Could you please suggest must-see places in French Rivera, that are easy to visit from Antibes. We will be staying in Juan-les-Pins for conference next week, and we will have four days to travel around. Most probably we will travel by train and buses. I was thinking about Nice, Monaco, Cannes. What about Eze? Would you suggest it, is it easy to reach it by public transport? Antibes - is there much to see? What particular places (museums, gardens, parks) you can reccomend in above mentioned cities and elsewhere?
Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks.

Hi Inese,

Train travel along the coast is very easy and cheap. You should definitely make sure to go to Nice early one morning on a market day (although I can't remember right now exactly which days those are). It's such an amazing market. You can pick up lots of snacks for the rest of the day (make sure to get some olives), plus great gifts four people back home (make sure you buy some spices and herbs---you'll be sad when you get home that you didn't buy sackfuls).

Eze is wonderful, and you can do it in the same day as Nice. It's mostly about the views, but what views! It's only about 20 minutes east of Nice, up a mountain. It's great that you're going next week, because I hear in the summer it's so terribly overrun with tourists that it feels spoiled. However, I went in November, and we had the place to ourselves. You can take the train for a few minutes from Nice and then a 25 euro cab ride up the hill from the Eze station (there's a public bus from the train station, but it only runs in the summer). However, I'd recommend going to the Nice bus depot (it's about a 10-minute walk east of the market) and taking a bus to Eze-Village. The view of the town from the road as you approach is beyond amazing, and it's also cheaper and faster. And while you're in Eze, make sure to go all the way to the far reaches of the cemetery at the top of the village. That's where the best views of the Mediterranean are.

There isn't much to do in Monaco unless you're a millionaire, and I wouldn't suggest going to Cannes. It was like Nice without any of the nice things about Nice (haha--I just had to fix my capitalization). However, I will say that one of the most romantic things I've ever done was to take the ferry from Cannes to Ile Sainte-Marguerite (I think that's what it's called). You can wander around this very beautiful monastery, and take in great views of the area and of Cannes. Also, you can visit the cell where the Man In the Iron Mask was kept! There are some paths for walking down to the beach where it's rocky and dramatic. Take some champagne and you're good to go. There's no one there, and it's kind of a random thing to do, but it was very calm, beautiful and romantic, in a Bronte kind of way.

Have so much fun!

Have so much fun! You'll love Nice and Eze.

You've already gotten great advice from the above poster. I would look into a bus from Antibes to St. Paul de Vence, a beautiful medieval hilltown with amazing views and some lovely if touristy shops to explore. If you go, try to have lunch at the hotel within the walls ( I think it's called "St. Paul"?). The views overlooking the valley are gorgeous!

I lived in Antibes for four years and can say that train is possibly the worst way to get around. Busses are the least pathetic form of public transport, and taxis are notorious rip-offs. Suck it up and rent a car. The hassel and constraints of public transport just aren't worth it if you only have four days to get around.

That said: Monaco is not just for millionaires, nice museums and views and many "normal" shops and cafés and restaurants. Extremely clean and safe, too. Eze is worth the trip, also St-Paul-de-Vence. Nice is a mess with the tram works, but old town and Cimiez worth a trip. Hiking along Cap d'Antibes and the Iles de Lerins off Cannes also noteworthy.

If you want to get even higher, the bus from Nice to Eze-le-Village mentioned above continues to la Turbie and Peille.

The walled old city in Antibes is fun to explore and there is a market there. Unfortunately, the Picasso Museum is closed for renovation.

St-Paul de Vence is home to the Fondation Maeght housing a permanent collection of 20th-century art by Braque, Bonnard, Chagall, Matisse, Miro, and Leger. There are also temporary exhibitions. 4km north is Vence, home to the Chapelle du Rosaire designed and decorated by Matisse.

The Chagall and Matisse museums in Nice are wonderful. The Orthodox cathedral is said to be the finest of its kind outside of Russia. Old Nice is fun to explore on foot.

Monaco is home to the Musee Oceanographique which houses 90 tanks and 4500 fish (450 different species) in an underground aquarium.

I highly recommend the two-mile flat well paved hiking path between the Cap d'Ail train station and Monaco - You can get a train from Juan-les-Pins to Cap d'Ail - then just walk down to the sea and turn left - you walk a few miles thru a totally undeveloped Riviera seascape - like you see on the travel posters but in actuality see few other places along this now highly developed coast. The signature Cote d'Azur scenery - cypress trees clinging to rocks and the deep azure-hued waves lapping at a rocky coast. There are some swimming holes here with few people - though you may see skinny dippers so don't be bashful. This is one of the most wonderful walks of many i've ever done in Europe. Return from Monaco to Juan by the Cote d'Azur metro commuter train or go by bus, in which case you can stop off at Eze on the higher up corniche road - though this is a cute village it's often super inundated with tourists and bus tours but it's worth the trek up here just for the spectacular sweeping views for miles around

I'm surprised that Heather thinks the train is so bad. We were in Nice in December and found the train a great way to get to Antibes. The market in Nice, by the way, is every day except Monday. It was even open on Christmas! Also driving and parking in Nice is a real hassle. I think the train would be a much better way to go.

I would recommend, though, possibly a one-day car rental to go up to Vence, St.-Paul-de-Vence, Tourrettes, and the Gorges du Loup. If you are at all interested in art, the Fondation Maeght and Matisse's Chapelle du Rosaire are not to be missed. In the Gorges du Loup, which is a spectacular place in and of itself, you can tour the Confiserie Florian, to see how they make candies and jellies from the fruits and flowers of the region -- all entirely by hand. We did all those things in one day from Nice. You can see my trip photos at:
http://rozault.com/riviera2005

the coastal trains are indeed very good - i had a car one August here and found the whole area gridlock - took over an hour to get down from Grasse, so ended up taking the train which runs about twice hourly between dozens of stations along the coast, including Antibes and Juan-les-Pins. The train between Nice and Ventimgilia, Italy, where this commuter line terminates, is one of Europe's most scenic lines as at places it goes right along a gorgeously virgin coast. Buses fill in the gaps nicely. Trains now roll to Grasse and buses go often to the classic hilltowns Vence, St Paul-de-Vence, Biot, Mougins, etc. Driving seems little fun here, at least in high season.

I'll pipe up again, and second (or is it fourth by now) that trains and buses really are great. They run reasonably often and the journeys are very quick (ex. only about 30 minutes from Nice to Monaco, and like 10 euros.)

And reiterate that Eze will be empty and nice at this time of year. It really is only between May and October that it is madness.

I hated driving on the Riviera, nut in the four years there I never managed to have one good experience on the trains (either late or never arrive at all, they also end service so early you can't go out at night, and there are way too many teen thugs...). Of course, these are just my own experiences, but I never met anyone down there who used the trains and busses to get around except when they were desperate (and even then you're usually SOL). But it's your vacation; if you're not in any hurry to get anywhere, then it's probably no big deal.

Just returned from the French Riviera. We were centered in Cannes. Spent a lovely Sunday afternoon just sitting outside eating great French breads and cheeses and drinking their wonderful wine and watching the people. Went to Antibes to see the Picasso Museum...alas, it is closed right now for renovations. But walking through the alleys and shopping was great fun. We did a day in Monaco and enjoyed it. Be prepared to climb. We went to the castle as well as the Casino. The casino is another great people-watching place. On Sunday we took a boat from Cannes to an island where there is a very old monastary....very peaceful. We also visited the other island where the "man in the iron mask" was imprisoned...beautiful scenery from this island...would be nice for a picnic but was a bit cool when we were there. Would suggest getting a small travel book of commonly used French words/phrases. People told us there would be no problem communicating but this was not always the case even though 2 people in our group knew some French. Have a great time. The Riviera is a lovely area.

Great thread as I am looking for suggestions for this trip in June.

Can anyone elaborate on going by train to VENTIMIGLIA? How long does it take from Nice? I do not speak one word, not one, of Italian - can I make it there? Would it be a good day trip just to get a taste of Italy?

There are several trains each hour from Nice to Ventimiglia. The trip takes between 40 and 60 minutes and costs 5.70 E. Since I've only taken the train as far as Monaco, I can't comment on what kind of "taste" of Italy you'll get.

What about a visit to old Mougins, up in hills near the science complex at Sophia Antipolis? Mougins is a charming village filled with art galleries, little shops, and several good restaurants--our favorite is Le Feu Follet.

Another interesting small town to visit is Valbonne, and you might like to see the glass-blowing center in Biot.

Inese,

Underhill beat me to it..I was going to suggest a stop at Mougins...we,too,ate at Feu Follet and loved it..our table was right on the square..food was really good...and the town is charming, filled with winding streets and many art galleries...also, weadles may have been speaking of La Colombe d'Or for the hotel "behind the walls" in St. Paul....one of my very favorite places..a lunch on their terrace, or dinner, will be memorable, I promise...I don't know about public transport as we had a car..that may be a stumbling block, but I would look into renting for some of the time...the hills and their villages and towns are beautiful.

For what it's worth, friends of ours drove to Ventimiglia, took a very quick look around (they say 1/2 hour was enough), and headed straight back to France.

I second Peillon if you want to see a very dramatic hilltop medieval village. You'll be in awe just seeing the village as you approach it. It has no tourist shops/traps except for one low-key store at the entry near the parking lot. The drive up is quite demanding but you'll be well rewarded if you're looking for a real functioning/non touristic village. Most of the alleys inside are steep and dramatized by the old stuctures and arches. Don't forget your camera to capture the sceneries.

To me the other must see that's not mentioned yet is St Tropez(about a 90 minute drive or less from Juan-les-Pins). I don't think you need an intro to St Tropez.

Ventimiglia used to be the border town where all of the French stocked up on cheap liquor, so it is a bit ugly, but the market is cheaper than in France, food is better (never could figure out why),and the Italians are very nice, even if you can't utter a word of their language! We always drove the extra twenty minutes to San Remo, which has a more scenic market and shopping area. Beware if you buy knock-off designer bags; the French customs agents randomly stop cars and will confiscate any counterfeit goods.

The morning to mid-day market in old town Nice is every day of the week.

From Nice you can take the train that goes up the mountains to Cuneo, Italy instead of following the coast. Besides the medevil villages of Peille and Peillon which to get to will require considerable walking from the train station you can easily visit the villages of Soarge and Breil sur Roya. These are both very beautiful medevil villages. Breil sits beside the Roya River which is very wide and more like a lake along the town. Soarge is a beautiful stacked village dating from middle ages. Both villages can be reached in less than 1.5 hours from Nice on the train.

Have a great time.

It’s been a week since we got back and I’m still excited about our breathtaking trip to French Rivera!
We took trains to all of the cities and some buses as well. Trains are comfortable, fast and easy way to get around the Rivera! The web site of train schedules along the Rivera given here on Fodors was very useful http://www.ter-sncf.com/UK/Default_uk.htm. I was surprised that in all train stations English was spoken! Even in small train station of Juan-les-Pins. I have only some basic knowledge of French, but we had no problems in communication and always could manage with some basic French and English. People were really friendly and kind.

As we were there only 4 days we didn’t manage to see all the suggested places, because we had to attend some events of the conference as well. We visited Juan-les-Pins and Antibes (Day 1), Nice (Day 2), Monaco (Day 3), Grasse and Cannes (Day 4).

Personally I loved Monaco very much. The place is clean and beautiful, lovely flowers and gardens all around. This place differs so much from all of the other cities and I think it’s definitely worth visiting. If you visit Monaco, my suggestion is to go to Tourist information office (near by the Casino) and get a map of buses. It saved us a lot of walking (for example, it takes more than half an hour by foot down and up the hill from Casino to the Museum Oceanographique). By the way, there is also a bus to Eze from Monaco (takes only 15 minutes to get there). We loved the Museum Oceonographique very much - lots of incredibly beautiful and interesting fish and sea creatures!
Nice was nice too. We had a nice tour there. It is definitely worth going up the hill to more distant areas of the city, as the old-town was a bit of disappointment to me (a bit dirty and inhospitable). Loved the Promenade des Anglais and lovely beach there.
The old town of Antibes was very nice. How unfortunate that the Picasso Museum is closed for renovation.
In Grasse we visited Perfume factory Fragonard. The tour was interesting and we bought some nice gifts there.

We loved the French Rivera very much and the suggestions here on Fodors were a great help. Thank you all for the advices and help! Looking forward to planning my next trip here on Fodors!