We're arriving from the US - via Amsterdam - and will probably be exhausted when we reach Nice. Should we invest a little more travel time and stay in another spot on the Riviera or is Nice nice enough? <BR> <BR>We stay there for two nights and then get on a river cruise up the Rhone. <BR> <BR>Also, how would I get to Cannes, Antibes or whereever we choose from the airport? Do hotels offer shuttle services? <BR> <BR>Any hotel suggestions in Nice or other Riviera locations would be appreciated.

Marsha, <BR> <BR>Nice has a lot to offer in the way of museums and sightseeing. The old part near the water is especially lovely. The rest of Nice is just a large, noisy city. You can hop a train from town and be in Cannes or Antibes in just a few minutes. If your hotel is a distance from the train station you can take a bus or get a cab. <BR> <BR>My opinion from staying both in Nice and in the smaller towns is that the hill villages are the best. They're charming and quiet. But, you would need a car to go up into the hills and visit the small towns. With only 2 days and arriving after a long flight you're better off staying in Nice. There's lots of night life there and good restaurants and you can walk around after dinner and have lots to see...just soak up the atmosphere. You can also get to Monaco and Monte Carlo easily from Nice by train. <BR> <BR>You'd have to check with your hotel to see if they have shuttle service but there's definitely a bus from the Nice airport into town. A cab shouldn't be too expensive if you'd rather do that. <BR> <BR>Bon voyage, <BR>Adrienne <BR>

The Meridian or Intercontinental are nice hotels in Nice--there is also the Carlton but it's very exp..... <BR>From Nice,you can do a side trip to St.Paul de Vence (1/2 hr from Nice--due N)-it's a medieval walled village with art galleries and home of Gallerie Maecht which has license on all of Miro's works. Also from Nice you can go see EZE--another medieval village that overlooks the sea--I'd rent a car at the airport and continue to drive it to the base where you catch your Rhone cruise--which boat are you on? We did the MS Cezanne a couple of yeaars ago and it was terrific--incredible excursions--

Adrienne & Andy, <BR> <BR>Thanks for the help. <BR> <BR>Andy, we're going on Uniworld's Rhone Princess. They have new ships and their sailings fit right into our schedule. They promote the fact that they are 100% American. I don't know if this is a good or bad thing. While I truly enjoy the diversity of the people from different parts of the world, the continual and repetitive announcements over the loudspeakers in four different languages does get annoying. <BR> <BR> <BR>

Marsha, <BR>In a word, yes. In a couple of words, absolutely fabulous! I stayed at a hotel right on the Promenade des Anglais, overlooking the Bay of Angels. The hotel was the Hotel Flots D'Azur, and it was quite a fantastic bargain & the staff was kind & spole fluent English. I commuted between different venues on the Riviera via train. I hope you enjoy yourself & have wonderful weather. <BR>BC

we loved Nice enough to return and spend a long weekend there. We stayed at the Park hotel, a very nice 4 star right in the center of things.

To another Marsha: <BR> <BR>Yes, Nice is very nice. It would be a great place to rest up from jetlag - stroll the Promenade des Anglais and maybe take a short side-trip to one of the hill towns like St. Paul de Vence. I especially liked the semi-tropical plants and atmosphere.

Hi, Marsha, <BR>We did the reverse and ended in Nice after the riverboat on the Rhone. We took the bus to St Paul - from the main bus station - walking distance from our hotel - neat little village. Cannes is readily accessible by train from Nice but we were disappointed - wall-to-wall people and not a lot to see and this was in March - had to go there - the wife is a movie buff. Also took train to Villefranche sur Mer, a quaint seaside village. <BR>The food in Nice is more Italian than French - probably due to the fact that it was Italian! <BR>The flower market was impressive - even in the rain - would be awesome if bright and sunny. <BR>Many people in our group were really impressed with the "big name" museums but we are not artsy and did not go. There is excellent bus and train service along the entire Riviera.I would recommend a cab to the hotel from the airport - about 20 minutes and it was 67 FF for two with luggage to the Park Hotel right on the main drag. If you want any more info or comments on the Rhone, e-mail me. Enjoy!! <BR> <BR> <BR>

With only 2 nights contemplated, you really don't have time to comfortably do more than see the sights of Nice. Nice is a nice place to visit. The old city and the port area are intriguing. the Matisse Museum and adjoining Roman baths & amphitheatre are worth a visit. There are many fine restaurants in all price ranges. with another night, you can contemplate a trip to one other destination - Eze, St Paul de Vence, Antibes, Cannes, Menton, San Remo. Don't try too much.

yes, nice is nice - just kidding - this is my two cents but, there's something about cannes - nice has the museums and galleries (chaggal museum is a must, matisse and art galleries are great), BUT the beach is smooth pebbles, not sand so if I had to chose, i'd stay in cannes and visit nice from there - my parents just got back from france, and they also wanted to go to nice, but i talked them into cannes and they agreed - there's something about the waterfront, the old town, the little streets - they also stayed at a GREAT little hotel for $40/double one block from the beach with great friendly people - check it out: http://www.azurene-royal-hotel.com/

Hi Marsha. I believe they originally wanted to call it Magnifique, but that name was already taken, so they had to settle for Nice. :^) <BR> <BR>I love Nice, especially Vieux Nice, the old part of town with pedestrian streets and pastel-colored buildings which is nestled below a hill right next to the Mediterranean. Spend an evening walking around the narrow streets and I think you'll be charmed. <BR> <BR>Antibes, which many people like, also has a wonderful old town right next to the Mediterranean but I prefer Vieux Nice.

Marsha: Nice is very nice - I think they have 300 days of sunshine a year as well - which is much appreciated if you live in the UK. The only thing you really have to watch out for is the cab drivers. Nice is NOTORIOUS for the cab drivers ripping tourists off. We had about a 10 - 15 minute cab ride from the airport when we first got there, and the cabbie wanted to charge us 350 Francs - which is about $50!!!! We looked at the listing on the side of the meter and the fare should have been about 40 - 50 Francs based on the time we were in the car ($6 - $7). We gave him 45 Francs and no tip. . . Watch the main station in Nice too, it's a bit dodgy. <BR> <BR>You should also check out the Picasso museum in Antibes as well as the artists' market there. They have quite a few local artists selling work. It's about a 15 minute train ride from Nice.

We are going on the Rhone Princess next week? How was it? Anything I should watch out for? We land in Nice, but go right to Arles. Thanks.

Capo, How do you get to Magnifique? It sounds charming!

grasshopper, "How do you get to Magnifique?" doesn't have quite the same ring to it as "Do you know the way to San Jose?"...but I appreciate the effort. :^) <BR> <BR>Anyway, it does sound charming, oui? However, I'm afraid the only way to get to it is via my brain -- and that can be very scary terrain -- since it exists only in my mind. <BR> <BR>

Nice is more than nice--it's wonderful! We're going back again in April. I'm an artist and if you're at all interested in art, I highly recommend the Chagall Museum and Modern Art Museum. A good reasonably priced hotel is The Windsor--but pass on the breakfast--it's expensive and just so-so. Steam room on top floor is fun.

Family of four will be coming into Villefranche port for just one day which will be a Sunday end of April--would like to rent car and drive and see sights without overdoing it. Can you rent car on Sunday in Villefranche? Would a drive to Eze,, Vence and St Paul de Vence be reasonable with 6 or 7 hours? Any neat reasonable restaurants in this area for a nice lunch you would recommend? Any ideas? H

Nice is fantastic. There are many smaller towns which are simply stunning, but I agree, given time constraints Nice is a good base. We booked to stay in Cannes, but then decided to move to Nice, which we thought was nicer. We stayed at the Best Western in Nice. If you can afford it I would book one of their suites. It works out to be significantly cheaper than one of the 5 star hotels but the suites are incredible, with beautiful balconies right over the promenade. The restaurant was also very good. I seem to remember that you can take a boat trip to St. Tropez for the day. Monaco is definitely worth a day trip. I'm sure you can arrange a tour from the hotel.