Hi, we arrive in Nice on a Saturday this Fall and plan to take the Pine Cone Train on Sunday. That leaves us with three full days to tour with our rental car before heading to St. Remy. I've gotten lots of ideas from the board, but it's difficult to sort out which day trips we should do and how much can be done in one day without over doing it. Your suggestions on 3 day trips would be appreciated.

Lynne,<BR><BR>In no particular order, I would spend one day each in the hilltowns of St. Paul de Vence and Eze, then depending on your interests, you could spend that last day in Grasse or Monaco. Have a great time!

I have to admit that I haven't explored that area yet, so I can't compare Monaco to other choices, but I can recommend Monaco as one day trip.<BR><BR>Be sure to plan it so that you're there at night (in fact, you might just consider an "evening trip," not a full day trip, and combine it with a Nice-sightseeing day). Monaco is fabulous at night. Don't forget to bring your passport if you want to try gambling in the main part of the casino, and check the dress code as well.<BR><BR>Have fun - I envy you this decision!!

Hi:<BR>Your trip sounds similar to the one we're doing this fall too!<BR>There've been some good postings on ideas of how to quickly visit this area. I went back thru postings yesterday looking for ideas of combo day-trips, etc. Look for postings in the late May - June time period, a search would pick up things of interest to you more quickly.<BR>Question: What's the Pine Cone Train?

The Pine Cone Train better known as Le Train Des Pignes is a rail line that runs from Nice to Digne-les-Bains. They claim the trains journey has excellent views and you can stop in St Andre-les-Alpes, Annot and Entrevaux. The original train was fueled by pine cones. It still runs, without the pine cones, but does not stop. However there are disel trains that will stop in the villages. <BR>http://www.beyond.fr/sites/pignes.html

We go to the French Riviera every year so I', pretty familiar with the area. There are many, many places to visit but I would suggest the following:<BR>Day 1: Eze, Monaco (since they are on the same route)<BR>Day 2: Antibes, Cannes (or Mougins)<BR>Day 3: St-Paul-de-Vence, Gorges near the Loup River<BR><BR>Hope you enjoy your trip!!

Lynne - <BR>I took the Train des Pignes last November. I left Nice fairly early in the am, got off at Entrevaux (about 90 minute ride), spent about one and one half hours there walking up to the top of the old Fort, then back down and got the afternoon train so I returned to Nice by around 2:30. I researched a lot and decided it would be more interesting to do this rather than go to the end of the line and basically have to come right back - plus that would have been an awful lot of train time in one day. The beyond.fr website has great info.I was by myself and thought it a great adventure!! Enjoy!<BR>Mara

I also recommend going to St. Paul de Vence, and make reservations in advance for lunch or dinner at La Colombe d'Or restaurant, on the terrace is lovely. Their house hors d'oeuvre is spectacular, and enough for a meal. Stop at the Fondation Maeght art museum nearby - wonderful modern art both inside and out.<BR><BR>Another of our favorite places in the Nice area is the Musee Ile-de-France villa Ephrusi de Rothschild on Cap Ferrat. This is a gorgeous restored villa with the most beautiful views and gardens. Stop in the restaurant for lunch or tea.<BR><BR>Villefranche sur Mer is a lovely port town just east of Nice. The large cruise ships park in the harbor. Good seafood restaurants line the harbor. We took a boat trip from there around the coast to Monoco - nice way to see the coastal towns.

Thank you for the thoughtful replies. A few questions, could we do Villefranche sur Mer, Eze and Monaco in the same day? Also, is St Tropez too far or should we just go as far as Cannes? Can we make reservations on-line for La Colombe d'Or or does anyone have their fax number? Thanks for all of your help.

Lynne:<BR>The distances between the towns are not far especially if you are going to use the autoroute but it is the traffic going out of your base town or coming into the town you are going to visit that will cost you a lot of time.<BR>I also like to suggest, especially if this is your first visit to the cote d'azur, to limit yourselves around the Nice area (encompassing Cannes to Monaco) to really get the feel of the area and reserve the towns west of Cannes on another visit. But if you want to go to St. Tropez, it is doable. Have a nice time.<BR><BR>Joy