Riviera questions...how to get from Villefranche to St. Paul V and Vence, Eze etc
#1
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Riviera questions...how to get from Villefranche to St. Paul V and Vence, Eze etc
We are leaving this week for Villefranche. Several questions! I am still not sure how to get to the hotel-are the bus stops at the airport a lot farther than taxis? If I take the bus will I have a long walk to Hotel Welcome?
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Is a bus from Nice to Vence the best public transportation route to Matisse Chapel? Is there a closer town? How long/complicated?
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Casual restaurant suggestions?
Thanks.
**
Is a bus from Nice to Vence the best public transportation route to Matisse Chapel? Is there a closer town? How long/complicated?
**
Casual restaurant suggestions?
Thanks.
#2
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If you're going to be doing a lot of trekking from one town to another in the hills behind the Riviera your best choice is to rent a car.
There is public transport - but depending on your itinerary it may be somewhat or very inconvenient. (It's easy to get to the bigger towns right along the coast by train - or to get from the coast back to one town - but to do from one town to another via local buses - can be a pain.)
(Friends of ours tried this - they were afraid to drive - and after 2 days rented a car. They had no patience to look up schedules, wait for buses and figure out which stopped where - esp if they changed their mind and wanted to stay someplace longer - or stop someplace they hadn;'t planned.)
There is public transport - but depending on your itinerary it may be somewhat or very inconvenient. (It's easy to get to the bigger towns right along the coast by train - or to get from the coast back to one town - but to do from one town to another via local buses - can be a pain.)
(Friends of ours tried this - they were afraid to drive - and after 2 days rented a car. They had no patience to look up schedules, wait for buses and figure out which stopped where - esp if they changed their mind and wanted to stay someplace longer - or stop someplace they hadn;'t planned.)
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hello hellokittie,
We had a different experience than nytraveler's friends. We went from Nice to St. Paul de Vence to Vence by bus and from Nice to Antibes by train with no problems. I can't answer your particular questions about which bus or how far, but there will be lots of information available once you get there, and it's not all that complicated. If you find yourself with too long a walk, you can always get a taxi.
As far as restaurants in Nice are concerned, there are tons of good outdoor cafes on and around the Cours Saleya and Place Massena (where a bunch of us here all seem to have discovered some really great pizza!)
We had a different experience than nytraveler's friends. We went from Nice to St. Paul de Vence to Vence by bus and from Nice to Antibes by train with no problems. I can't answer your particular questions about which bus or how far, but there will be lots of information available once you get there, and it's not all that complicated. If you find yourself with too long a walk, you can always get a taxi.
As far as restaurants in Nice are concerned, there are tons of good outdoor cafes on and around the Cours Saleya and Place Massena (where a bunch of us here all seem to have discovered some really great pizza!)
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hellokittie,
Love the screenname! To answer your questions: The bus from Nice to Vence takes about 50 minutes. It leaves from the GARE ROUTIERE ( main bus terminal) in the center of town, and there are at least a few buses each day that travel this route. We've made the trip several times to St. Paul de Vence, which is one or two stops after Vence. It is an easy trip, and you don't have to worry about parking!
As for restaurants:
Since you're staying in Villefranche, you're very close to the town of St. Jean Cap de Ferrat, which has several wonderful seafood restaurants down at its port. Our favorite is THE SLOOP, but there are others that are probably just as good. There's a beautiful seaside promenade in St. Jean Cap de Ferrat that winds past the old villas. It's worth taking that walk for part of an afternoon, and you can also explore the boutiques and galleries in town.
In Nice, there are tons of casual, inexpensive restaurants in the Old Town ( Vieux Nice). We like ACCHIARDO, which is a favorite of the locals, and L'ECURIE, 4 rue du Marche, which has very good French, Italian, and Nicois specialities.
There are plenty of pizza places in Nice, but our favorite has always been BARRACUDA, which is on rue Meyerbeer, just off Promenade des Anglais. The restaurant has excellent thin-crust pizza, as well as pasta dishes, all of which are reasonably priced.
Hope you have a wonderful time!
Love the screenname! To answer your questions: The bus from Nice to Vence takes about 50 minutes. It leaves from the GARE ROUTIERE ( main bus terminal) in the center of town, and there are at least a few buses each day that travel this route. We've made the trip several times to St. Paul de Vence, which is one or two stops after Vence. It is an easy trip, and you don't have to worry about parking!
As for restaurants:
Since you're staying in Villefranche, you're very close to the town of St. Jean Cap de Ferrat, which has several wonderful seafood restaurants down at its port. Our favorite is THE SLOOP, but there are others that are probably just as good. There's a beautiful seaside promenade in St. Jean Cap de Ferrat that winds past the old villas. It's worth taking that walk for part of an afternoon, and you can also explore the boutiques and galleries in town.
In Nice, there are tons of casual, inexpensive restaurants in the Old Town ( Vieux Nice). We like ACCHIARDO, which is a favorite of the locals, and L'ECURIE, 4 rue du Marche, which has very good French, Italian, and Nicois specialities.
There are plenty of pizza places in Nice, but our favorite has always been BARRACUDA, which is on rue Meyerbeer, just off Promenade des Anglais. The restaurant has excellent thin-crust pizza, as well as pasta dishes, all of which are reasonably priced.
Hope you have a wonderful time!
#5
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I think my friend's issue is that they're New Yorkers used to using public transit - but a bus here means that it runs every 10 or 15 minutes (well - every 5 minutes at rush hour) - not a couple of times per day. They were informed thre were trains and buses and assumed (wrongly) it would be like a city with more or less constant service.
They couldn;t deal with the idea of several hours between buses - but wanted to make their own timetable.
They couldn;t deal with the idea of several hours between buses - but wanted to make their own timetable.
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> They were informed thre were trains and buses and assumed (wrongly) it would be like a city with more or less constant service.
Yes, they assumed wrongly. For one thing, these are long distance/inter city bus lines to Vence, Monaco, etc. The buses within Nice city do run every 10-15 minutes. Also although long distace, No.100 Nice -Villefranche - Monaco - Menton runs about every 15 minutes. That's not bad at all and very useful line, beautiful costal route to and for only 1.30€ for one ride disregarding the distance. That's a bargain! If you are too used to driving, however, you may not be able to stand that either. A question of habit.
Yes, they assumed wrongly. For one thing, these are long distance/inter city bus lines to Vence, Monaco, etc. The buses within Nice city do run every 10-15 minutes. Also although long distace, No.100 Nice -Villefranche - Monaco - Menton runs about every 15 minutes. That's not bad at all and very useful line, beautiful costal route to and for only 1.30€ for one ride disregarding the distance. That's a bargain! If you are too used to driving, however, you may not be able to stand that either. A question of habit.
#8
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We were in Riviera in March and rented a car - we like the flexibility. We understand that we have to pay to park, but were always able to find lots easily enough.
We also stayed at the Hotel Welcome (and loved it!). We enjoyed eating dinner in Villefranche and just strolling along the waterfront and not dealing with 'getting back'. We parked in the free lot next to the castle and walked the block or so to the hotel.
Enjoy!
We also stayed at the Hotel Welcome (and loved it!). We enjoyed eating dinner in Villefranche and just strolling along the waterfront and not dealing with 'getting back'. We parked in the free lot next to the castle and walked the block or so to the hotel.
Enjoy!
#9
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I rented a charming place jusst off the main road and above the village..with magnifcent views! I had a car, but one block walk to the bus that ran very often..a 20 min. ride to old town Nice. There is the bus and the train, but I find that I like to have a car for seeing the hill places etc.
Enjoy...............
Enjoy...............
#11
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hellokittie:
Just so ya' know...We're suburban car sluts, and we still managed to get everywhere by bus/train from Nice. Matisse Chapel?-yep. St. Paul de Vence?-yep. Even Mougins and Grasse.
I guess I'm echoing Cimbrone. We found it worked for us and I don't even remember feeling as though we should have rented a car.
Google for Nice, France bus routes and you'll see some great websites with quite detailed listings of all the transport so you can make up your own mind.
Just so ya' know...We're suburban car sluts, and we still managed to get everywhere by bus/train from Nice. Matisse Chapel?-yep. St. Paul de Vence?-yep. Even Mougins and Grasse.
I guess I'm echoing Cimbrone. We found it worked for us and I don't even remember feeling as though we should have rented a car.
Google for Nice, France bus routes and you'll see some great websites with quite detailed listings of all the transport so you can make up your own mind.
#12
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So the bottom line is that both car rental and public transport are doable.
Which of the following will be more aggravating to you: Renting and returning a car, figuring out driving routes, and dealing with parking vs. figuring out train and bus times and planning your days around those. Unless I'm staying in a very rural place and going from village to village to village, I prefer public transport. Feels more unencumbered. It's all individual taste.
Which of the following will be more aggravating to you: Renting and returning a car, figuring out driving routes, and dealing with parking vs. figuring out train and bus times and planning your days around those. Unless I'm staying in a very rural place and going from village to village to village, I prefer public transport. Feels more unencumbered. It's all individual taste.
#13
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Here is some bus and train information from one of my guidebooks. All routes start in Nice.
Villefranche: 4 buses/hr. 2 trains/hr.
Antibes: 3 buses/hr. 2 trains/hr.
Monaco: 4 buses/hr. 2 trains/hr.
Cannes: Take the train. 2/hr.
St-Paul: bus every 45 minutes
Vence: bus every 40 minutes
Grasse: bus every 40 minutes
Eze-le-Village: bus every two hours. May-October you can take a train to Eze-Bord-de-Mer and a shuttle bus up to the village (8 shuttle buses/day).
La Turbie: 4 buses/day
Villefranche: 4 buses/hr. 2 trains/hr.
Antibes: 3 buses/hr. 2 trains/hr.
Monaco: 4 buses/hr. 2 trains/hr.
Cannes: Take the train. 2/hr.
St-Paul: bus every 45 minutes
Vence: bus every 40 minutes
Grasse: bus every 40 minutes
Eze-le-Village: bus every two hours. May-October you can take a train to Eze-Bord-de-Mer and a shuttle bus up to the village (8 shuttle buses/day).
La Turbie: 4 buses/day
#14
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One thing to check out is how close the bus goes to the area in Vence where the Matisse Chapel is located--and be sure to find out by phone what days it will be open. The chapel is frequently closed for the sisters' observance of religious holidays, and it seems that the regular opening days get moved about a bit. It took us 3 tries before we got there on the right day. BTW, we were able to park very near the chapel.
#15
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Yes - but they weren't in Nice - or on the coast at all. They rented a villa in some small town about 10 miles back in the hills. I told them they would need a car - but the owner had said there were buses available.
That's where the misundeerstanding came in. they wanted to tour around to several smaller towns as well as visit Nice and Cannes. And assumed there would be buses for all this every 10 minutes or so. They said the bus to Nice wasn;t so bad - but to get to other small towns there were very few buses - or one bus to another town to a second bus.
I guess they just didn;t get the idea of small towns versus a city. (I grew up in the suburbs where you did have to have a car - since the buses ran only every 30 minutes to an hour - and went a very limited number of places without changing. Not really effective unless you're too poor to have a car and/or unlimited time.)
That's where the misundeerstanding came in. they wanted to tour around to several smaller towns as well as visit Nice and Cannes. And assumed there would be buses for all this every 10 minutes or so. They said the bus to Nice wasn;t so bad - but to get to other small towns there were very few buses - or one bus to another town to a second bus.
I guess they just didn;t get the idea of small towns versus a city. (I grew up in the suburbs where you did have to have a car - since the buses ran only every 30 minutes to an hour - and went a very limited number of places without changing. Not really effective unless you're too poor to have a car and/or unlimited time.)