The South of France
 

I will be in the southern coast area,near Canne,Nice, and Grasse.Can anybody make suggestions on other area day trips that i can make? Thank You

St Paul de Vence near Nice is a great one day trip. Old fortress town with nice shops and restaurants.

Depending upon your exact location, a favorite of mine is Cassis. It is a delightful little town on the water and has a great boat trip you can do for a couple of hours into the "caliques" or cliffs along the coast. The market in St. Tropez is also a lot of fun with a lot of goods and "souvenir" items that are a cut above the usual, and then you can have a delightful lunch along the harbour there.

You must go to Eze village! This hilltop village is simply wonderful. Be sure to see the cactus garden and the views from there are breath taking. Also, I second the opinion regarding Vence and St. Paul de Vence. Lastly, in Cap St. Jean there is the Rothschild villa and garden that you can tour. Cassis is lovely but a bit out of the way. I never did make it to Biot but I hear that the blown glass traditionally made there is supposed to be beautiful. <BR>Ellen

Gorges du Verdon. <BR> <BR>Biot. <BR> <BR>Montauroux. <BR> <BR>Fayence. <BR> <BR> <BR>

Jean, <BR>I enjoyed Antibes. There is a Picasso museum there and beautiful little streets to wander through.

Villefranche sur Mer. It's a quaint, interesting, pretty village built up the hill from a small bay, east of Nice (I think).

Rex, what's in the places you mentioned?

We were in Villefranche-sur-Mer for a week in May. Great for a base - we loved it. We were also in Cassis for three days (Les Roches Blanches) and loved it. Cassis was just so lovely - if you stay there, do take the boat ride to the calaques - it was just awesome!

Is it possible to visit Corsica or the mainland from Nice?

Ian, I don't get your question. Nice is on the mainland. But, yes, you can visit Corsica from Nice, there are several ferries to Corsica from the port at Nice.

jhm - - <BR> <BR>Don't let this be a substitute for doing some reading on your own. <BR> <BR>Les Gorges du Verdon - - sometimes known as the "Grand Canyon" of France. Not as spectacular as the Grand Canyon in Arizona, but then more intimate, and accessable. <BR> <BR>Biot - - for glass studios - - although these can be found in other places throughout the hills above Grasse also. <BR> <BR>Montauroux - - a "village fleuri", an artists colony, and a (part-time) home to Christian dior for over 30 years (his residence is available for rental - - sleeps 22, but not other wise available to the public. He did restore and donate a nice little chapel there. There are also a lot of aquatic activities (and major league hang-gliding and sailplaning) on and around Lac de St. Cassien there. <BR> <BR>Fayence - - see this and Montauroux in the same half-day if you choose. Sort of a "village perché" - - even if not as well known as St Paul de Vence or others north of Nice. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR>

How long does the ferry take from Nice to Corsica?If driving from Nice how long does it take to cross the border into Italy?

The Fondation Maeght museum in St. Paul de Vence is wonderful--a marvelous modern art collection in a beautiful hilltop setting. Splurge and have lunch at La Colombe d'Or just outside the walled town. The food is good, but the atmosphere can't be beat. The inn is full of post-impressionist artwork--most of it was given by the artists in trade for meals.

Drive over to Cassis and take a boat to the callonques. Spend the day at one of the isolated beaches-bring snack, water and sunblock-WOW!

to the top for Willi

Take a drive to Monaco.

Monaco and Eze are two of my favorites! Skip Cannes in my opinion! Have fun!

Jean: <BR> <BR>I agree w/ Ellen and Paige, every time I return to the South of France, I make a point of spending a day in Villefranche sur Mer. My favorite restaurant, right on the port, is La Mere Germaine, their specialty is the loup, a light white fish, which they bone at the table. <BR> <BR>I also found an area called Esterel with ports calle Napoule, Theoule and Miramar. This area has rich red clay cliffs going to the Mediterranean and doesn't seem as "discovered" yet as Villefranche is. The area is between Cannes and St. Tropez. <BR> <BR>I envy you!

I second what Ellen said about Eze Village! It's crawling with tourists during the day, but if you go later in the day you should be able to avoid the crowds and enjoy wandering the magical little walkways. I also second recommendations for Cassis, Vence, St.Paul-de-Vence, Antibes, Villefranche-sur-Mer, and the Gorges du Verdon. I also really like Menton, near the Italian border; I love the view back towards the pastel-colored buildings with their green shutters from the rock jetty in the port. Menton also has a lot of gardens, in large part courtesy of the many British ex-pats (in fact, its slogan is "Ma Ville est un Jardin", or "My City is a Garden".) I've also rented a car and driven to a number of the picturesque hilltowns, and other small towns, in the hills & mountains behind Nice & Menton; my favorites are Peillon, Saorge, Gorbio (all hilltowns), and Sospel. Have fun, it's a gorgeous area!