dgruzew

We will be in Nice for 3 days the last week in May. Does anyone know what towns and villages around there are worth visiting. We will proabably not have a Car - but if there is somthing really worth it we can alway rent one for a day trip. Is cannes worth the trip - is anything there?

Weadles

Nice has excellent transportation, either by bus or train, so you don't really need a car.
By bus, you can easily get to St. Paul de Vence, which is one of the perched villages of the Riveria, about 12 miles from Cannes. It's a beautiful village with lots of stone houses and a bell tower dating from the 1740s. If you go, make sure to try to have lunch at L'Colombe d'or, a small hotel which once hosted artists like Picasso ( in fact, the main house still has his paintings displayed). The stone terrace overlooks St. Paul, and has excellent views and food!
By train,(30 min.) you could go to Monaco.There, you could visit the old town, Monaco-Ville, which is the home of the royal Grimaldi Palace. You could also visit a casino or two.
One of my favorite towns, only about 6 miles from Nice, is St, Jean Cap Ferrat, an old fishing village which has a small beach on the main road from Nice, and lots of excellent seafood restaurants like LE SLOOP down at the harbor. A visit there ( some art galleries, beautiful long cliff-side walk) could take about half a day. Bus service is available there and back from Nice.
There are other towns worth visiting, too if you have time: Villefranche-Sur-Mer, Beaulieu, both of which are on the train line from Nice.
Also, of course, make sure you visit Vieux Nice, in back of the Promenade des Anglais.
As you can see, there's plenty to do!
And IMO, no, Cannes is NOT worth the trip, although maybe you could arrange to stop off there on your way to St. Paul de Vence.

Have a great time!

Powell

To add to the last excellent post:

-In St. Paul, the Maeght Foundation, wonderful site of modern art.
-In nearby Vence is the Matisse Chapel.
-In Nice itself the Matisse and Chagall museums. In St. Jean visit the Ephruzzi Rothschild estate and gardens. Nice site for a glass of wine, etc.

dgruzew

Thanks for the posts guys - What about Antibes? - anything good to do there?

mclaurie

Totally agree with Weadles & Powell. The Colombe D'Or is just outside the walled village of St Paul(across from the cafe & boulles court) & easy to miss. When you go, in addition to checking out the art in the inside dining room, make sure you have a look at their pool area with it's wonderful Calder sculpture & great view. The Maeght Fondation is below the town.

The Ephrussie Villa is fabulous with extraordinary gardens and well worth a visit. It's closed on Mondays.

The perched town of Eze, where there's another famous restaurant, Chateau de le Chevre D'Or, is also lovely but a steep climb from the train station in Eze sur Mer.

In just 3 days I would skip Cannes on this trip, although be aware you may be there at the end of the Cannes film festival. I think it ends May 25. The Grand Prix in Monaco starts around the 27-29. These dates have been posted on other recent threads so you may want to do a search.

dgruzew

We will be there from May 25th leaving May 28th(headed to Florence) Should we avoid Monaco - or Check out the Grand Prix?

angeleno

Antibes is a great little town and has a nice little Picasso museum. Plus a farmers' market with yummy fresh fruit and veggies.

mclaurie

Here's a website that gives the schedule & how to buy tickets. I've never been so can't advise on whether to go. I vaguely remember someone once posting they had gone & had fun.

http://www.f1-monaco-grand-prix.com/...1/schedule.htm

provence97

I was in Monaco last year during the Grand Prix. The main streets are closed off, but not much of a hassle. Ended up parking at a garage and taking a bus to the Rock and to the other areas in Monaco. I would definitely try to stop by Monaco. I'm not a fan of race car driving, but it was pretty neat seeing the race from the Rock... something to definitely experience. At the end, you can also walk along the course to see the cars and famous racers.

To the originial post - definitely see the St. Paul-de-Vence. If you are into the making of perfumes, visit the town known for perfume making (the name escapes me..).

luvtotravel

Stayed in Old Town Antibes in 1997 and enjoyed it a lot. There is a morning market that is great, lots of small shops, bakeries, and cute restaurants. Had the best croissant I've ever had from a bakery in the main square.

I've heard that Mougin is worth the visit, although we missed it -- literally. St. Paul-de-Vence was worth the visit.

dgruzew

Thanks for all the responses!!!

I have another question though - my wife and I will be staying in a hotel called Flots-d'Azur on the promenade and I think it is pretty far from the train station. I was wondering anyone knew of any tours that we could take to show us some of the smaller towns or villages - or should we just cab it to the train station everyday and go it alone?

Weadles

If you're on the Promenade des Anglais, you shouldn't be more than about 20 min. walking time from the train station. Or, as you say, you can always take a cab. I don't know of any tours to the smaller villages, although I'm sure there are tons of them. To find out about them, go to the Office de Tourisme at 5 Promenade des Anglais, roughly half a block from the American Express cashing center. Although it can be very crowded there, they should be able to point you in the right direction for escorted tours, etc.