My boyfriend and I will be in France from May 9 to May 21st and will be staying in Cote d%26#39;Azur from May 16th to the 18th at the Hotel Welcome. We would love to visit Monte Carlo and Cannes while we are in the region and was wondering if that was feasible in three days. If so, what would be the best way to travel (train, bus, etc.)? Could we take a train, say, to Cannes one day for a few hours and take a train to Monte Carlo another day for a few hours? If you don%26#39;t think it%26#39;s feasible to do both, which would you recommend that we definitely see?
Thanks in advance.
Jackie
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Where is Hotel Welcome located? Cote d%26#39;Azur is quite long........
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Hi:
Here%26#39;s the address for the Hotel Welcome: 3 quai Amiral Courbet, 06230 Villefranche sur mer,French Riviera.
Any advice would be great.
Thank you so much.
Jackie and Bruce
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hi sammypie, Thats alot to see in a couple days. The train is fine to get to each city. A car rental is ok if you travel early in the day to each site. In cannes there are some nice spots to eat just off the waterfront. I like the Carlton myself to stay but its not cheap. In Monaco I like the FAirmont but its expensive. When in Monte Carlo I loved the Oceanograhic Museum. Its alot of fun and alot of history. Walking around Monaco is the way to go. A great(less expensive) dinner spot is Maison du Caviar #1ave Saint Charles. Its alot more country french than just a caviar spot. Very nice people there and wonderful food. have fun ps how is your new aquarium?
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Villefranche is closer to Monaco, so you could either do the bus or train for that one. It shouldn%26#39;t take more than 30 min. leaving you plenty of time to sightsee. Both routes are right along the Mediterranean and give spectacular views (which you%26#39;re free to enjoy because you%26#39;re not driving!). Both means of transportation are also very affordable - less than 3 Euros each way, if I remember correctly.
Cannes is a little farther from Villefranche, but still doable for a day trip. I%26#39;d take the train for that one, and it shouldn%26#39;t be more than an hour or so. You can view the train routes and schedules on
www.voyages-sncf.com/leisure/fr/launch/home/. Click on the little British flag in the bottom left-hand corner to view the website in English. There%26#39;s also a website for the bus service - http://www.lignedazur.com/ (ditto for the language thing).
I%26#39;ve visited with a car and without, and I definitely had a more relaxing time without. The local transportation is cheap, efficient, and scenic. Driving stressed me out, but then, I%26#39;m a wimp!
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While Cannes looks all modern and it is hard to see past that famous place where the movie festival takes place, there is a very nice old city that is a walk up a hill with some very nice places to eat along the way and a great view up at the top.
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Thank you all so much for the information. This is fantastic. We will definitely take the bus to Monaco and the train to Cannes. We are so excited. I%26#39;ve been to Paris but neither of us has been to the Riviera. Keylimejet...don%26#39;t worry about being a wimp...we drove from Florence to Greve a couple of years ago and I thought I would keel over before we made it there. Suffice to say...no more European driving for us. ha, ha, ha. Terrapinobx, thanks for the restaurant tips..we%26#39;ll definitely try them out. As for the aquarium...OUTSTANDING....it is, by far, the most amazing aquarium I have ever seen. My firm was fortunate enough to be the first company allowed to have an event there (we had our 2005 holiday party) and we were given exclusive use of the entire place. Simply amazing. If you are ever in Atlanta, it%26#39;s a definitely must see. Lpennin104, thank you for the Cannes heads up. Though we are looking forward to seeing the festival site...we are much more interested in seeing the true Cannes. We will absolutely take the walk up the hill to see the old city.
This is fantastic. It%26#39;s only 26 days until we leave and I%26#39;m jumping out of my seat with excitement. Everyone of TripAdvisor has helped make our last four trips unforgetable.
Jackie
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Glad to be of help. If you need more info, you may want to go to the Nice (Cote d%26#39;Azur, etc.) forums. It%26#39;s much more specific to the area and lots of folks on there who know more than I do!
Also, if you can squeeze it in, a visit to the Villa Ephrussi is well worth it. It%26#39;s just minutes from Villefranche by bus and by far one of our favorite things we did - gorgeous villa, spectacular gardens, a tearoom - all with views to die for. Have fun!
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Villefranche-sur-mer is on the main train line that goes from Marseille to Ventimila in Italy. Therefore it will be easy to use the regular train service to visit both Cannes and Monte Carlo.
Better yet, I suggest visiting Nice - the most beautiful city on the Riviera - either take the train or enjoy a leisurely walk there along the Basse Corniche. It is much nicer than Cannes with much more to see and do.
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I%26#39;d definitely use the train to go to Monaco, unless you are close to a bus stop and you see the bus pass by. Bus 100 is your best bet.
BTW Bus 81 west bound brings you to Nice Gare Routière, close to the Old Town and the promenade des Anglais. Same bus eastbound brings you to St-Jean-Cap Ferrat and will stop you at the door of the Ephrussi-Rotschild Villa (a must IMO).
But with only 3 days, that is short. Here are some advices I have given a few times to people staying in the Nice area for a few days.
Of course you will have to help yourself with a guidebook. Since you will be there for a week, I suggest you get one that gives info info mostly on Nice and not Provence and Côte d’Azur. I have one by Hachette Books titled “A weekend in Nice”, it includes also a city map.
Websites like the Nice city’s Tourist Bureau website http://www.nicetourisme.com/GB/somtxt.html and one for the Old Town http://www.oldnice.com/ may be helpful.
There are musts like walking on the Promenade des Anglais , both looking at the sea, the beach and the hotels.
The Old Town and the Cours Saléya: Start from Place Masséna and walk towards the Promenade on Rue de l’Opéra. Make a left on Rue St-Francois-de-Paule, check the boutiques but don’t buy there (touristy prices way too high). Walk straight ahead to the Marché aux Fleurs (Cours Saléya). There is a market every day except Mondays. Walk to the end of the market and you get to the Chapelle du St-Suaire. Make a left on J” Gilly street . It ends on Rue de la Préfecture. Make a left there and walk until you reach Rue Ste-Réparate. Make a right and you will see the Cathedral Ste-Réparate and get on Place Rossetti. Very typical (look at the warmth of colours if you are there 1hr or 2 before sunset). A left on Rue Rossetti until you reach Rue Droite. Make a left on Rue Droite and walk to its end. Stop by Palais Lascaris (free visit) and some nice artist shops (check Christian Dury’s gallerie =%26gt; he puts typical Nice things in Plexiglas frames). Rue Droite falls into Rue St-François the in Rue Pairolière. Both typical Old Nice streets with locals shops, food store, fish and meat stores, etc. Open your eyesand your ears and take a deep breath. Now you see the real thing. You get to the Place Garibaldi. Time for lunch. Help yourself, there are plenty nice spots at cheap prices.
From Place Garibaldi keep your right and stay on Rue Catherine Ségurane from where you will get a road that brings you up the Castle Hill (Colline du Chateau). Walk up to its top and have a look at the whole area (the Port, the beaches, the town). Stop by the Cemetery on your way down and wak to the Port. Look at the small fishermen boats on Quai des Deux Emmanuel. And walk back to town circling the Castle Hill by walking on the sea side to reach back Promenade des Anglais.
That one should take not far from a day long, especially if you stop often at boutiques or for an ice cream cone…
Another nice day is going to Villa Éphrussi Rotschild by Bus 81 (starts from Gare Routière). It accepts regular bus tickets (4 euro fro a day, around 15 euro for a week pass with unlimited travel). Ask the driver for the name of the bus stop right at the doorsteps of the Villa. A superb mansion with 7 fantastic gardens. 2hours of pure delight. Wanna have fun and see the real thing once again. When you get out of the Villa walk to your left. The road goes up a bit, walk on the road to your left. It goes down towards St-Jean-Cap Ferrat where you can stop for lunch and get back to Nice with Bus 81 once again. Or you could even walk on the seaside towards Bealieu-sur-Mer using the trail called Sentier des Douaniers. It is about an hour walk and you could then visit Beaulieu, its Villa Kerylos and get back to Nice by train.
You are there on a Friday. Take the train to Vintimille (Ventimiglia in Italian), a small Italian town where you have a well-known market. You can’t get lost. When you get out of the train station walk straight ahead. 200 ft and it’s crowded, you just found the market! Before getting in it, look on your right for the food market. You wanna see Italians wheeling and dealing? Get in there and have fun? Back to the real market, you can get good deals on leather, cashmere wool, etc. Beware the Africans dealers. It’s no good deal!. The morning is enough for the market. There are some nice rItalian restaurants at cheap prices if you don’t mind walking a block or 2 on your right (eastbound), getting away from the market. Back on the train to Nice, get down at Monaco (not the Ste-Dévote Chapel exit at the back of the train butr the on at the head of the train). Have fun for the afternoon in Monte-Carlo.
Already 3 days gone. Like art? Get a car or take the bus to Vence and St-Paul-de-Vence. It’s about ¾ hour from Nice and take the day for both villages. If you rented a car and feel like shopping with the locals crowd, stop by St-Laurent-du-Var Cap 2000 shopping centre. A huge one.
Museums? Like Modern Art? The Mamac Museum of Modern Art is a must. Then you have both Chagall and Matisse Museum on bus route 15 from the City centre.
Wanna shop? Rue Jean Médecin, rue de l’Hotel des POstes. Rue Gioffredi are all street you should not miss and you have the Centre de l’Étoile shopping Centre on Rue Jean Médecin along with the Galeries Lafayette, the Monoprix for food and clothes and the FNAC for records and books (along with Virgin Megastore across the street). There are walking only streets close to that area and they are fuil of shops and restaurants.
You could take the bus to Eze-Village, a medieval village that must be seen. Menton along the coast is also quite nice to see and has its own Old Town.
Westbound towards Cannes, you have Antibes and Juan les Pins that can be reached easily by bus.
If you rent a car, Mougins and Biot are quite nice to see.
So have fun
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