kittpom

I was on the chat yesterday there were many nice hotels in
Provence. We are looking into staying in the east side of
Provence near the water. So it would be kinda close to Italy.
I would be so happy if someone could reccommened a romantic honeymoon hotels.

thanks so much kittpom

Underhill

What time of the year? What's your price range? Do you plan to have a car? Are there any towns that interest you? Without that information it's hard to make suggestions.

kittpom

It's going to be September 16 - 24th we are looking to spend around in the 200 range a night. Yes we do plan on renting a car. We are arriving in Paris on September 11 from NYC. Staying in Paris from September 11 to 16 than taking the train into Nice or where ever. But we are flying home from Nice. We both have never been to France before so were not really sure where to go. But we really would love to be able to take a ride in to Italy. Maybe even stay there for a night.

Mimar

So you have from the 16th to the 24th in the south of France, with a car. (Just a note: while Nice is literally in Provence, it's more the Cote d'Azur than what we usually think of as Provence: hilltowns, lavendar fields, warm, lazy countryside, pastis and petanque. Nice is more Italianate in food and language.)

Nice is a good transportation center, but not so good for daytripping with a car, especially with the construction currently under way.

Here are a couple possibilities: take the train to Avignon, pick up a rental car, and stay a few days in the Luberon (hilly central Provence) before continuing on to the coast. Or see if you can change your flight home to leave from Genoa. Then spend a few days in Nice and a few days on the Italian Riviera: say in Camogli or Santa Margherita Ligure or even the Cinque Terre. You could do this without a car.

Get some guidebooks and look at pictures to help you decide where you want to go. Menton is a nice quiet pretty town close to the Italian border.

Underhill

If you stay on the side of Nice by the sea you won't have to worry much about the construction activity.

The train ride from Paris (Gare de Lyon) takes between 5 and 6 hours, whereas you can fly from Orly airport in 1-1/2 hours. The Nice airport is very traveler-friendly, and Orly usually lets you get through the gate fairly quickly--look for signs for the Navette (Nice shuttle).

Price range: $200 or 200 Euros? Big different these days, alas.

kittpom

Is Nice a nice city?

architectlink

Just got back from Cassis and Marseille and I will have to take a look at the map, but there were many lovely towns on the water that were gorgeous and picturesque that were west of Nice. I really fell in love with a hotel on the cliffs in a little town where they make the sea salt...

Best Western Le Provencal
F 83400 Hyeres [email protected]

architectlink

opps the correct email address is

[email protected]
www.provencalhotel.com
www.residenceprovencal.com

Mimar

Yes, Nice is a very nice city. It's a pretty city with interesting architecture and an interesting cuisine, a mixture of French and Italian.

Also Nice is a good transporation center. You can take a bus to Eze, a hilltown with an eye-popping view of the coast. Also you can bus to St. Jean-Cap Ferrat and visit the Villa Ephrussi-Rothschild, am over-the-top Belle Epoque villa with an exquisite garden and views to the Med on both sides of the peninsula.

And there's the train des Pignes, which goes back into the hinterland north of Nice, with views of perched towns and tumbling streams.

Plus, of course, other excursions by train east to Monaco and west along the Cote d'Azur.

kittpom

How much are the train rides usually? Can you tell me how fare it is to Italy?

Underhill

Where in Italy?

kittpom

San Remo