Hello! My fiancé and I are getting married in October and are going on a honeymoon to Nice and Paris. This thread is specifically about Nice. I know we are tourists, but we aren't wanting to spread ourselves too thin and would like to have a relatively laid back schedule. Here is a high-level itinerary so far, and I am completely open to everything changing . This is my first time travel planning and it also helps its my honeymoon too


Wed, Oct 23:
- Land in Nice at around 10 AM
- Explore Old town specifically and possibly visit museum (try to stay awake until night)

Thurs, Oct 24: *Explore Nice Proper day*
- Visit Old town (Castle Hill, Palais Lascaris, Saleya Market)
- Visit one of the museums in town in the afternoon
- Head to Villefranche in the evening for dinner

Fri, Oct 25: *East of Nice day*
- Villa Rothschild in the morning (possibly visit other places on St. Jean Cap Ferrat - open to suggestions)
- Lunch and visit in Eze
- Head to Monaco (casino, yacht cub, dinner, open to other things as well)

Sat, Oct 26: *West of Nice day* (Really need help on this one)
- We would love to go to Antibes, and know there is a lot to do there.
- Would like to do: Picasso Museum, hike to some beaches on Cap Antibes (we know it will be too cold to swim), Walk around Antibes
- We would also love to go to St. Paul de Vence (I know it is out towards Antibes so that is why I have it on the West of Nice day)

Sun, Oct 27:
- Leave in the morning on a train to Paris.
- Need advice on which train to take to Paris*


Here are the points that I would like some advice on specifically:
- Because we are only in Nice for 3 full days, does the Nice proper, east, and west method make the most sense? Also, should we switch around the days and where we go?
- I would prefer to use public transportation. I know it would probably be easier to have a car to get to St. Paul De Vence, but I don't think it would be worth it to have a car for that one day.
- I have heard it is best when you arrive in the morning in Europe to try to stay awake as long as possible to get rid of jet lag. What are some things we could do on that first day we arrive?
- What other things are we missing out on that I should add or take away from the itinerary?

Research train schedules here
https://int.bahn.de/en

Schedules for October will probably not be listed yet - so choose a date in May to determine a probable schedule.

Then book your ticket here:
https://www.thetrainline.com/en-us?redirected=true

I would not try to travel too much from Nice. Buses will get you to the Rothschild place & St Paul. But you'll need to do some homework to figure out the bus schedules. You'll need a train to get to Antibes, and the station is a bit of a walk from the village. Unless you love congestion, concrete, and glitz - skip Monaco.

Attached is my Cote d'Azur itinerary

Stu Dudley

You may find it interesting to cycle along the sea front, you can hire bikes/ebikes there and the front goes a long way west and then the cycle path finally cuts north in a beautiful valley garden area. Up to you of course but just a different way to spend a day/ half day.

Public transport follows the front as well https://www.explorenicecotedazur.com...s-and-tramway/

I would get a car for your west day -- the bus ride to get to StPdeV is waaaaay too long. Easy to pick up a car at Nice train station and go from there, you can do both in same day. If you want a very special experience, reserve lunch at Colombe d'Or, probably the most famous and oldest restaurant on the Riviera. The art hangs over your plates and the setting is just perfect 'old school.' Not much otherwise to see/do up there, we found the Maeght Fondation disappointing, wish we had skipped that and gone down to Antibes instead. Yes, Ezes is worth a visit, we had a car both times there as the drive along the Corniches much fun, be sure to go on clear day. Believe you can get up to the Chagall Musee just north side of Nice by bus prettily easily. We love staying at La Perouse for its location, vista over the sea, 5 min walk into old town, and not on the noisy Promenade. They have just reopened after renovating two years ago, and we also stayed previously 30 years ago. The rooms with large terrace are great but you may want the small balconies facing the Med. Give it a look.

Be aware that the trip from the autoroute down into the town of Antibes can take longer than you expect: lots and lots of traffic. Parking is difficult; so try to get into a pay lot rather than parking along the street, especially near the Picasso Museum.

We loved the La Perouse in the days when the décor was Provençal rather than more modern. But the views from the end of the corridor near the elevator are wonderful--some of Raoul Dufy's paintings originated there when he lived at the hotel. Room prices are not cheap, but it's a wonderful experience. An alternative is the adjacent Hotel Suisse; the rooms are on the small side, but with balconies with great views.

Another hotel we like is the Westminster, right on the Promenade des Anglais. The rooms overlooking the Mediterranean have fabulous views, and the hotel staff are helpful.

Swimming: Were last there October 2022, and it was warm enough for husband to cross the street and take a swim, so do pack for such!
Rainy days: Had very heavy rain first day (Sunday) of our five nights, took a taxi up to the Chagall, but alas, what does everyone do on rainy days -- go to the museums -- the wait outside on line was 1 1/2 hours!! Took taxi back to hotel.
Liquor store hours: Also know that on Sundays, the liquor stores close at 1 p.m.! Walked the market in old town after being dropped back, and wanted to pick up wine to bring back to our room, but could not.
Outstanding Italian: At the end of the old town main street, the street name changes, and on the corner is: La Voglia. Lines form good half hour before opening each night, reservations a must, and I wish I kept the pictures of our meals. Used to excellent Italian here in Metro NYC, it was EXCELLENT, and is not fancy, many locals.

St-Paul de Vence is not a real village anymore rather a village of art galleries with one must visit restaurant, Colombe d’Or.

Congratulations on your wedding. Here are some suggestions (we have a place in Nice).

Day 1 you can usually do quite a bit on your first day but late afternoon will be tiring. I'd go up to Castle Hill and explore the Promenade to get plenty of sun. You could try to book a late lunch (months in advance) at le Plongeoir. You could take the bus (5?) up to the Chagall Museum. I'd just avoid any fancy dinner the first night, although frankly your body will begin to respond later in the evening vs. late afternoon. If you hit one of the city museums in the afternoon, I believe your all-city ticket is good for 24 hours, so you can hit one the next morning.
Day 2 I would go to the market in morning and pop into Lascaris (it is tiny) or the Negre (photography) but I'd either take a late lunch in Villefranche-sur-Mer rather than dinner. There are frankly nicer restaurants for dinner in Nice, on any budget. The main attraction of VSM for dining is lunch on the waterfront. You could actually walk around Cap Ferrat or walk up to Fort Alban (or take the bus to Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild to unload Day 2).
Day 3 Other than the small village of St. Jean and the Villa, the walk is the only thing to do on Cap Ferrat. Otherwise it is a lot of high fences and closed compounds. Book your lunch at Eza -- you may want to splash out for Chateau Eza or Colombe d'Or (or Les Remparts for a less pricey option but with a terrace). Your visit to Monaco will depend on your interest.
Day 4 You can take the train to Antibes pretty easily. It is about a 1km from the main station. You can walk around Cap d'Antibes but the nicer sandy beaches are not on the real wilder portion. To ease the trip to St. Paul, you could consider an Uber from Cagnes sur Mer (and the train station there) or Antibes. The long slow direct bus from Nice to St Paul has been eliminated -- you either need to transfer once (via tram to bus 9, bus to bus) or take the train to Cagnes-sur-Mer, then transit from there (slightly faster).
Train: Take a look at the SCNF Connect site. There is a direct train that takes 5h40 minutes. It is not every journey, so plan accordingly. OuiGo is the 2nd class only train (and more limited service) but the upper deck has two person seats (and one person seats), non face to face that are not too uncomfortable for the journey.

A word on hotels. La Perouse, newly renovated, is an excellent choice for views. But also note, there is a flurry of new four and five hotels are opening this spring and summer, so you may be able to score an early deal on a really nice honeymoon location. For example, the Hotel du Couvent is accepting reservations -- it is in the Old Town, next to the hill and is a converted 17th century convent. There is also the Le Victoria (Maison Albar), a renovated grand Belle Epoque hotel, with an ideal location right on Jardin Albert 1er next to the Promenade, with just the gardens between it and the sea (just a few doors down from the new Anantara Plaza).

Head to Villefranche in the evening for dinner
Have a fantastic bouillabesse in one of the harbour restaurants (with a chilled bottle of Rosé de Provence (Provence pink wine)

TGV train Nic-Paris

Parking in Antibes is fine, there's a large carpark next to the old town by the port. The walk around Cap d'Antibes is very nice, park at Plage de la Garoupe and have lunch at Plage Keller before or after your walk. To see and do everything on your list for the days outside Nice, I would want a car. True you can take take the train to Antibes, but you'd need a bus to get to the Cap, while it's a very short drive. I would get off the motorway at Villeneuve-Loubet and continue along the sea until you get to Antibes. Or just follow the coast from Nice, on a Saturday morning there will be less traffic. You could also stop in Biot or Haute Cagnes.