bus to go to Antibes and St. Paul de Vence - there are probably at least 5 or more pleasant possibilities. Rick Steves has some good info. on this area and day trips in his Porvence book. April should be lovely, enjoy!

Call BudgetEuropeTravel.com. There is an 800 number on their site, and they are very helpful. I remember Bob at BETS telling me of a certain train day-trip from Nice that sounded lovely. I believe it goes in the direction of Digne, with a stop on it that was his favorite.

<<Nothing French about Ventimiglia.>>

True. Nothing particularly attractive about it, either.

You can take the bus from Nice east as far as Menton and as far west as Cannes both directions being along the Med. You can also take the bus to St. Paul de Vence, Village of Eze and other hill towns. All trips are 1 euro. Best transportation deal on earth. The bus station is in the old town part of town. This is the local Nice bus service. There are also other long distance bus lines that serve other places. There are also frequent trains along the coast that are very cheap and a rail line that runs from Nice to Cuneo, Italy through the mountains. There are several great medieval villages along this route;Peille, Briel sur Roya, Soarge, La Brigue, Tende and Cuneo. You can make a circle from Nice to Ventimiglia through the mountains and then back to Nice along the Med.

Living in Paris most of the time I visit the Riviera 3 or 4 times a year spending about 6 weeks there each year and have never rented a car. Train and bus services make a car an unnecessary hassle what with rental costs, fuel, parking, insurance etc. Just my opinion; no doubt a minority one at that.

Larry J

In addition to places others have suggested:

Monaco by train

Continued...

Eze by bus

The little train des Pignes back into the mountains north of Nice: www.beyond.fr/travel/railpignes.html. The usual turn-around point for a daytrip is Entrevaux.

Nice is a great location for day trips to all the towns in France suggested plus Monaco. If traveling by train, however, be prepared for long lines at the NiceVille station. (When we were there in May 2010, the ticket machines weren't taking ANY credit cards, even the pin and chip ones the English tourists had. You CAN use cash in the machines, but I think it was coins only. All these limitations made for a frustrating star. We spent way longer in line than on the train to Monaco! I'm not sure if it was the exception or the rule, though.

As most trips east and west of Nice between Cannes and Ventimiglia cost 5€ or less using coins in the ticket machines seems very logical and credit cards a bit silly. All railway ticket machines in France as well as the metro and RER machines in Paris that take credit cards do not accept American credit cards with the magnetic strip. Even the American Express Blue Cards that have the semiconductor chip will not work; I know I have tried many times. Little by little machines are being installed that take bank notes and well as coins.

Larry J

Thanks LarryJ your suggestions are great.....Like the idea of Nice to Cuneo through the mountains.