French Riviera - 3 nights
 

Hello,

My daughter (21) and are are travelling from Brussels to Nice, France, staying for 3 nights, then 1 night in Maiselles, ending with 2 nights in Barcelona. I have booked the Hotel Le Lido for the 3 nights so we are close to the promenade des Anglais. We are interested in making the most of our stay there, and are considering some day trips to Monoco, Caines, etc. Could anyone help us set up an itinerary for the days as follows:

4/6 - arrives from Brussels at 9:10 pm (how do we get to the hotel?)

4/7 - wide open

4/8 - wide open

4/9 - depart early am via train to Maiselles
~ any suggestions as to what to do or where to stay here?

4/10 - depart early am via train to Barcelona
~ also would be open to any suggestions regarding Barcelona


Thank you very much advance for your help,
Patti

The distance from station to hotel is about 1.2km.

Spend at least one day with exploring Nice. Your hotel has a good location - walkable distance to Place Massena and the old town. IMO, the Chagall Museum is Nice's first-rank attraction.

Otherwise, I would rent a car and drive eastwards to Monaco and visit Monte Carlo and the Rocher (Palace, Aquarium). For one way, take the Moyenne Cornice (with a brief stop in Eze) and for the other way, take the Grande Corniche (with a stop at La Turbie).

On St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat you may visit Villa Rothschild and Villa Kerylos.

If you have time, drive the autoroute westwards to St. Raphael and drive back on the D559 along the coast to Cannes. On the way back, you may also see St. Juan-les-Pins and Antibes.

There are many modern art museums on the Cote. Besides the Chagall Museum in Nice, the most notable are the Fondation Maeght in St. Paul de Vence, the Leger Museum in Biot, the Picasso Museum in Antibes and the Chapelle Matisse in Vence.

You spend your first day in Nice, the second day driving to Monaco and the third day driving westwards. Would be a perfect program.

(You can do this by public transport, but this would require at least twice the time and you will miss most of the beauty of the scenery.)

One of our favorite day trips was to Monaco and Eze.

After going to Monaco twice,we finally toured the Palace. What a treat, it's gorgeous as are all the huge yachts in the harbor. The Casino wasn't our favorite place, and I would probably skip it unless you have large amounts of disposable income.

Eze is in the hills above Monaco, and IMO is the best hill town on the Riviera. The views are outstanding.

Cannes was O.K. to see once, but we prefer Antibes, Villafranche-sur-mer and Cap Ferrat. The Rothschild Estate and The Greek House could be visited in 1 day and are both very interesting.

I second what TPAYT said.

Happy travels!!!

jdc

My preference would be to take the train to Monaco, as the view along the coast is marvelous--everyone gets to see it. I always feel sorry for my husband, who has to keep his eyes on the road, especially when driving on the corniches. I think half a day would suffice for Monte Carlo, leaving time on the way back to stop at St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat (to see the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and its incredible gardens) and Villefranche-sur-Mer; the Villa can be reached by bus from the train.

Thank you all for your helpful tips. We will definitely be going to Monaco. It is supposed to be raining the whole time we are there so sightseeing may be a little more difficult. We'll still do it however. Leaving today to meet my daughter in Brussels. Thanks again, Patti

traveler1959 has given you a great list of art museums. There's one more that, IMO, belongs near the top. It's the Matisse Museum in Nice. The Orthodox cathedral in Nice is said to be the best of its kind outside of Russia. IMO, you won't miss anything if you skip Cannes.

Underhill's point about taking the train so the driver doesn't miss out on the view is a good one. However, I drove along the coast from Nice to Monaco and on the Grande Corniche back to Nice. We stopped whenever I wanted a better look.