rajshiv

Itinerary Help Riviera
We will be in Juan Les Pins from 29th June to 2nd July. We are in our thirties. I am pregnant and the main purpose of our trip is to relax.

29th June: Reach Juan les Pins by 11:00am from Avignon.
Spend the day on the beach
30th June: Again spend the day on the beach
1st June: I am torn between visiting Nice/ VilleFranche/ St Paul de Vence/ St Tropez.
2nd June: Spend the morning in Cannes and then take the evening TGV to Paris.
Please let me know if this seems sensible. I am not too keen on spending a lot of time in Nice. Maybe if we like it enough we will come back another time.

sandralist

Once you get a look at traffic along the coast you might decide that not going anywhere and simply enjoying where you are is a marvelous luxury you shouldn't pass up the chance to enjoy. I doubt Nice will charm you much if you just pop your head in on a hot day. Maybe pick something to do in Nice that would truly interest you in case there is a summer thunderstorm that keeps you off the beach. (Shopping for baby clothes? ,)) If the main purpose of the trip is to relax, start relaxing about it now.

sandralist

PS: I thought maybe I should jump back in to say that I am not being snarky by suggesting shopping for baby clothes. On a hot summer day if you are pregnant, the idea of walking around museum might not be very appealing. and going up to one of the hot hill towns, or battling your way into a crowded beach town isn't the kind of thing I would leave the place where you are staying to do. If you don't think you would be interested in shopping, there are air conditioned places --- including museums -- that might make for a nice excursion if you think you will want a break from the lounge chair or if it rains a bit. But I would pick something easy to get to, and not try to "see" Nice.

rajshiv

Sandralist thanks a lot for your response. I didn't for a moment think you were being snarky. We would be very happy to spend two full days on the beach. However we were wondering if we did want to venture out on one day which might be the best place to go to? We would not be driving and will rely on public transport.

Shopping for baby clothes sounds like a plan, but spending a whole day doing that or even half a day doing that is beyond me and would definitely drive G ( my husband) mad. Maybe we could buy something to remember the trip by. Haven't bought anything yet, so it can be the first thing we get fir the baby. Thanks girl the suggestion.

Any suggestions for restaurants. I am a vegetarian and G eats fish. Our budget is in the range of 39 euros/ head without the wine. We would be happy to spend a bit more for a great meal.

Surfergirl

You have picked the perfect spot on the coast, with sandy beaches and great evening restaurants, cafes, and night life!

For that extra day, I'd suggest either spending the day and evening in Cannes or heading over to Antibes, which is essentially a part of Juan Les Pins.

If Cannes, the Juan les Pins train station is easy to walk to, and the trains in summer go every 30 or so minutes. It's a 10 minute ride to Cannes. In Cannes, there's plenty of free public beaches that are easy to get to from the train station, and walkable, pedestrian areas like the rue Meynadier. There's a number of restaurants and cafes that line the harbor along the Quai St. Pierre, and Promenade by the park. Good seafood and really good pizza places.

For Antibes, you also can take the train one stop (about 6 minutes), take the bus, or what can be fun is taking the Little Train (Petit Train) that runs between Juan les Pins and Old Antibes from 10 a.m. until around midnight in summer. You catch it down at the seashore, about 8 euro roundtrip. And you really get to see a lot of both Juan les Pins and Antibes when riding in it.

We had a car, but took the regular train as well as le Petit Train as a change of pace when we based ourselves in Juan les Pins the summer before last.

Juan les Pins comes alive at night with restaurants and cafes opening up. Although there's a ton of restaurants right on the beach that are lovely spots with mostly ok food, my favorite dinner spots are along Av Docteur Dautheville that becomes a pedestrian street in the summer evening, with restaurants and bars lining the street with outdoor dining.

My mom and my sister's favourite restaurant was Le Perroquet on Av George Gallice. Pricy, but I will admit the food is great and they had some really good salads!

traveller1959

Take it easy and do not overplan. Juan les Pins has a wide sandy beach and is perfect for relaxing. If you are in the mood for some sightseeing - there is a multitude of options.

Antibes is very close - it has a charming old town and a decent museum that displays works of Picasso.

Cannes has no better beaches than Juan les Pins but a yaught harbour and splendid hotels. And a high density of Rolls-Royces and Ferraris.

If you are in modern art, there are many options on the Cote - e.g. Biot with the Fernand Leger museum, St. Paul with Fondation Maeght and several museums in Nice. IMO, Nice is mainly interesting if you want to visit the Chagall museum.

But I have a tip for you: For one day, rent a car and drive the fantastic Corniche de l'Esterel to St. Raphael. It is an incredibly scenic drive. On this day, you can also visit one or two perched villages and some other places of interest.

dfourh

2nd for Antibes (though check market an Picasso Museum hours, and avoid mid-day when the entire town shuts down - - the beaches, though very small, are pleasant mid-day though).

Villefranche has a great beach. In fact, that is practically all that Villefranche is.

How about the morning at the market in Antibes et. al. including nice shopping, and later in the afternoon to the beach at Villefranche?

Micheline

If you go to the market in Antibes go on Thursday when there are three markets including one with lots of white cotton and pastel clothes made in Italy.
I usually advise everyone to go to Nice but I just got back from there and the crowds were terrible. If you are pregnant I don't think you would enjoy the pebbly beach. You might just like to rent a chaise. Really thick mattresses. Just a lounge chair costs 20 euros though and another 5 for umbrella. Before or after you could visit the Villa Massena, near the Negresco.
Juan les Pins sounds perfect for you.

sandralist

If you decide to go to the Picasso Museum, there is a cafe nearby that serves socca (the chickpea torte that is soooo good for vegetarians) and tarte aux biettes (a pie of beet greens, pine nuts raisins and cheese) A salade Nicoise or an anchovy-laced pizza for the fish-eating "G". Always ask whether a dish contains meat because some places add ham to dishes even when it is not in the traditional recipe.

http://www.antibesjuanlespins.com/en...-vieil-antibes

Even if you don't eat at that cafe those vegetarian dishes are worth sampling while you are in the area. (Socca is actually a specialty of Nice, but you can find it elsewhere). Sorry can't help you with a true dinner place.

Surfergirl

In Juan les Pins, our favorite private beach is Plage les Pirates. It's practically next door to the outdoor stage for the music festivals in the Parc des Pinades (Jazz a Juan, and the rock music festival that follows). We've been going to this beach for years.

It's 30 euro for both lounge chair and umbrella for the first tier or on the dock; and 25 for all other. Good lunch place as well. Menu in the link that follows:

http://plage-les-pirates.fr/pdf/carte.pdf

If you'd rather go the private beach route (and I think being pregnant, you'll want the lounge chair and umbrella!) we also like Nounou at Golfe Juan in, but I don't know how easy it is to get to without a car.

The public beach is very large, but it does get packed in summer, as do most of the public beaches in the area.