Nice/Villefranche
 

We are cruising the Mediterranian in July with 5 families. Our first stop is in Villefranche-Sur-mer. I have been to Nice before and enjoyed touring the old city and flower market area, have been to St. Paul DeVence (which I loved), Eze and Monte Carlo. (The rest of our party has not been to these places) I have never been to Villefranche. Since our time in port is only for hte day, does anyone have recommendations for how our party of 18 should best spend the day?

If you are in for a city scene, go to Monaco. If you want something more rustic, Eze. Villefranche is nice but you will see all you need to see in two hours.

If you'll be there for the entire day, how about Villefranche, then take the train to Antibes. I agree with Franto that Villefranche won't take more than 2 hrs. I'm not a fan of Monte Carlo, however. Does your entire group have to have the same itinerary? If someone likes concrete, glitz, casinos - send that group to Monte Carlo. Others could go to Antibes.

Stu Dudley

I also like Antibes more than Monte Carlo.
Villefranche is very small ( we just stayed for an hour)

What day does your ship dock at Villefranche. On Sundays there is a small flea market there. If it is a Monday, there is a nice antique market in Nice.

We are there on Saturday. Would it be easy to get to Eze - for the kids to see what a Medievil village looks like? I know that it is touristy - but would it be easier to get there vs. St. Paul DeVence? Is it even worth the hassle to try to get there?

Yes, it will be much easier to get to Eze from Villefranche. St. Paul de Vence is in the opposite direction- past Cannes, about an hour's drive from Nice.

It's more like 30 mins from Place Massena in Nice to St Paul if you don't hit heavy traffic or make a wrong turn.

Stu Dudley

In July, it's always taken us an hour from Nice to St. Paul. I guess we don't leave early enough?

Good point about a hour on a Sat in July.... Door to door it would probably be closer to 1 hr.

Stu Dudley

There is frequent bus service between Villefranche and Eze-le-Village. From Eze you could take a bus to Monte Carlo and visit the oceanographic museum and aquarium. Then take either a train or bus to Villefranche.

Take a bus from Villefranche to the Nice bus station (Gare Routiere). Take a bus from there to Vence and/or St-Paul de Vence.

Take the train to Antibes. Walk through the old town and visit the Picasso museum.

Or go to Nice and visit Old Nice, the Matisse museum, the Chagall museum, and the Russian Orthodox cathedral.

I stayed in Villefrance in July last summer. Our hotel overlooked the smaller harbor and each morning (at least) one different cruise ship- some very huge- were just pulling in at 7 am. Because I didn't rent a car, I walked the ten minutes to either the bus or train station. Many times cruise passengers were waiting, too, and I wanted to chime with being careful in your planning. On the day I went to Nice, for example, an additional bus was added to the afternoon run but it was still packed, and running late, and the cruise ship passengers were frantic about missing the last tender, which they made, but not by much.

You have received such great suggestions already, I will focus instead on the size and age distribution of your group. Both the bus and train stations are a steep uphill walk from where I saw folks getting dropped off by the tenders. I'm 50 ish and in good shape and as stated, could do either in a brisk ten minutes. But what about little ones, or some older relatives who might move more slowly? Be sure to factor in enough time to get to whichever station and back. Saturday bus and train service is different than weekday- although way better than Sunday, so at least you are fine there.
The aquarium in Monaco was spectacular!
So was the walk along Villefranche bay (if you explore the charming harbor area for a little while)to the Rothschild Mansion and gardens. That's mostly level and paved. Another option- it might be possible to split up, if you have lots of children in the group, so they can play on the beach while those who love gardens take the walk....
The ships seemed to drop people in time for the 8- 9 am train or bus. You will have a glorious day whatever you choose!