HELP
 

Have 1 day to spend in Villefranche arriving by ship and not inclined to take the ship's motorcoach tour. Where would I start? Not a seasoned traveler. Thanks, Kathy

I assume you mean Villefranche-sur-Mer, right next to Nice. I know a great place in Villefranche-sur-Saone (near Lyon), but you wouldn't be taking a cruise there. <BR> <BR>Eze is barely a few kilometers away (7 minutes by train), and people are always saying great things about it; alas, I haven't been there myself. <BR> <BR>And of course, it's only 15 minutes by train to Monte Carlo. See http://ter.sncf.fr/ for schedules - - click on Provence Cote d'Azur (don't mean to insult your cartographic intelligence). <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex

Hi Kathy. We were there on a cruise last May and took the train which is a short walk from the dock. It's not very expensive, I think you can find fares and timetables on the SNCF website (www.sncf.com). We didn't see any ATM's near the dock so you will need to change some currency on the ship for the train fare. The train will take you to Nice or Monte Carlo, the places where the organized tours go. <BR> <BR>We went to Eze and Nice by train. Eze is a very steep climb up the side of a hill/mountain, I think it took us 45 minutes to an hour to climb. It was good exercise, but I don't think what was at the top was worth the climb. Eze sur mer is the name of the train stop; the Eze which is in the tourist guides is at the top of the hill you see when you get off the train. We didn't see any taxis or public transportation to take you up to the top at the train station. <BR> <BR>If the boat docks on Sunday like ours did, you will find most places in Nice shut down. <BR> <BR>

Villefrance is beautiful. From the Harbor you can walk up to the Tourist Board Office on the main street through town. The bus to both Nice and Monte Carlo can be caught on that street. The TI can direct you to the bus stop. We were staying a the La Flore which is less than 5 minutes walk west from the TI and the Bus stop we used was in from of the hotel Le Versailles. It was a 5 minute ride in an airconditioned bus with high back seats for a round trip ticket of about $1.50 per person. Even if everything is closed in Nice, see the Hotel Negresco, walk the beach and climb or take the elevator to the top of the hill for the view.

We were in Villefranche last week, the place itself is very pretty and you could easily while away a few hours wondering around, eating a lovely slow lunch and when we were there browsing a little antiques market. <BR> <BR>We drove around so dont know transport but Eze is very very pretty, we didnt bother climbing to the absolute top as we didnt want to enter the gardens but just walking around in the ancient village was fab. <BR> <BR>Of course in NOvember the place is virtually empty so we could really enjoy it. I couldnt think of anything more claustrophic if it were packed as it apparently is in summer. <BR> <BR>If you are happy to pay for a taxi for the day you might visit St. Paul de Vence which is an ancient walled village outside of Nice. I liked it even better than Eze but same deal for crowds in high season. <BR> <BR>We also enjoyed driving out into mountains only a few mins back from the coast. <BR> <BR>Also what about Nice itself, it has a lot to see.... <BR> <BR>Have fun <BR> <BR> <BR>Kavita <BR>