My wife and I will be on a late September cruise that stops in Nice. We would like to spend the day in St. Paul de Vence, which we've heard is a beautiful town. I'd appreciate suggestions about getting there, and what to do when we're there. Thanks. - Steve in Connecticut

You can take a bus from the main bus terminal GARE ROUTIERE . The bus station is in the center of town, easy to get to. the cost of the bus each way is 1 Euro. the buses run very frequently and the trip is about 1 hour. I believe the bus you want is #400. Buy your tickets inside the terminal. If you have the time while in St, Paul try to see the Maight Foundation Museum. It is fabulous.
Have fun

St-Paul-de-Vence is a lovely but tiny walled town. There are shops, restaurants, and art galleries. The Maeght Foundation is about a kilometer away and contains modern art.

The Maight is worth a visit and lunch or dinner at the Colombe D'or.

If you have time, visit the Matisse Chapel in Vence.

We would like to do St. Paul de Vence and Vence in the same day by bus from Nice. Would we buy point to point tickets or is there a ticket that would allow us to do the whole trip?

It is a very tiny town but is defintely worth the day trip.

If you poke your nose in every shop in St Paul - doubt if it will take much more than a couple of hours to see all of it. Plan to see some other places in the region too - Vence, Maeght, Gourdon.

Stu Dudley

Hi; St Paul is a small walled village, but well worth a visit. You can also view Chagalls burial site/stone in the cemetery. Richard

I don't think you could easily fit in a trip out to Gourdon, which takes a good hour each way once you're at the entrance to the road that winds around the valley. But Vence is only 20 minutes from St-Paul, and the old part of the town is lovely. If time permits, you could have a go at the mountain town of Tourettes-dur-Loup, however. It's a town known for its artisans and a good place to look for pottery and wood products.

Be aware that while St. Paul de Vence, the Maeght and the Matisse Chapel are all pretty close together, they are not necessarily walking distance from each other. The Maeght is less than a KM from St. Paul de Vence, but the Matisse Chapel is more like 3 miles away and parts of the area are pretty hilly with no real sidewalks to speak of. I know that the number 400 bus line runs through there between Nice and Vence, but I have always driven it, so don't know how convenient it is to sight see this area by bus, but others here may have done that.

According to www.viamichelin.com Gourdon is 30 mins from St Paul - but I agree that Tourrettes would be a better choice of a place to visit. I forgot about Tourrettes.

Stu Dudley