she_travels

Hi there. I'll be in the French Riv. in about two weeks, for a total of 3.5 days, after which I'll be heading off to Italy.<BR>I am travelling alone (f,30s) and by train and on foot only. Love to walk and can go for miles.<BR>Here is a rough itinerary. Sound realistic? How long do train or bus rides take between the cities I've outlined and Nice (homebase)?<BR>Any suggestions/comments?<BR><BR>Homebase in Nice<BR>Day 1: arrive early afternoon, hotel check-in and Old Nice<BR>Day 2: Antibes/Juan Le Pins (any specific ideas for what to do here?)<BR>Day 3: Villefranche, Eze, Monaco (dinner/gambling in Monaco/Monte Carlo? Is this a bad idea for a single female? I've done Vegas before solo...)<BR>Day 4: have just a few hours before boarding train at Nice station. Ideas?

Ronda

3. Sounds like a long full day. Haven't been to Monaco but enjoyed Villefranche and Eze very much. We very much enjoyed the Museum at the Citadel, an old fort turned City offices and Museum. Esecially liked the sculptures by Volti: http://www.riviera.fr/vsmfort.htm<BR><BR>Will try posting this as last time I posted a reply to you, it disappeared.

Ronda

OK, that worked so will try again.<BR><BR>Eze is my favorite. Sits high on a hill with a beautiful view of the ocean. Ate at a restaurant on a cliff with a beautiful view. Fragonard perfume factory is there but didn't take the tour (did in Paris, however). Skip it if you are saving time and just go to the gift shop at the top of the hill by the entrance to Eze. I like the vanilla sachets.<BR><BR>My husband's favorite artist is Marc Ferrero who has a studio gallery in Eze. www.ferrerogallery.com Lots of nice shops and a very pretty church.<BR><BR>4. Lots of shopping in Nice as well. If you want to get in some exercise, take a walk along the prominade.

Ronda

Villefranche site:<BR>http://www.villefranche-sur-mer.com<BR>Fragonard site:<BR>http://www.fragonard.com/en_index.htm<BR>Eze site:<BR>http://www.eze-riviera.com/emotions/ang/welcome.html

mclaurie

Suggestions:<BR>1.Get a guide book of the area so you can read what's available &amp; decide what interests you. Nice has markets on certain days of the week (flower, food and brocantes) so check to see whether you'll be there on those days &amp; work itinerary around that.<BR>2.Don't miss the Rothchild Estate that's now a museum &amp; gardens at Cap Ferrat (not sure it's open this time of year but check).<BR>3.Try to get to the walled hill town of St Paul de Vence. It's amazing.<BR>4.I think (have not done it myself)gambling in Monte Carlo is much fancier than LV. I believe you pay to get into the casino.<BR>

tripsr4me

Hi she_travels--<BR>I will be over there in Nice and Monaco the 8-13 of Feb.<BR>I too am a 30's f. travelling alone.<BR><BR>Are you going to be there at the same time?? Maybe we could go to the casino together- I would love to go but probably won't by myself.<BR><BR>I would love to write to you and compare notes!

bee

We did the same thing and made Nice our homebase and traveled along the cote d'azur. Everything you have down is really good but Monaco/Monte Carlo is really expensive and there's one casino where you can go in for free but I wasn't amazed by the country/city.

pop

I had a friend who was wearing a pretty dress and nice shoes that opened slightly, but stylishly, at the toes one evening in Monoco. The casino there would not let her in as they did not allow &quot;open toed&quot; shoes. If you are hiking for miles, I wouldn't go to the casino.

she_travels

Thanks everyone for your replies and suggestions! Ronda, thanks especially for the links to the towns.<BR>I've read about the area in Rick Steves and Fodors, unfortunately they don't focus much on what to do during the off-season. <BR>tripsr4me - I will be there Feb 10-13 and would love to get together! How serendipitous. My email is [email protected] - let's talk!<BR>I really appreciate the advice on this site and feel free to keep it comin'.<BR>

tripsr4me

The Ephrussi de Rothschild (or Villa Ile de France) is a mansion of the Baronness B&eacute;atrice Ephrussi de Rothschild. It's a museum in itself (the building and furnishings) and has an enormous art collection. The villa grounds have an extensive set of 7 gardens designed in different styles: French Traditional, Florentine, Spanish, Exotic, Lapidary, Japanese, Provencal. The villa is located at the northern end (entrance) of the peninsula. <BR>Open very day, year-round. 15 Feb-1 Nov: 10h-18h (19h July-Aug); 2 Nov-5 Feb: weekends and school holidays, 10h-18h.

mendota98

Hi, I will be visiting this same area in December, 2003. She_travels may I ask if you will be flying directly into Nice from a US City? Will you then use the train to make daily visits to the other towns? Finally, why did you decide to start in Nice then go to Italy rather than the other way?<BR>Thanks to Rhonda, mclaurie and trips4me. I greatly appreciate your information as it saves me hours of research and gives me ideas of places that I may wish to visit.<BR>Regards,<BR>==Mike

she_travels

Mike, I am flying from the US into Milan, because that destination got me a great price for RT tickets (250.00 from Seattle!). I am meeting up with friends who arrive later in the trip in Milan, and we will be going to Venice, Florence and Siena. <BR>So since I had a few days to myself for the first leg of the trip, and I've never been to France - I decided upon exploring this area. <BR>I will take a train from Milan to Nice, roughly 5-6 hours. Once in Nice, I plan on taking trains mostly to get from Nice to Antibes/Juan Les Pins, and other destinations along the riviera. From what I understand, there are frequent trains and buses that run between the towns. The trains are said to have spectacular views. <BR>If you'd like, I'd be happy to send you a report on my trip after I get back.

capo

Your itinerary looks fine to me. <BR><BR>Vieux Nice is a wonderful warren of pedestrian streets, Italianate colors, and great smells. <BR><BR>I haven't been to Juan-les-Pins but I really enjoyed just wandering around the old town in Antibes. <BR><BR>Eze is my favorite perched village; it has a dramatic setting and is very peaceful and romantic after the hordes of tourists have left for the day. I love the colors of the buildings in Villefranche; they similar to the colors in Vieux Nice. <BR><BR>I prefer Monte Carlo at night to Monte Carlo during the day. Not a gamblin' man, but the casino is a fantastic piece of architecture and the gardens leading down to it are beautiful. I'm curious, why would it be a bad idea for a single female to gamble? Are you worried about personal safety? If so, I wouldn't be concerned about that in the Monte Carlo casino. <BR><BR>If you can squeeze it in on day 4, or day 1, I'd highly recommend going to the top of Castle Hill, which gives you a sweeping view over Nice and the Baie des Anges. <BR><BR>Hope you have a great trip!

mendota98

Hi she_travels, thank you for the information and I would greatly appreciate any details of your trip. You will love France (it's that simple). <BR>May I ask where you found such a great price on airfare? I live in California and have paid considerably more for flights.<BR><BR>Regards,<BR><BR>Mike ( [email protected] )

she_travels

Hi Mike. I got my cheap tickets from Scandinavian Air, they had an &quot;advent calendar&quot; sale just before x-mas for RT to European destinations from Seattle, Chicago and NY only. Which is strange 'cause Seattle almost never gets the good deals! I had not planned to take a vacation, but once I saw the price, I booked within 10 minutes.<BR>I am really looking forward to exploring this area of France. Someday I'll do Paris, but I've always preferred smaller towns so I doubt I will be disappointed!<BR>Capo - thanks for the advice. Amazing how simply the color of buildings can affect the feel of a place. As far as the casino thing - I've had the impression that it would be safe and lots of security, but wanted to make sure there aren't things that a single female should be aware of. Can't explain it really. Some places in the world are not so good for American women to go alone.<BR>I have no fear of gambling itself by the way ;-) Just the people IN the casino!<BR>One last question for anyone who is still reading this: do you know what rules may apply for proper dress at the casinos there? I read about the open-toed shoes - but other than that? With men it usually simple: tie &amp; jacket. More complicated for women. Any advice would be appreciated!