Eyeing a decent fare from ATL to Nice for early next March. Tenatively planning on renting a car and visiting Menton and the Cinque Terre. Need some help before we book: <BR> <BR>1) Is early March really too early to go? Will we freeze? <BR> <BR>2) Has anyone rented a car and driven it into Italy? I know that there are more restrictions/costs involved in renting IN Italy, but not sure what's required to drive it into Italy. <BR> <BR>3) Is Nice worth a stop? It seems like it may be too busy and expensive (at least in comparing hotel prices it seems to be). <BR> <BR>Thanks in advance for your help. Southern Spain is competing for this space in our vacation plans, but the travel arrangements are a bit more difficult and expensive. Thanks!

Hi Brian in Atlanta. I personally did not love Nice, but I did love Antibes which is practically next door and if I were going back that way, it's where I would stay. Nice was OK but not spectacular. It is a bigger city than I expected, not necessarily in a good way, and the beaches are very rocky (not sand). I thought restaurant prices in Nice were more reasonable than in many other parts of France. The Picasso Museum in Antibes is one of my favorite places that I've ever been to -- even if you're not an art fiend it's worth a stop. The train trip east from Nice into Italy along the coast is glorious (we headed to Florence after Nice; haven't been to Cinque Terre yet so can't help you there, but I'm hoping to go there within the next couple of years). I personally would not rent a car but that's just me -- trains suit me better, particularly in Europe, and I don't think you really need one for the areas you're going.

This month's (oct) Wine Spectator has a fabulous article on Italian wines and a beautiful story on Cinque Terre. We had decided to drop it off our itinerary in May, but are reconsidering. I'm such a sucker for gorgeous scenery and views...

I tell you what, Diane, that article and those pictures pushed Ireland/England and Southern Spain down our list. I simply had to go. It's always nice and sunny like in the pictures, right? <BR> <BR>And thanks for your input Lisa - sounds like my hunch about Nice may be right. And I'd love to avoid the car and train it, but it appears somewhat tiring to get from Nice or Menton to Monterosso by train. But I did go ahead and by the tickets, so I've got about 5 months to work out the ground transport. Thanks again.

Hiya, <BR>There's direct train service from Nice (downtown, though, not the airport) to Menton, umpteen daily departure times (commuter line). We've rented cars both at the Nice airport and in Menton itself, both easy. I agree that Nice is okay but not as nice as Nice ought to be. Menton, on the other hand, is very pleasant. Exploring the towns on the Cote d'Azur (and the hills behind, for which a car is essential) is pure joy. March weather will probably be okay, maybe lemon blossoms in Menton, consistently the best weather in France. Cool or grey days aren't unknown, though. <BR> <BR>Driving into Italy from Menton is no biggie, it basically entails a couple of blocks; there really is no break in "town" except the Italian side is a little grubbier IMHO. I'd rent the car in France and not sweat Italian car rental yoga; probably cheaper in France, too. How long will you be over yonder? If 3+ weeks I'd recommend the Renault Eurodrive program for additional savings. <BR> <BR>I confess we haven't traveled to the Cinque Terre; I think we're a little fearful of the Rick Steves Effect. <BR>

A few years ago I traveled in these areas. Flew into Venice (4 nights), took overnight train (won't do that again) to Genova and changed trains to Santa Margherita (3 nights), took the train to Antibes (5 nights). We enjoyed using Santa Margherita Ligure (SML) as a base and spent one day in Cinque Terre. I would have liked more time, but we also wanted to visit Portofino and have time for relaxation. It's about an hour train ride from SML to the most southern of the five towns of the Cinque Terre. Don't expect the towns to be tourist free. Rick Steves has put this area on the map, however, it is certainly worth the visit. The views are beautiful -- so is the view of Portofino as you take the boat into the harbor. <BR> <BR>We enjoyed staying in quaint Old Town Antibes. We strolled around for a day and rented a car for three days visiting Eze, St. Paul de Vence, and Vence. The old town of Antibes has many charming restaurants and small shops. The pastry shops are to die for. <BR> <BR>This turned out to be one of the best vacations I ever had. Great destinations.

Forgot to mention, we flew home from Nice.

Brian, I have done that route twice and <BR>love both Menton and the CT. I always drive, but the train connections are easy thru Genoa and then on to your choice of CT towns. Hard to beat Monte- <BR>rosso as a a base camp, but Levanto has <BR>some assets as well. If you do rent a car in France then try to return there <BR>as well---you will save alot. <BR> <BR>My favs at the Cote d Azur are Menton, <BR>St. Paul de Vence, Antibe, Villefranche, <BR>and the drive on the road that follows <BR>the Loop river from Nice to St. Paul. <BR> <BR>Let me know if I can help.

Don't know about driving in Italy (although I'm planning on it for my next trip) but I rented a car at the Nice train station last summer and drove through Cote d'Azure and Provence with no problems at all. Definitly go to Vence and St Paul de Vence (I actually like Vence more - it's more real, St Paul is wonderful but almost too perfect, like a movie set. Vence was plenty touristy but you got the feeling there were actually a few real people living there. Parking the car in France was never any problem. Every town has a garage or lot just outside the old section.

Brian, <BR> <BR>First of all, I feel Iike changing my name to "Daniel in Atlanta," since we share the same home base. <BR> <BR>We just did the drive you are asking about, although in the opposite direction as part of a longer itinerary. <BR> <BR>After having read (and read, and read, and read) about most of our intended destinations on this site, I was actually quite impressed with Nice, much to my surprise. As others have mentioned, Antibes was also charming. Menton was lovely as well. <BR> <BR>I was dissappointed, however with the extreme "Disney-tourism" nature of St. Paul de Vence. The countryside was lovely, but the village itself might as well been a plaster cast put there by Walt himself. The only memorable thing I can say about the place is that the baguette with luscious cheese I had at a large outdoor cafe soothed the fact that we weren't able to get into Colombe d'Or (which I'd also read about on this site.) <BR> <BR>As for driving, it's a breeze. You will probably find that France has more toll stops than Italy, and that the Italians are better drivers. (Just my opinion. We rated Germany and Italy as best for driving on this trip.) <BR> <BR>The Cinque Terre is spectacular from the entry points and upper roads. Levanto looked pretty tasty to me, and we remarked that we might even go back there, although it is rarely discussed here. Monterosso is nicer than described and Vernazza is less than I expected based on discussions here. <BR> <BR>Another spot that I found more charming than I expected was Santa Margherita. We only passed through because we were headed to Portofino, but Santa Margherita seemed much more "real" and was just as beautiful in my opinion.

brian, <BR> <BR>If you can get a car - do. Forget Nice. Antibe has a great daily covered market and alot of fun to go - closes at 1pm. We stayed in Villefranche sur mer - a picture postcard town. It's a small harbor dripping with charm. We stayed at the htl provencal. Two star and cheap $55.00. It's okay. Then to hilltown of EZE - a must stop on the way to Monte Carlo and Menton. Sounds like a great trip. The train stops in Villefranche if you decide to train it. And then take a day trip by bus up to EZE. The trains along the Riviera coast are excellent. Don't stay in Nice.

We went to Cinque Terre for 5 days as a vacation from the vacation. Loved it, the food was some of the greatest we had had in Italy, which is saying a lot. We enjoyed it because we love to hike, and took long coastal hikes every day, coming back to hit the public beach for a few hours late in the afternoon. The public beach was pretty scruffy - people litter like crazy - but we didn't want to pay for the private areas for just a few hours. Monte Rossa, where we based, was fun for our kids. It was small enough we let them go on their own, and just large enough to hold their interest. We took the train in, after leaving our rental car in La Spezia, and out to Milan to catch the overnight to Paris. <BR> <BR>Find a book or website that lists monthly weather conditions - the CT seems pretty exposed to me, and I don't think it would be a great place to hang if the weather wasn't great. <BR> <BR>Have fun.

Thank you so much for all your input. I'll be sure to tap this wealth of knowledge as we get closer to the trip.