We get off our one week Mediterranean cruise in Monte Carlo. What do you think is the minimum amount of days to see this area...we were thinking we would stay an extra three nights after our cruise. Would that give us enough time?

Three days is adequate to thoroughly enjoy yourselves, but there's always more to see there. Be aware that however long you spend, you will end up wanting to go back!
BTW - you will probably want to pick a city other than Monte Carlo to stay in - its hotels are some of the most expensive in the world. I liked Nice - its a good central location with easy day trips in every direction. (Cannes, Monaco, Menton, Antibes, etc, etc.)

As Abbynicole says, it's unlikely you'll have enough time to see it all regardless of your time and hopefully you'll want to go back.

I've been 4-5 times for 1-2 weeks at a time and still haven't seen half of what I'd like to. Will you rent a car? What sort of things are you interested in?

We want to rent a car and stay in one of the smaller towns in the hills such as St. Paul de Vence or Le Maxime. What kind of an itinerary can you suggest. We stop at St. Tropez on our cruise so we will have seen that area.

We were last in the French Riviera on our honeymoon when we stayed in hotels in the book "Europe on $5 A Day." That tells you how long it has been!!
This time we want to stay in more luxurious acommodations!! We don't want to spend more than 300-350 Euros per day for our hotel...who knows what the dollar to Euro rate will be in 2005?

Thanks for any help.

I've stayed at La Colombe D'Or in St Paul de Vence a few times (the first on MY honeymoon) but haven't been there recently. It is wonderful if you appreciate the history of the place. Others on this board like Le Hameau. What time of year will this be? In just 3 days, you might prefer staying in Eze which is a bit closer to Nice, Cap Ferrat, Beaulieu.

In 3 days you could do day 1 Monaco & Eze. Day 2 Beaulieu, Cap Ferrat, Villefranche. Day 3 Nice, St. Paul.

In the Monte Carlo area, if you are at all ambulatory, there is a great short easy walk to take along the coast. It goes from Monte Carlo/Monaco to Cap d'Ail, just two miles away, going on flat paved paths along a gorgeous stretch of coast which is the type of scenery associated with the Riviera in your mind. the path is fairly isolated in the terms that there is no development along it, just the signature Cote d'Azur beauty of a rocky coast and deep azure-hued water. Most of the rest of the coast is developed or not spectacular. If bashful, however, be warned that you may well see folks skinny-dipping in swimming holes along the way! If not into walking, take the train line along the coast from Ventimiglia, Italy (end stop for the Cote d'Azur metro, or commuter trains that ply the coast from Cannes to Ventimiglia twice hourly. From these double-decker trains you get a swell view of a similarly spectacular coast between Ventimiglia and Nice! Roads are much further up the coast so they give you an eagle's eye view but not as intimate as the train line. If doing the walk, the walk goes from the Cap d'Ail train station to Monaco, so you can walk one way and rail quickly back. A similar great walk i understand goes from Monte Carlo to Menton though i havn't taken this one.