Italian and French Riveria
 

What are your thoughts on a good place to stay for a couple of nights along this stretch (and I know I'm covering a lot of territory)? Does anyone know how long the drive from Milan to San Remo is? How about the drive from San Remo to Marseille (average time as the crow flies, i e, I know we'll be stopping, eating, etc.)? Is San Remo worth staying in for a couple of nights, or would it be better to hop over to the French Riveria? (We're flying into Milan, and I'm planning on driving from Milan to San Remo to somewhere on the French Riveria and then up into Provence. Luckily we have plenty of time.) All thoughts, suggestions, comments, jokes, are welcome. Thanks.

Jack, <BR> <BR>I drive everywhere, too - - and in my book, San Remo is the place you stop for the night in Italy, to turn in your car, ride the train to Nice the next morning and avoid the drop charge of returning an Italian car in France (or any other country, outside Italy). <BR> <BR>The train ride from San Remo is 30-45 minutes (off the top of my head), and then maybe another 20-30 mintes to Nice. All other things being equal, the drop-off for Budget Maggiore is much less convenient than Avis (and maybe Hertz and Europcar - - I'm not sure I remember all this off the top of my head). <BR> <BR>We had a pleasant stay at the Nyala Suite hotel. Sits up on a hill, accessible by a serpentine road, but pleasant views, nice pool, competent restaurant and hotel staff. Satisfactory rooms. <BR> <BR>For other driving distances, I always recommend www.euroshell.com (nice maps to go with the driving directions and sistances) or www.mappy.com - - calculates the tolls for you. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR>

Probably you would prefer to keep going to the French side. <BR>I was delighted with San Remo because it suited my purposes, but it's true that there is nothing spectacular about the place. I thought the beach was nice, and I enjoyed mingling with the Italian tourists and seeing how they had their holidays. Also, it was quite inexpensive. <BR>Though San Remo is pleasant, in my opinion, it is not as beautiful as many other Italian cities. You can certainly get a look at all the cultural sites in town in one day (though I enjoyed stretching them out over a week). <BR>I only took trains on that trip, so I'm sorry, but I can't help you with drive times. <BR>

Jack, Definitely agree with all the above posts. We did the reverse starting in Nice (3days), then rented a car and went east along the coast to San Remo. Contrast between France and Italy is pretty evident. I don't want to offend anyone, but Fr. Riviera is so pretty, clean and well maintained. When we crossed the border, buildings appeared in need of paint and some sprucing up would sure help. We stayed overnight in San Remo, then headed back to France. Nice is great as are all the small French towns along that stretch. Have lots of fun.

Thanks, everyone. I think I've decided to focus on the French Riveria, and skip the Italian side. (For now, anyway.) <BR>Thanks again. This is a great forum!!!!