Is a car necessary to see Nice region?
 

I am planning on going to the Cote d'Azur next March and am hoping to avoid renting a car. Is it possible to travel by train and see smaller towns? I do want to see Nice and Monte Carlo, but that is not where I want to spend the majority of time. All suggestions for towns/hotels are appreciated!

You can see many of the smaller towns via public transportation. The train runs along the coast all the way to Italy; Monte Carlo, Cannes, and Nice are train stops. If you want to go to St Tropez, you take the train to St Raphael, then take a bus to St Tropez (which is on a peninsula). In Nice there is a big bus terminal, with buses that go up into the hill towns (like St Paul de Vence). Though a car is more convenient, the experience of riding with the locals on the bus more than makes up for it.

I agree, you shouldn't need to rent a car. I recommend you visit a small town called Eze which is between Nice and Monaco. I believe there is a bus that runs from Monaco to Eze. There is a perfume factory there as well as beautiful Provencal/Cote d'Azur countryside. Happy Travels.

I did not rent a car for a 4 night stay in Nice. You can easily get to Cannes, Antibes, Monaco by train. The central bus station has frequent service to Eze village, Vence, St. Paul de Vence, and Cap St. Jean Ferrat for the wonderful Rothschild Gardens and House. <BR>Ellen

The bus service is very good between the cities. Although we had a car, we used the bus to go into Nice from Villefrance, it was inexpensive and comfortable. The only problem you may have which you should check out early is going to Monte Carlo. The last train back was like at 9:00pm. Therefore, if you want to do dinner and casino there, you could run into a time problem.