peterh

Hello everyone,

my wife and I are planning on taking a river boat cruise in October from Lyon to Avignon. We have extended our stay for the three days post excursion package with Viking in Nice. We just realized that our checkout date is three days prior to our flight home. So, the obvious is to extend our room for an additional three nights but that would have us staying six nights in Nice and we were hoping we could get advise on an itinerary of what to do in Nice and surrounding areas for six nights as we have never been southern France before. We will not have a car ...

Any help or suggestions would be very much appreciated...

Peterh

PalenQ

Trains trundle up and down the coast constantly - commuter trains you just hop on - no reservations possible and buses go from train stations to hill towns or direct from Nice. St-Paul-du-Vence is a popular one as is Eze for views but Antibes, neat old town on sea and Cannes (for glitz) are short train rides away. Monaco for the novlety also. Check www.oui.sncf for trains schedules and general info on trains and where to go BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com.

TDudette

DH and I used the train and bus to get all around the area on 2 different trips some years ago. One caveat is that it was before Uber, Lyft, and G7 taxis. In a March trip by bus from Menton to Nice, we agreed that the bus would be really crowded and hot in the summer. Don't know about the Fall though.

We also took a van tour that picked up from our hotel and went to many of the "tourist" places in the area: Monaco (Monte Carlo and Changing of Guard), St. Paul de Vence (ample time to walk around), Eze (and perfumerie), Cannes, and others. I have scads of tour folders but didn't write down the name of the company we used. We returned on other days by train to Monte Carlo and Cagnes sur Mer for longer visits. Check with your hotel if other Fodorites don't make suggestions.

Have a super time. Please report back about the river trip.

StuDudley

My wife & I have vacationed for 21 weeks on the Cote d'Azur - mainly in the Nice area. I developed a 35 page itinerary that describes our favorite villages, scenic drives, sites, markets, restaurants, etc. I've sent this itinerary to well over 3,000 people on Fodors. If you would like a copy - e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach one to the reply e-mail. The itinerary also includes Provence.


Stu Dudley

Christina

There is lots to do if you base in Nice for 6 nights. Nice itself could take up a couple days. By train you can easily visit: Antibes and Cannes, and you can get to some villages by bus, also. I think you can get to Grasse now by train, not sure. Lots of folks like to go to St Paul de Vence, I know you can get there somehow, I just haven't done it. You could even go to Monaco to the east easily by train if you want.

gooster

You can use the coastal line (no reservations) to get from Menton to Cannes with ease, including Monaco, Villefranche-sur-Mer and Antibes. Eze is best reached by bus (#82) and you can also go to St. Paul de Vence (#400) and Vence (Matisse Chapel). You can also use the bus with no issues in October to head to points east, but stick to the train for points west.

With a car, it's easier to go into the countryside to places beyond Vence, like Tourettes sur Loup and Gourdon, or along the coast to St. Tropez, Sanary-sur-Mer and Bandol (rose wine). There are also villages like Peillon and Peillle -- there is a lot of variety.

The Train des Merveilles still runs on weekends in Oct (and the local regular train persists) into the lovely villages along the mountains bordering Italy. The Chemin de Fer de Provence (Train des pignes) runs to Entrevaux and Dignes les Pins.

You can also take the ferry from Cannes to the Leyrins Islands (esp St. Honorat). Some of the other ferry lines, like those from Nice, are shut down for the season in October. You can also take the train into Italy, like Ventimiglia on the border or further into San Remo or even an overnight in Genoa (3 hr trip each way). And of course, you could head into western Provence, like at Aix or the Luberon.

Michael

If you like modern art, the Fondation Maeght is just outside Saint Paul de Vence reachable via public bus. Nice has a nice Matisse museum. The villa Rothschild/Ephrussi is known for its gardens and there is a nearby villa known for its Greco-Roman themes. It might be worthwhile to get a guidebook ;for the Côte d'Azur.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_..._de_Rothschild

peterh

Thank you so much everyone, this is very helpful. Are there any restaurant recommendations that anyone could make for Nice and the surrounding ares ?

StuDudley

Restaurants are in my itinerary. I have sent out four so far today - don't know if any of them are for you.


Stu Dudley

PalenQ

Yes, Grasse is now accessible by train and is a neat old-world regional town famed of course for its perfume industry - with tours and 'tastings'! Few seem to go there not sure why - guess not your proverbial hill village but a nice hilly town.

StuDudley

We found Grasse to be tad grungy. We've visited it twice in the past 20 years. Same perfume place as in Eze.


Stu Dudley

gooster

I think Grasse tends to be underwhelming, although people tell me it's an improvement over the past.

Restaurant recommendations may depend on your budget tolerance and where in Nice you end up staying. In the Old Town: Bistrot Gourmand, Bistrot d'Antoine, Comptoir du Marche, Bar Les Oiseaux Olive et Artichaut and La Merenda for traditional Nicoise cuisine. I've yet to go to Fine Guele but it is supposed to be good. Of those lining the Cours Saleya, Café Safari for a post-market lunch. Bistro Michel on nights when others are closed. In the Carre d'Or, Le Franchin, Café du Soleil, Coco et Rico, Octopussy, L'Ecole de Nice, and more simply, Vabbuo for pizza. Port: Socca at Chez Pipo, L'Ane Rouge, Les Amoreux for pizza, Le Plongeoir for lunch on the water (mainly for the view on the diving platform, but the food is OK). Of the beach restos/clubs, Le Galet or the Beau Rivage (for lunch).

At the high end of Michelin cuisine, Jan, Le Flaveur. Further afield, Mirazur in Menton, Chevre d'Or in Eze.

StCirq

Grasse is gross.

peterh

gooster, thank you so much for taking the time to provide us with all this information. We will put it to good use...

Peterh

thursdaysd

For my first six day visit to Nice (have been back twice since and still have plenty to see/do) see:

Nice to Paris: on not taking it easy in Eastern France

In general I find the restaurants in Nice overpriced, but I always visit La Voix De Son Maitre for the galettes and the decor (gramophone horns).

PalenQ

Nice's 'Latin Quarter' - not called that but in the old town by the port are zillions of restaurants and quick snacks of all types - Nice's bourballaise and pain bagnat are legendary.

Yes Grasse is not your proverbial picture-postcard hill town but because of its perfume houses/manufacturers could be interesting to some and having stayed there it is a typical regional town in many ways and not a tourist heaven/haven.

wunderbar2

We’ve gone to Antibes several times and enjoy it. Pretty little town, easy to walk, they have a great market, Marche Provençal, I think it’s open daily but closes at 1:00pm, always an interesting market to visit. Get off the main streets and amble the little narrow streets, sit in an outside cafe, have a drink and people watch. Walk down to the beach and swoon at the yachts in the harbor. A nice diversion for a day, IMHO.

PalenQ

I've also based in antibes several times and loved it - bit less touristy than Nice and more a real regional town - yes lovely market in town center and outdoor cafes everywhere. There is also a van Gogh Museum in an old fort on the sea:

Picasso Museum in Antibes - Best of Nice

Great trainand bus connections - Nice Airport is just a few miles away and east of Antibes at Biot there are miles of sandy beaches (if I recall correctly) and not all pebbles like at Nice. Cannes too is just to west with the finest beaches and gltziest yacht anywhere.

Envierges

I loved Grasse because it was gross and grungy and not at all sanitized. I had read just before my visit Patrick Süskind's book Perfume. Wonderful!!

Edward2005

trun·dle
verb

1. 1.
   (with reference to a wheeled vehicle or its occupants) move or cause to move slowly and heavily, typically in a noisy or uneven way.
   "ten vintage cars trundled past"

Excellent word. Must use it more.