If you had 4 days in Cote D'azur..what would your ideal itinerary be?
Mar 30th, 2005, 08:57 AM
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If you had 4 days in Cote D'azur..what would your ideal itinerary be?
Hello,
My husband and I are going to be going to Nice, staying May 21-25th.
There are so many wonderful areas to see, and there is so much going on, its getting really difficult to make a 'realistic' itinerary. (Cannes for film festival is a must). I find we are trying to cram everything in, and would rather just single out the best areas to visit..
Can anyone suggest what their ideal 4 days might be like..? Would be appreciated!
Thanks!
My husband and I are going to be going to Nice, staying May 21-25th.
There are so many wonderful areas to see, and there is so much going on, its getting really difficult to make a 'realistic' itinerary. (Cannes for film festival is a must). I find we are trying to cram everything in, and would rather just single out the best areas to visit..
Can anyone suggest what their ideal 4 days might be like..? Would be appreciated!
Thanks!
Mar 30th, 2005, 09:15 AM
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Isn't the Grand Prix sometime around that time as well? Good luck even getting into Monaco, if it is (although that would be very cool to see!)
There is a lot of fabulous shopping in Cannes back behind La Croisette.
general Cannes info:
http://www.provencebeyond.com/villages/cannes.html
I've been to the Cote twice and still haven't explored Nice very much and wish I had spent a little more time there. The hill towns (Eze for example) are quite beautiful, as are the cliffside drives. Didn't make it to Grasse although if you like perfume/perfume making that may be interesting. It's still on my list. The Foundation Maeght (SP?) is a modern art museum but the town escapes me right now - I want to say Vence.
Monaco, Nice, Cannes, hill towns, cliffside drives, relaxing, eating, the wine, shopping. ahhhhh, the South of France. enjoy!!
There is a lot of fabulous shopping in Cannes back behind La Croisette.
general Cannes info:
http://www.provencebeyond.com/villages/cannes.html
I've been to the Cote twice and still haven't explored Nice very much and wish I had spent a little more time there. The hill towns (Eze for example) are quite beautiful, as are the cliffside drives. Didn't make it to Grasse although if you like perfume/perfume making that may be interesting. It's still on my list. The Foundation Maeght (SP?) is a modern art museum but the town escapes me right now - I want to say Vence.
Monaco, Nice, Cannes, hill towns, cliffside drives, relaxing, eating, the wine, shopping. ahhhhh, the South of France. enjoy!!
Mar 30th, 2005, 10:06 AM
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The Fondation Maeght (modern art, with emphasis on sculpture in outdoor settings) is close to St-Paul-de-Vence.
If you're set on going to Canne sfor the film festival, keep in minds that hotel prices will be very high and availability very limited by now. Ditto for Monaco, with the Grand Prix.
Also traffic in and around Monaco and Cannes could be difficult.
Have you decided where to stay? You'll need hotel reservations very, very soon. Once that's settled, come back for itinerary suggestions.
If you're set on going to Canne sfor the film festival, keep in minds that hotel prices will be very high and availability very limited by now. Ditto for Monaco, with the Grand Prix.
Also traffic in and around Monaco and Cannes could be difficult.
Have you decided where to stay? You'll need hotel reservations very, very soon. Once that's settled, come back for itinerary suggestions.
Mar 30th, 2005, 10:40 AM
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Thank you for the advice! Yes we already have hotel reservations in Nice. We are going to use that area as our "home base' and explore from there..
We are hoping to take the train to most places. Would you say its worth a day trip down to St Tropez?
We are hoping to take the train to most places. Would you say its worth a day trip down to St Tropez?
Mar 30th, 2005, 10:54 AM
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We're going to Nice in May. We plan to spend a day starting in Villefranche-sur-Mer, walking to St. Jean-Cap Ferrat visiting en route the villa Ephrussi. (See www.villaephrussi.com/ephrussi/home_en.htm) Also on our list of possible excursions is the little Train des Pignes up into the mountains. And we want to visit Eze. This is in addition to seeing Nice the city. The more I research, the more interesting things there are to see in and around Nice.
Mar 30th, 2005, 11:03 AM
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Fille, with 4 days, you will have so many things close by, why spend more time on public transport than you need to? I'd try to limit it geographically and see more of what I do seek out. You can take a nice boat ride from Cannes out to the little islands for instance (unless the film fest makes your life miserable).
Mar 30th, 2005, 11:30 AM
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It's nearly impossible to day trip to St. Tropez because without a car, there's no direct way to get there. I can't remember exactly whether it involves taking a train or bus or boat and then another train, bus, or boat, but you get the idea!
With 4 days in Nice, I would definitely recommend a day trip to St. Paul de Vence. There is a bus that leaves several times a day to St. Paul from the main bus station ( Gare Routiere) in Nice. The trip takes just under an hour.
There is also a bus to Eze,( opposite direction) which has lovely views, but not as much of a town to explore as St. Paul de Vence.
I would also recommend visiting St. Jean Cap de Ferret, and taking the beautiful seaside promenade which starts in town and curves around the coast. You'll be able to sneak a glimpse of some of the mansions that dot the coastline. It's a very pretty walk. I'd also recommend having lunch in town at one of the fine seaside restaurants. Again, this is an easy bus ride from Nice ( probably takes about half an hour or less).
Monaco would be a nice day trip, too. It's about 30 min. on the train from Nice. You could visit the palace, the dasinos, and the aquarium.
Cannes is only about 30 min. by train, too. I'm not a big fan of Cannes ( much prefer Nice), and if it's going to be jammed due to the film festival, I'd skip it and spend the time wandering through Vieux Nice, and visiting the wonderful Chagall museum.
Believe me, you'll find plenty to do! Have a great time!
With 4 days in Nice, I would definitely recommend a day trip to St. Paul de Vence. There is a bus that leaves several times a day to St. Paul from the main bus station ( Gare Routiere) in Nice. The trip takes just under an hour.
There is also a bus to Eze,( opposite direction) which has lovely views, but not as much of a town to explore as St. Paul de Vence.
I would also recommend visiting St. Jean Cap de Ferret, and taking the beautiful seaside promenade which starts in town and curves around the coast. You'll be able to sneak a glimpse of some of the mansions that dot the coastline. It's a very pretty walk. I'd also recommend having lunch in town at one of the fine seaside restaurants. Again, this is an easy bus ride from Nice ( probably takes about half an hour or less).
Monaco would be a nice day trip, too. It's about 30 min. on the train from Nice. You could visit the palace, the dasinos, and the aquarium.
Cannes is only about 30 min. by train, too. I'm not a big fan of Cannes ( much prefer Nice), and if it's going to be jammed due to the film festival, I'd skip it and spend the time wandering through Vieux Nice, and visiting the wonderful Chagall museum.
Believe me, you'll find plenty to do! Have a great time!
Mar 31st, 2005, 02:56 PM
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Nice is wonderful, but is a pretty large city. So, you should specifically choose what you want to do while there. Cannes is beautiful and about a 1 hour drive from Nice. (not sure about train). Great restuarants and posh hotels along La Croisette. It will be very fun for the film festival. It's about a 3 hour leisurely (and beautiful)drive to St. Tropez. Monaco is beautiful and very busy, easy to get between Eze and Monaco. The entire region is just spectacular. Enjoy the scenery and the fun of the riviera.
Apr 1st, 2005, 06:54 AM
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Thank you all for all your input..will definitely help narrow it down.
We enjoy art and art history, romantic seaside towns to explore..and fabulous scenery.
I just want to be able to really enjoy it and not feel rushed..I think trying to see St Tropez might be too much for only 4 days. Staying closer to home base makes more sense..Eze and St Paul de Vence are a must!
We enjoy art and art history, romantic seaside towns to explore..and fabulous scenery.
I just want to be able to really enjoy it and not feel rushed..I think trying to see St Tropez might be too much for only 4 days. Staying closer to home base makes more sense..Eze and St Paul de Vence are a must!
Apr 1st, 2005, 07:01 PM
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Mimar, we are also going to be in Villfranche sur mer in May and were thinking about the Train des Pignes. It looks like they will be running on Sundays. Have you researched getting of and walking in any of the small villages? Any suggestions?
Thanks for any thoughts.
Thanks for any thoughts.
Apr 1st, 2005, 07:27 PM
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St Tropez and much of French/Italian riviera is now convenient via easycruise.com, the ship equivilant of discount airline easyjet. Rock bottom prices (no Cannes fest premium), and just ambles to the next port in dawn hours (Nice, Cannes, St Tropez, Monaco, Genoa, Portofino, St Remo, Nice, and on with the loop).
P.S. Is Tthe Fondation Maeght walkable from St-Paul-de-Vence, or must you ride the bus to a further stop, or? Do you pay onboard bus (exact change?) or find a ticket seller?
P.S. Is Tthe Fondation Maeght walkable from St-Paul-de-Vence, or must you ride the bus to a further stop, or? Do you pay onboard bus (exact change?) or find a ticket seller?
Apr 2nd, 2005, 12:56 PM
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For great art and a wonderful seaside town, check out the Picasso Museum in Antibes.
Nice is loaded with great art...the Chagall Museum, The Matisse Museum, Contemporary Art Musuem and others.
You can get a museum pass in Nice as well.
So many great things to do...and what you don't do this time, you can do another, right?
Nice is loaded with great art...the Chagall Museum, The Matisse Museum, Contemporary Art Musuem and others.
You can get a museum pass in Nice as well.
So many great things to do...and what you don't do this time, you can do another, right?
Apr 2nd, 2005, 02:38 PM
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The Beaux Arts Museum in Nice is another to put on your list. It's up in the hills and best reached by taxi (or perhaps bus), as parking is very limited. The Dufy collection that used to be in its own museum near Vieux Nice now lives in the Beaux Arts.
I don't think it would take an hour to drive from Nice to Cannes unless the traffic going down into the city from the freeway is very heavy. However, the drive on the coastal road has beautiful scenery and is a good alternative.
I don't think it would take an hour to drive from Nice to Cannes unless the traffic going down into the city from the freeway is very heavy. However, the drive on the coastal road has beautiful scenery and is a good alternative.
Apr 2nd, 2005, 06:43 PM
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Hi Fille26:
My wife and I spent 8 days in Nice, Cannes, and Porto Fino, Italy about 5 years ago, our first trip to Europe. We had one of the best pizzas ever in a very nondescript little restaurant in the Old Town Nice area (just facing the Blvd General de Leclerc). See recent New York Times articles about the best pizzas in the world. We spent a delightful day in Eze; don't miss the restaurant at a great hotel there: Chateau de la Chevre d'Or. I remember a great but moderately priced Sunday lunch out doors at a small restaurant in Cannes on the Rue Sainte Antoine - in an old area just behind the quai.
We were very lucky and got a suite at the Miramar Beach Hotel in Theol sur Mer (just west of Cannes), with balcony over looking the Med. Around the first of May prices were great (five years ago). I love to tell the story of the little family run restaurant a half mile from the hotel. Our reservation had been made by the hotel bar tender. We enjoyed a wonderful gourmet meal and luscious wine, only to learn that they would not accept either my Amex Card or Travelers Checks. I offered to drive back to the our Hotel and change Trav. chks for currency; it was late and the owner told us to come back the next day to pay our check. We did. And who says the French are unfriendly?
My wife and I spent 8 days in Nice, Cannes, and Porto Fino, Italy about 5 years ago, our first trip to Europe. We had one of the best pizzas ever in a very nondescript little restaurant in the Old Town Nice area (just facing the Blvd General de Leclerc). See recent New York Times articles about the best pizzas in the world. We spent a delightful day in Eze; don't miss the restaurant at a great hotel there: Chateau de la Chevre d'Or. I remember a great but moderately priced Sunday lunch out doors at a small restaurant in Cannes on the Rue Sainte Antoine - in an old area just behind the quai.
We were very lucky and got a suite at the Miramar Beach Hotel in Theol sur Mer (just west of Cannes), with balcony over looking the Med. Around the first of May prices were great (five years ago). I love to tell the story of the little family run restaurant a half mile from the hotel. Our reservation had been made by the hotel bar tender. We enjoyed a wonderful gourmet meal and luscious wine, only to learn that they would not accept either my Amex Card or Travelers Checks. I offered to drive back to the our Hotel and change Trav. chks for currency; it was late and the owner told us to come back the next day to pay our check. We did. And who says the French are unfriendly?
Apr 2nd, 2005, 07:57 PM
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THANK YOU for the recommendation of the Miramar Beach! it's just what I've been looking for as an alternative to pricey Nice hotels with a sea view. I'm, amazed we haven't heard of this hotel before--it looks wonderful. The junior suite pictured on the hotel's web site is definitely worth a splurge.
