Provence/Cote D'azur
Sep 21st, 2015, 04:38 PM
#1
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Provence/Cote D'azur
We're planning to travel to Avignon from Barcelona by train next June. We want to hire a car and spend 4-5 nights in St Remy de Provence or L'Isle sur la Sorgue and another 3 in Nice. What are people's thoughts about keeping the car to explore the Cote d'Azure - parking, ease of driving, accessibility etc.
Sep 21st, 2015, 04:47 PM
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If planning to stay in Nice itself, having a car might be a bit of a drag, depending on where you stay. You can get to all the coastal places by public transportation - bus or train. I based in Nice and got to Eze, Villefrance, and Antibes easily as day trips by public transportation. However, getting to the hilltowns in the region is much harder without a car. Another trip (twice actually) I based in Vence and was able to day trips to St Paul de Vence, Tourettes-sur-Loupe (really loved that one), etc. with a car. Driving into Nice to return the car (at the train station) was easy. If you were returning it to the airport that would be even easier.
My most recent trip to that area also included 5 days in St Remy, 2 in Aix and then 3 in Cote d'Azure. I loved every second. Here's my report
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...swiss-alps.cfm
My most recent trip to that area also included 5 days in St Remy, 2 in Aix and then 3 in Cote d'Azure. I loved every second. Here's my report
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...swiss-alps.cfm
Sep 21st, 2015, 08:57 PM
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I agree with Isabel. There's no need for s car in Nice. We were there in December and used trains and buses, and it was great.
Have a wonderful time. All of Provence and the Côte d'Azur is amazing.
Have a wonderful time. All of Provence and the Côte d'Azur is amazing.
Sep 22nd, 2015, 02:08 AM
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Yes especially visiting Nice by car could be very tricky, the parking car is really expensive! The better idea is visit it by walking, or using the efficient public transport, or why not also with bikes, using the specific service called Velo Blue available in the town! Now the weather is really amazing, you will enjoy a lot of sun! I would like to advise you to take a look on this website, with a lot of information and tips about all the cities in the french riviera that you must visit! Moreover you can also read the blog with the description of the events in this beautiful area!
https://www.liveonriviera.com/en/area/
Bon Voyage!
https://www.liveonriviera.com/en/area/
Bon Voyage!
Sep 22nd, 2015, 03:20 AM
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Over 30 years, we have been about two dozen times at the Côte d'Azur which still is our favourite travelling destination because it has so much to offer. We had been there in May, June, August, September, October (our preferred time of the year) and November. We have always been driving.
In fact, on the Côte, you find some of the world's most beautiful coastal roads and driving these roads at a leisurely pace with many sightseeing and photo stops is one of the Côte's main attractions.
There are two sections of the coast which are particularly beautiful:
- The most famous coastal roads (corniches) are between Nice and Monaco. There are three corniches: the grand (the highest), the moyenne (the middle) and the bas (the lowest). All threee corniches are interconnected by small, extremely windy roads with sharp hairpin curves. You have the best views from the moyenne and the grand, so drive both (one forth, one back). In the middle of the moyenne corniche you find the mountain village Èze with great views, however somewhat spoilt by busloads of cruise ship passengers and souvenir shops. The grand corniche has the main viewpoint at La Turbie which is a giant Roman monument.
- Even more beautiful is the Corniche de l'Esterel (also Corniche d'Or) between Cannes and St. Raphael. There bright red, rugged mountains and dramatic cliffs meet with the azur-blue water of the sea. Along the road are dozens of pull-outs which make great photo stops. Make sure to climb down in one of the many coves (calanques) with picture-postcard like beaches with crystal-clear waters. You can also hike in the mountains - there are lots of trails with breathtaking views. Most of the beaches have large red pebbles, but in Antheor and Agay you beaches with red sand.
These corniches are for scenic drives - if you want to go fast, take the autoroute which is more inland.
What else has the Côte to offer?
- Cities with more or less attractive beaches, boardwalks and rows of grand hotels. In this respect, Cannes is much better than Nice (which has the world's ugliest beach). We always love go into the bar of Hotel Majestic in Cannes to sip a glass of champagne there.
- Yaught harbours (again, Cannes has the most interesting one).
- A plethora of museums of classic modern art, including the grand Chagall Museum in Nice, the Leger Museum in Biot and the Picasso Museum in Antibes.
- You have Monaco with Jacques Cousteau's Oceanographic Institute, the Palace, a cactus garden and the cathedral with Grace Kelly's grave (and the Casino).
- Some two dozen picturesque mountain villages.
- Roman ruins in Fréjus.
- The best sandy beaches are (in this order) Plage du Camp Long in Agay, some small coves on Cap Ferrat peninsula, the wide beach of St. Aygulf, Juan-les-Pins, Cannes. The best pebbly beaches are along the Corniche de l'Esterel. (There are also beautiful sandy beaches west of Fréjus, e.g. near St. Tropez, but I don't know if you want to drive that far.)
For a base, I would not select Nice. Nice is a large, busy city which is good for a half-day trip but does not make a good base. Strategically, the best base would be Antibes or the hinterland of Cannes (around Mougins). For dramatic views, choose the Esterel Coast as a base. There are hotels of all classes in Theoule-sur-Mer, Miramar, Antheor and Agay.
June will be a most beautiful time, because it is warm, sunny, everything is in bloom and you will be there before high season begins with crowds and traffic jams (July/August).
In fact, on the Côte, you find some of the world's most beautiful coastal roads and driving these roads at a leisurely pace with many sightseeing and photo stops is one of the Côte's main attractions.
There are two sections of the coast which are particularly beautiful:
- The most famous coastal roads (corniches) are between Nice and Monaco. There are three corniches: the grand (the highest), the moyenne (the middle) and the bas (the lowest). All threee corniches are interconnected by small, extremely windy roads with sharp hairpin curves. You have the best views from the moyenne and the grand, so drive both (one forth, one back). In the middle of the moyenne corniche you find the mountain village Èze with great views, however somewhat spoilt by busloads of cruise ship passengers and souvenir shops. The grand corniche has the main viewpoint at La Turbie which is a giant Roman monument.
- Even more beautiful is the Corniche de l'Esterel (also Corniche d'Or) between Cannes and St. Raphael. There bright red, rugged mountains and dramatic cliffs meet with the azur-blue water of the sea. Along the road are dozens of pull-outs which make great photo stops. Make sure to climb down in one of the many coves (calanques) with picture-postcard like beaches with crystal-clear waters. You can also hike in the mountains - there are lots of trails with breathtaking views. Most of the beaches have large red pebbles, but in Antheor and Agay you beaches with red sand.
These corniches are for scenic drives - if you want to go fast, take the autoroute which is more inland.
What else has the Côte to offer?
- Cities with more or less attractive beaches, boardwalks and rows of grand hotels. In this respect, Cannes is much better than Nice (which has the world's ugliest beach). We always love go into the bar of Hotel Majestic in Cannes to sip a glass of champagne there.
- Yaught harbours (again, Cannes has the most interesting one).
- A plethora of museums of classic modern art, including the grand Chagall Museum in Nice, the Leger Museum in Biot and the Picasso Museum in Antibes.
- You have Monaco with Jacques Cousteau's Oceanographic Institute, the Palace, a cactus garden and the cathedral with Grace Kelly's grave (and the Casino).
- Some two dozen picturesque mountain villages.
- Roman ruins in Fréjus.
- The best sandy beaches are (in this order) Plage du Camp Long in Agay, some small coves on Cap Ferrat peninsula, the wide beach of St. Aygulf, Juan-les-Pins, Cannes. The best pebbly beaches are along the Corniche de l'Esterel. (There are also beautiful sandy beaches west of Fréjus, e.g. near St. Tropez, but I don't know if you want to drive that far.)
For a base, I would not select Nice. Nice is a large, busy city which is good for a half-day trip but does not make a good base. Strategically, the best base would be Antibes or the hinterland of Cannes (around Mougins). For dramatic views, choose the Esterel Coast as a base. There are hotels of all classes in Theoule-sur-Mer, Miramar, Antheor and Agay.
June will be a most beautiful time, because it is warm, sunny, everything is in bloom and you will be there before high season begins with crowds and traffic jams (July/August).
Sep 22nd, 2015, 08:42 AM
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YOur plan sounds okay except the part about keeping a car to explore the Cote d'Azur from Nice. Either stay in Nice and visit some places by train, or do that exploring before you get there, of course. Nice is a large city, not some small town where you can be driving around in a car that easily.
Sep 22nd, 2015, 09:35 AM
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I normally rent a car from Nice airport and drive around the Cote d'Azur. I would recommend it as the train doesn't always go to the places that you want and at the time you want. I would not want to just stay in Nice and do trips from there. For instance, I don't know if you would see as much on the coastal road described by traveller1959 if you go by train. Sometimes you might want to drive and stop at a random restaurant or place which you cannot do by train. If you choose a different base than Nice, it will be easier for you with a rental car.
Sep 22nd, 2015, 09:35 AM
#8
I can tell you what we're doing, if that's of use to you. Driving from Provence, drop the car in Nice.
One day to visit Nice, one day bus up maybe as far as Monte Carlo, visiting Eze, villa Ephrussis, etc along the way, one day train the other way, possibly to Cannes.
That's the general plan at the moment.
One day to visit Nice, one day bus up maybe as far as Monte Carlo, visiting Eze, villa Ephrussis, etc along the way, one day train the other way, possibly to Cannes.
That's the general plan at the moment.
Sep 22nd, 2015, 09:51 AM
#9
The Côte d'Azur is good for driving along the Corniche for one day. Afterwards, you can drop the car off in one of the towns, and it will not hinder your explorations at all, because the commuter rail line runs all along the coast, and also a municipal bus line.
Sep 22nd, 2015, 10:08 AM
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It may well be the case that the train line has the best views along the coast, but without a rental car, you cannot always reach the smaller villages/towns easily. If the OP only wants to visit places on the train or bus routes, which I guess is what most tourists do, then it is not a problem to be without a rental car.
Sep 23rd, 2015, 01:12 AM
#12
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Hi Chocolatier
I think it depends on what you really want to do.
June is pretty busy on the roads in Cote d'Azur and you could easily spend 3 days in Nice without a car and see and do a lot. On balance I would say that's the best option especially if you don't know Nice which merits a day in itself. Combined with something like a day in Cannes or Antibes and a day in Monaco which are easy to get to by train you will be doing fine. There is a huge amount to see in the area and you can't do it all.
Best
Peter
I think it depends on what you really want to do.
June is pretty busy on the roads in Cote d'Azur and you could easily spend 3 days in Nice without a car and see and do a lot. On balance I would say that's the best option especially if you don't know Nice which merits a day in itself. Combined with something like a day in Cannes or Antibes and a day in Monaco which are easy to get to by train you will be doing fine. There is a huge amount to see in the area and you can't do it all.
Best
Peter
Sep 23rd, 2015, 06:41 AM
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There are several railway ideologists here on this forum.
Myself, I do not mind taking the train. I have frequent traveller status with my national railway company and I often use the train for business trips.
But, for the Côte d'Azur I strongly recommend driving.
>>>portions of the train line have the best views of all because it sometimes runs right along the sea, much closer than the road <<<
This is simply not true. First, look on a map or at Google Earth. The Corniche de l'Esterel and the train line are parallel, but for the greater portion, the road is closer to the sea than the train. Second, the windows of the regional trains are often dirty and scratched. Third, the train stops at stations only. Yes, you can leave the train and walk around a bit until you board the next train. But with a car, you are really free in what you do. You can stop at hidden coves and walk down to the beaches, you can go to the points of the cliffs for phantastic photo spots, you can drive into the mountains to walk scenic trails etc. You come much closer to nature as from a train waggon.
The Rolls-Royce people knew why they named their convertible "Corniche".
And again, I do not recommend spending much time in Nice. The beauty of the area is along the coast and partly in the hinterland and not in the big city. Big cities with museums and Old Towns and shopping streets you find everywhere on this planet. The Côte d'Azur is unique.
Myself, I do not mind taking the train. I have frequent traveller status with my national railway company and I often use the train for business trips.
But, for the Côte d'Azur I strongly recommend driving.
>>>portions of the train line have the best views of all because it sometimes runs right along the sea, much closer than the road <<<
This is simply not true. First, look on a map or at Google Earth. The Corniche de l'Esterel and the train line are parallel, but for the greater portion, the road is closer to the sea than the train. Second, the windows of the regional trains are often dirty and scratched. Third, the train stops at stations only. Yes, you can leave the train and walk around a bit until you board the next train. But with a car, you are really free in what you do. You can stop at hidden coves and walk down to the beaches, you can go to the points of the cliffs for phantastic photo spots, you can drive into the mountains to walk scenic trails etc. You come much closer to nature as from a train waggon.
The Rolls-Royce people knew why they named their convertible "Corniche".
And again, I do not recommend spending much time in Nice. The beauty of the area is along the coast and partly in the hinterland and not in the big city. Big cities with museums and Old Towns and shopping streets you find everywhere on this planet. The Côte d'Azur is unique.
Sep 30th, 2015, 01:47 PM
#15
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Thanks for all these suggestions. I am not stuck on staying in Nice, but we will be flying from Nice to Naples. I am worried about driving in Nice ( although I have driven in Paris, albeit by accident) because of parking, driving on the other side of the road in a busy city etc.
Anyone have any suggestions for an alternative central location (smaller town ). I'm thinking we could base ourselves there and do a couple of day trips and drop the car off at Nice airport when we leave.
Anyone have any suggestions for an alternative central location (smaller town ). I'm thinking we could base ourselves there and do a couple of day trips and drop the car off at Nice airport when we leave.
Oct 1st, 2015, 09:26 AM
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Probably the closest one, Antibes, although it's not really super small. But that would be an easy drive to the airport if you stayed on that end of town (north). And it's got a rail station, of course. Or else Cagnes-sur-Mer which is the only one inbetween Antibes and Nice on the rail line (except for St Laurent du Var, just a suburb with a big mall).
Oct 1st, 2015, 09:39 AM
#17
Agree with Christina, but consider Juan les Pins as well, which is next door, so to speak, from Antibes. Using JLP as a base, you can drive around Cap d'Antibes into Antibes, not to mention all up and down the coast. It also is on the rail line, and about a 10 minute train trip to Cannes.
It has a great sandy shoreline (much nicer than the rocky Nice beach), and easy, free street parking, even during festival season (i.e. July).
It has a great sandy shoreline (much nicer than the rocky Nice beach), and easy, free street parking, even during festival season (i.e. July).
Oct 1st, 2015, 09:56 AM
#18
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Antibes is sweet - not a huge town - lively town center - not hard to reach by car and has train service for trips up and down the Riviera - easy drives to the iconic hill towns like St-Paul-de-Vence and Vence (check out the Foundation Maeght in St Paul - for art lovers!) - Antibes is an easy drive to the airport. More a real town to me than others along the coast.
Oct 1st, 2015, 11:50 AM
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Antibes has an excellent location in the midst of things. Besides, it is a historic town with a fortress and a port and a modest Picasso museum. Certainly a good base.
Juan-les-Pins is a seaside resort with a wide sandy beach and a row of hotels. Otherwise not much interesting.
If you prefer a location in town, Antibes would be my choice. But, as always, what counts is microlocation. Use search engines to find accomodation and use Google Earth (or another satellite map) to spot the exact location of your accomodation.
Think about what you want: Do you want to stay inside a town which the option to walk around town in the evenings, find cute little restaurants? Or do you prefer staying at a beach with strolling along the beach in the mornings or in the evenings? Or do you prefer a boutique hotel in the mountains where the pace is a bit quieter and you have the feeling of a mountain village with tiny restaurants?
Juan-les-Pins is a seaside resort with a wide sandy beach and a row of hotels. Otherwise not much interesting.
If you prefer a location in town, Antibes would be my choice. But, as always, what counts is microlocation. Use search engines to find accomodation and use Google Earth (or another satellite map) to spot the exact location of your accomodation.
Think about what you want: Do you want to stay inside a town which the option to walk around town in the evenings, find cute little restaurants? Or do you prefer staying at a beach with strolling along the beach in the mornings or in the evenings? Or do you prefer a boutique hotel in the mountains where the pace is a bit quieter and you have the feeling of a mountain village with tiny restaurants?
