in the summer of 2004 I will be in southern France for about 3 or 4 days, and I can't decide if I should stay in Nice or Marseilles. I would prefer to only stay in one as my time is limited!!

I think most would say that Nice is the better destination of the two.

Agree with RonZ!

Yes, Nice, But for Bouillebaisse go to the old port in Marsaille by way of the coniche to taste it at Chez FonFon.

Nice of course....

I agree with the other posters. Nice will be much more convenient, and gives you the option of visiting by train or bus many other destinations on the Riveria ( Antibes, Cannes, St. Paul de Vence, Grasse, St. Jean Cap de Ferrat and Monaco, to name quite a few). It's one of my favorite cities because it combines resort ( although the beach is rocky) with city ( nightlife, Chagall museum, art galleries, etc.) so well. Also there's a great non-stop from JFK-Nice on Delta, which makes it possible to be on the beach within about an hour of landing. Not a bad way to start a vacation!

Have a good time!

You have not indicated where you want to "tour". If you want to go to Provence, then Marseille is probably better. If you want to do the riveria with Cannes, Monaco, etc. then Nice is better. Marseille is a diverse city. I have only been there once for a short time but I really enjoyed it. There is plenty to see there. If you should decide to go to Monaco and have time, the aquarium is certainly a great place to visit. Have a great trip!

Another vote for Nice. Have been to both and plan to go back to one of them--Nice.

Well, thanks for the help! I was leaning toward Nice myself just because I wanted to see the riveria and Monaco. Speaking of which is it easy to get from Nice to Monaco for a day trip? Has anyone done that here? What are some of the best beaches close to Nice??

The train from Nice to Monaco takes about 30 minutes. It couldn't be easier. Many of the beaches in the area are rocky, and some people wear plastic sandals into the water which you can pick up at some of the tourist shops in town. The only beach I know of that's sandy is at Juan-les-Pins, 9 miles outside of Cannes.

Have a great time!

A day trip to Monaco is easy from Nice. Since I stayed in Monaco I took a day trip to Nice. We had a driver take us but I think both bus and train are available. Also, if you can, go to Eze, a beautiful small village not too far from Monte Carlo. Cannot help with beaches since I was there in Feb when it was too cold for me to even think of swimming.

Yes, it's a VERY easy daytrip from Nice to Monaco, and the drive along the coast is spectacular. You drive from one town to the next, with beaches all along the way. There is, of course, the beaches in Nice, but if you're heading to Monte Carlo, you should go to the Monte-Carlo Beach, next to the Monte-Carlo Beach hotel.
Further West from Nice, our favorite beach between there and Cannes is the Plage des Pirates in Juans les Pins. There's some good free beaches in Cannes, one just as you are getting into town, or right in town, by the Vieux Port, is the Place du Midi, where you can swim out to the float and dive into the warm sea. For fun, you can pay to go to the beach in front of the Carlton Hotel.
Finally, if you have a car and can go further West (although getting to this beach and enjoying it will take you a whole day), we just LOVED Tahiti Beach in San Tropez, with its orange umbrellas and lounges, and good parking. You do have to go down a long narrow road to get there, but it's part of the fun.

Now, since you will be there in summer, you might enjoy going to the jazz festivals that take place in Nice and Juan les Pins (they also play music other than jazz, like the blues). In Juan, the music takes place in an outdoor amphitheatre with the sea as a backdrop. It's heaven!

Thanks, thats just what I wanted to hear. I had hoped the trip to Monaco would be easy! I will do my best to travel around and see as many beaches as I can!

Anyone else??

A few more bits of info. The website provencebeyond.com is a good place to research the area & see photos of the beaches in the various towns. In general, Cannes & west have sandy beaches while east of Cannes it's mostly rocky. If your dates are flexible, be aware that the Grand Prix in Monte Carlo usually starts the end of May (around Memorial weekend here & the Cannes film festival is usually just before or after it-can't remember. These 2 events make booking rooms around that time difficult. August is also very high season there as many French get the entire month off & flock to the Cote D'Azure.

Be aware none of the hotels in Nice are actually on the beach but some are across the street. I agree Juan les Pins has a great (big) public beach but I wouldn't suggest staying there unless you're young (20s-early 30s) and love nightlife. It's filled with clubs/discos & gets noisy & busy at night.

On the train trip from Nice to Moanco-it iS spectacular (the train tracks run very close to the sea & you get great views of the water, cliffs & swimming pools of private villas perched above the water). But be aware there was a cave in of one of the train tunnels in Monaco that has closed a portion of the train line. I THINK it's in the portion east of Monaco to Menton (which wouldn't affect a trip from Nice to Monaco) but I'm not sure. And ofcourse by next summer it may hopefully be repaired.

There's lots of information here on hotel options & sightseeing as you progress in planning. Use the text search.

ok thanks for the help! My dates are not very flexible but i will see what i can do!