Nice
 

Greetings,I will be staying in Nice for three days without a car.What would be the best way to travel to the adjoining cities such as Grasse, Eze? In addition to Monaco, what places should not be missed. <BR>Thanks for the help.

Hi Jess <BR> <BR>The best way to travel to Monaco etc is by Train. To check out schedules and items of interest in Nice go to: <BR> <BR>http://www.sncf.com/indexe.htm for train info, and <BR> <BR>http://www.nice-coteazur.org/americain/index.html for info on Nice. <BR> <BR>Enjoy this part of the French Riviera.

Don't miss st.Paul de Vence-old medeival town full of art galleries-home to Miro.Make sure you go to the Gallerie Maecht inside the walled city-

If you mean Eze village, it is a very easy bus ride from the central bus station. The bus is cheap and it runs frequently. Monaco is about 15 minutes by train. I'd also suggest Vence and St. Paul de Vence, both of which I easily accessed by bus. <BR>Ellen

Normally we always take trains... but to get from Nice to Monaco... we super slurged and took a taxi ride... since we had heard that the views along the motor way were to die for.... well guess what? They were!!!! Spectacular.. so glad we did, it only cost about 25.00 USD with tip so about thirty,,, it was a super slurge but it was worth it to us!

We went by train to Antibes,Cannes,and Monaco. We were sorry that we purchased a round trip train ticket to Monaco for we saw that a bus went back to Nice from near the Hotel Paris and the large casino. I hear that the view was wonderful and much cheaper than a $25. taxi ride. It is very easy to get around by bus and train and they run often.

The train is a great little commuter railroad that runs along the coast, (btw with some fabulous views between Nice and Menton, so sit on the right when going towards Menton). It's easy to use and to get tickets in the station. Visit Villefranche-sur-Mer, 5 minutes away, a tiny and very charming former fishing village with a nice old town and a sandy beach; Monaco, Menton. Going in the opposite direction towards Cannes, visit Antibes and the Picasso museum in the Chateau Grimaldi. Bus suggestions above are also wonderful. I love Nice itself: Vieux Nice is well worth exploring, the Chagall, Matisse and Beaux Arts museums are all excellent, the Cours Saleya food and flower market is a lovely early morning visit, the area around the port and also the Chateau in Nice are great places, too.

I went to Grasse from Nice, and you have to take a bus from the main bus station (no train). It takes a while going around those hills but is easy enough to do I guess. It was okay, but I wouldn't put it at top of my must-sees unless you are a perfume fanatic. I probably would have been more enthusiastic but it rained almost all day. The perfume museum and "factory" tours are interesting enough, I like seeing old bottles, ads, etc., and did learn something about how perfume is made. I just went to one of the main ones near the perfume museum, it's really for tourists, not their real factory.

just beware - the trains on the riviera are great but there's not much room fro large baggage and watch for pick pockets!!! - my parents took the train and saw some american tourists being bothered by local con artists - just be smart :)