. . . is that finding threads about it is difficult because it is such a common word!

I am going to Nice for the weekend this weekend, arriving Friday 5pm and leaving Monday lunchtime.

I would like to go to Villefranche sur Mer, and would welcome any other "must-see" places in/around Nice. I am not interested in visiting Monaco.

Any suggestions most welcome! Thanks!

there is a lot to see in Nice , but if you must visit some places: Eze and VF are easily reached by bus .

We enjoyed a bus trip from Nice to Beaulieu sur Mer and walked from the main road (where the bus drops you) to the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild. It is a beautiful house with lovely grounds. We had coffee and cake in the lovely tearoom, inside the house. Well worth it.
Kay

Here is my trip report from Nice, May 2006. We loved it there.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34810691

Thanks very much for the tips!

There are so many interesting things to do in Nice itself that you wouldn't really need to venture away since you're only there for such a short time. But Villefranche is very close so you could easily make that excursion.
In Nice there are a number of excellent museums the Matisse, Chagall and Contemporary are my favorites. Wandering around the old town neighborhood is always interesting-rue Droite is lined with art galleries.
The market in Cours Saleya is one of my favorite markets in the world. You'll see all types of food vendors and be sure and try the local specialty, socca.
Wandering along the shoreline on Promenade des Anglais is very pleasant on a pretty day with lots of great people watching opportunities.
Two of my local favorite restaurants La Merenda and Acchiardo are not open on weekends but would be open Friday night. A good place for lunch or dinner is Bistro d'Antoine on rue de la Prefecture. La Tire Bouchon is a very nice spot for dinner and is open on Sunday night when many other places are closed.
Enjoy your short time in a wonderful city!

I agree if you haven't been there before, I'd just stay in Nice. Otherwise, how about Antibes?

There is a local train that goes along the coast and stops in most of the small towns. Buy a ticket to one of the further destinations and just get on and off and explore the towns. Villefranche Sur Mer is one of them, and the town is very close to the train station. It is a beautiful harbor town, with lots of areas to explore.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!

Christina, I was in Antibes last year for five days, but didn't get to Nice.

Sequess thanks for the restaurant and other tips. Will give Archaddio or one of the others a try Friday night.

cheers!

Yes, it is hard to search for info about Nice without a bunch of non-related threads popping up.

The easiest way to get relevant threads, IMO, is to put in a search word for a sight, restaurant, or hotel you know in the area. For example, for hotels, putting in Le Grimaldi brings up Nice hotel threads. Searching for "Digne" will bring up several threads about sightseeing and tourist trains in the Nice area.

Not an ideal solution, but it works for me.

Thanks for the tip, that's a great idea.

Google "ville de nice"

Thanks everyone for your suggestions for my weekend in Nice. I had a lovely time, back last night.

I stayed at the Hotel Clair near the port, which was quite nice. It was a self-catering room with a separate kitchen and bath off the bedroom/main room. The hotel has a lovely garden area, and it was a great spot for breakfast and for pre-dinner lounging.

I ate at Acchiardo Friday night, which was good and not dear. Saturday night I had the most amazing (and more expensive) meal at Le Tire Bouchon. Tournedos Rossini, which was filet mignon topped with foie gras. I didn't realise when I ordered it that "Rossini" meant it had foie gras, but it was delicious. It was €26 and worth every cent!

The last night I had a decent pizza at Pizza Sud facing the port. It was good but marred by sub-par quasi salami that was bright pink! and which I quickly removed.

Visited Ventimiglia Saturday by train, had lunch on the seaside, and then stopped at the beach at Beaulieu Sur Mer en route home. This was followed by a drink at the adjacent Royal Riveria poolside bar. Divine!

Sunday I spent in Villefranche sur Mer, and had a lovely lunch at Beluga, facing the water and adjacent to the police station about 100m from the start of the beach. Very good atmosphere and plenty of shade on the patio. Went to the public beach at Villefranche and had a dip in the sea.

Monday I did a bit of shopping in Nice at the Galeries Lafayette and rode on the tram for the first time. After that it was a relaxing beer at Castel before heading back to the hotel to collect my bag and leave for the airport. Castel is the first beach bar from the port as you go toward Nice town centre. Very nice spot (not cheap though -- beer was €6) and a lovely end to my short stay in Nice.

The forecast had been heavy rain for the whole weekend, but the only rain was during the night Saturday, which didn't interfere at all with my sight-seeing. I didn't visit any museums, but this was fine as I plan to return to Nice.

Ground transportation was excellent, and the 98 bus from the airport (which started June 1st, btw) dropped me off at the port. It was only a short walk to Hotel Clair and very easy with only a wheeled carry-on bag. The train was very good, as were the buses. Nothing was very dear. I think the most expensive trip was the €11 return trip to Ventimiglia.

Getting a taxi however was difficult on Saturday night, despite the efforts of the concierge at the Hotel Aston to get me one. (My feet were sore and I didn't want to walk back to the hotel!)

Hotel Clair was a good spot for me, and very handy to the port. It is now booked for the whole summer with foreign language students. However, if you are visiting outside of mid-June to August (?), I would recommend it. The hosts, Ester and Luba, were very friendly and helpful.

Glad you enjoyed your weekend stay in Nice. I will definitely keep your thread in mind as I plan on staying a week in Nice at the end of September.

Details for Le Tire Bouchon in the old town of Nice:

19, rue la Prefecture

and

7, rue de l'Abbaye

Open every night. 04 93 92 63 64

Two street addresses because the restaurant runs from front to back of a building, with dining outside each entrance as well as inside.

LB249...

Thanks for reporting back! I'll be in Nice in October and always like to have first hand restaurant references.

There is a significant shortage of taxis in Nice because their number is limited.How they can allow this crazy situation to continue is something I cannot understand.On the positive side the bus service is cheap and frequent and the new tram service is pretty good too.