Nice, Marseille, or Monaco?
 

Hello, I am going on a trip to Europe and my friends and I want to spend a few days like 3-4 in the south of France from Paris. We are wondering, which is better Nice, Marseille or Monaco. I realize everyone is going to have a different opinion, I'm more interested in people's opinions and why they like certain cities over the other?

Wow definitely should have proofread, my apologies.

Monaco is IMO an overpriced pile of rocks on the beach. Can't stand the place, though I realize others will feel differently.

I like Nice well enough, but Marseille to me is a place with real character and soul.

How many days do you think are needed in Marseille at minimum?

Cross Monaco off the list unless you are really interested in the palace, casino, and aquarium. There just isn't much else there.

I love Nice, but am also hearing great things about Marseilles these days. Nice is a little less rough around the edges with better transportation to some of the cities/towns along the coast, but Marseilles could be great, too.

Nice.

Monaco is really only for the ultra wealthy - and prices there reflect that. And sights are limited to the palace and the casino (expensive to get in, high value games and has a dress code for anything except the outer room with slots).

Nice is a wonderful city with a number of wonderful sights including Roman ruins and there are a number of towns along the coast and in the mountains that are charming, have wonderful museums and old churches - as well as several places with great beaches along the coast.

We did a long weekend in Monaco and loved it. Did a side trip to Eze and one to Menton. While in Monte Carlo, we visited the casino, exotic gardens, palace, aquarium, cathedral and car museum. We are huge F1 fans so this was a must for us - we walked the entire course and spent extra time near the harbo and swimming pool complex. There is plenty to do and see well beyond the 'image' of Monte Carlo as just for the wealthy tho certainly, there is plenty of that to oogle as well!

We spent 4 days in Nice; enjoyed it. Took train to Bordighera for lunch, stopped in Monte Carlo for a few hours on the way back. It was ok, worth the few hours we spent there. Wouldn't go back or stay there. We spent 3 days in Marseille and while the city is a bit grittier than Paris, we enjoyed it. Had a great tour guide and we saw lots of things we would have missed. Also spent 4 days in Montpellier, very nice.

Marseille is excellent since it was spiffed up quite a bit for its role as European capital of culture last year. The new museum showcasing the civilizations around the Mediterranean is absolutely stunning -- both the building itself and the contents.

Definitely Nice! It's a beautiful city that feels more like a collection of small neighborhoods. It's easy to visit, has excellent sights and restaurants...and the Promenade des Anglais along the Mediterranean. Absolutely beautiful.

From Nice you can easily visit any of a dozen other places of interest along the coast and inland.

Monte Carlo...no.

Ok great we are going to stay in Nice majority of the time, and take a day trip to Monte Carlo, we read they are 30 min apart. I realize it is expensive, so we don't plan to be there too long! I really appreciate everyone's input.

I've been to all three, and for me without a doubt it would be Nice.
Monaco is ok to go to once.
Marseille is ok once too but feels kind of gritty to me.
but Nice I could go to every trip and be happy.

I have been to Nice twice for a total of 2 weeks and still have not seen everything I want to.

The beach towns beautiful and the villages in the hills even more beautiful.

The public transportation is great. Either the bus or train.
Go to the Tourist Info office or get a Rick Steves book to decide where you want to go and the best way to get there. Both are very economical but depending on where you are staying and where you are going one will make more sense. No rental car needed.

Here is the photo report that I made about Marseille last summer: http://tinyurl.com/mrscapital

Nice .

Marseille is gritty.. cleaned up or not.

Monaco is too expensive and too small.

Nice is just right... lol

From Nice we took a ONE euro bus ride to Monaco for a visit,, enjoyed it very much.. and on the way back we got off at Eze sur Mer and enjoyed some beach time.

From Nice its cheap and easy ( think 3-5 euros and 30-45 minutes max) to visit several cute towns along the coast.

A no brainer-- NICE. One of the most fun cities I've ever been to. Do not miss the Monday morning Flea Market at the old town (Cours Saleya?). If I could only go back to one city in France it would be Nice.... :) Have fun!

Nice, definitely. Take a bus to see Eze Village one day and a train/bus to see St. Paul de Vence another day. If you HAVE to see Monaco, take a train from Nice, take a photo in front of the casino (don't bother to enter) and then leave.

How many days do you think are needed in Marseille at minimum?>

maximum for the average tourist would be one.

there is a whole lot more to see and do in the Nice area - sweet hill towns like St-Paul-de-Vence, Vence, Bito, etc. Plus sweet cities like Antibes (also could be a nice base) and of course glitzy Cannes - take a quick look at Monaco just to say you've been there - a few hours and most are bored.

And you can take the commuter train that runs along the Riviera into Italy - Ventimiglia the border town and get a taste of Italy (like pizza!).

If Marseilles consider a day trip to Aix-en-Provence - a short enough train trip and one of the finest cities in Provence.

Nice is wonderful. I really loved it.

Appreciate the replies, after doing some research..we are deciding Nice