Villefranche or Nice for just a few hours?
 

Hi

The last day of our cruise has a stop in Villefranche. It looks like a lovely place to stroll around and have a nice lunch. La Mere Germaine has been suggested on this board.

I just saw a Rudy Maxa show where he was in Nice. Now I'm not sure what I want to do, they both look wonderful. I would love to explore the old town section.

The problem is that it is a short stop, only from 7am-3pm. I know I'll only have time for one or the other. Should I stay in Villefranche, or would I have time to go to Nice instead?

Thanks,
Johanna

You have plenty of time for Nice, or in the other direction to Monaco. Here is where to get train schedules and intermediate stops:

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

Walk up (or take a bus for a part of the way) to Villa Rothschild on Cap-Ferrat, visit the garden and eat a light lunch at their Cafe Rotonde. The view from the garden and the cafe over the Bay of Villefranche-sur-Mer is spectacular. Both times I ate there, there was always a big cruise ship in the bay. I think some of the people dining there actually came from the boat.

Do Nice if the wheather is not good.

Thanks for the replies. Kappa, the Villa Rothschild sounds wonderful. Thank you for the suggestion.

Johanna

Joanna, you are welcome. If you are interested in Rotschild's villa (that belongs to a sort of French national association of cultural heritage), take look at the following. I took most of them at the villa last November. Also they have a web page. Google search can lead you to it.

http://tinyurl.com/n3349

Nice would also be fine in good weather--in fact, even better than in bad. You can easily spend half a day or more just wandering in Vieux Nice, the old part of town, with winding streets, cafés, restaurants, and interesting shops.

But the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild is also an excellent place to visit. Besides the villa--with its collection of objets d'art, fine carpets, and antique furniture--there are no less than seven gardens, all in a different style.

It's only a 10 minute bus ride from Villefranche to the bus terminal in Nice which is adjacent to the old town. You have time to do both Nice and Villefranche.

LarryJ

It's 7am - 3 pm, so actually Jonanna might have only 9am - 2pm
after breakfast, etc. 5hrs is not a lot isn?t it? In that case, don't rush yourself and take a relaxing time, either Villefranche-S.M + Nice or V-S.M + Cap-Ferrat (Villa).