marazul

How about going to Menton instead of Eze? It's the next town on the train from MC. And it is lovely with fabulous restaurants.

If you stay at Montalcino or Montepulciano there will be plenty of wine tasting within walking distance.

If you want to do more hiking, there is a great trail that goes around the Cap Ferrat peninsula. Also while there, see if you can visit the Villa Santo Sospir to see all the Jean Cocteau murals. He got invited for a week and stayed for several years. 🤪 It was closed for restoration a couple of years ago but maybe it has reopened by now. Also interesting is the Villa Kerylos in Beaulieu. It is a reconstruction of a Greek villa. Lots of good places to eat around the port in St Jean. Plus the usual assortment of Michelin starred places both in St Jean and Beaulieu.

They are a tour company. https://santorini-privatetour.com/ or santorinidaytour.gr

I still think you are doing it in the wrong order. It should be Nice-Eze-Monaco. The traffic between Villefranche and Nice at 9 am will be a lot easier than later on. (I have been in many traffic jams there.) You can easily visit Nice and be in Eze around 11. The traffic coming back to Nice and then to Villefranche in the afternoon can be really bad and it will take you more than time than you think. You will have to take the autoroute back to Nice and then go to Villefranche instead of taking the more scenic and shorter Basse Corniche to Villefranche. The flow of sightseeing opportunities is also better that way, especially driving the whole length of the Moyenne Corniche between Nice and Eze. There are things to do in Nice available only in the morning while the Monaco sites are available all day. Google maps has a nice feature where you can enter the month and day of the week when you are going and the time for each segment of your trip. if you haven't done it why don't you give it a try with different times for each segment? But it is your trip and what you imagine would work out for you best. Maybe you will get lucky with the traffic. You could also ask your driver for their opinion on order of the itinerary.

If all you want to do is take a look inside the cathedral, you can be back at the car in half an hour. How long are you in port?

@livetravelcruise07 If you want to go to Nice, you need transportation there - buses, train, excursion. It is about 6 miles away and it is not walkable. UPDATE: A taxi from Villefranche to Nice should be about 20 euros. If you want to stay in Villefranche, look at this post:

I used the VR glasses in Olympia and thought it was fun and it added interest to the site. However, it was our third (fourth?) trip to Olympia. On the technical side, the VR images were at a 90 degree angle to the actual ruins so I had to turn sideways to see the intended object. Apparently my set was the only one with that problem out of the four of us. But no matter, I only wore them on and off to see actual and reconstructed. I would try it in Ephesus. If you are on a private tour, you can specify you want to visit the Terrace Houses and just remove the VR set while you are there. You can also ask your guide to bring a spare set in case of problems. Let us know how you like it.

You have 9 hours in port. You can (and should) go to Olympia. Either a private or ship's excursion will take you there and back with ample time. Search this board for the many posts on excursions. It is not a tender port.

Yes, continue on the Blvd. Jean Jaures past the Place Massena up to the Tête Carrée. Turn left on Rue Barla and return on the other side of the Paillon on Av. Félix Faure. By the way, the Paillon is a river (torrent, actually) that comes through the center of Nice. It is paved over in the area between the two parallel avenues you will be following. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Square+Ηead/@43.6985134,7.2742693,16.5z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x12cddab083f4b905:0xb36c90b511289f55!8m2!3d43.7027768!4d7.2791114!16s%2Fg%2F1216x1jc?hl=en&entry=ttu I am trying to facilitate the things you want to do, but I would encourage you to reconsider your plans for a better experience. Consider that Monte Carlo is a much better place for a drive-through than Nice because it is much more compact, and Nice is more about enjoying the Old Town. I would start by going to Nice first, getting out and spending an hour at the Flower Market and some side streets. The drive there already takes you around the Old Port. After walking, it is easy to drive the short distance to the Negresco, then turn around back to the Old Port along the Promenade des Anglais. Then get on the Moyenne Corniche for the ride to Eze. This is a spectacular drive. After lunch, drive to Monte Carlo. Do your drive around or whatever you had planned. Then return to Villefranche along the sea by the Basse Corniche. This plan gets you to Eze at about the same time as your original plan. It also avoids the traffic between Nice and Villefranche in the late afternoon. Most of all, it maximizes the views, photo ops and places of interest.

I am reposting my reply here to add some comments about time. You do not need three hours in Eze. One hour is sufficient unless you plan to stay for lunch at La Chëvre d'Or. 😉 That would give you plenty of time to walk in Old Nice. That is a must if you want your family to see the most iconic photo-ops in Nice. It should take one hour. There is underground parking right off the Quai des Etats-Unis just a few steps from the Old Town. Afterwards you can continue the drive along the Promenade. As for driving around Nice, before arriving at the Promenade des Anglais, you drive around the very scenic old port. It is also possible to drive up to the Chäteau, the promontory between the port and old Nice for eyepopping views of the Riviera. You could also go up to Cimiez to the Matisse Museum and the Roman Arena; drive alongside the Paillon to see the Tête Carrëe (Square Head - headquarters of the Public Libraries) and other buildings such as the Theater, etc. This additional driving time should not take more than an hour, but traffic can be pretty bad. Prioritize the Old Port and Chäteau and then the Promenade des Anglais and Cathedral. The drive along the Paillon and Cimiez would be last and the most prone for traffic. Your driver will advise you when it is time to turn back and return to Villefranche.

You do not need three hours in Eze. One hour is sufficient unless you plan to stay for lunch at La Chëvre d'Or. 😉 That would give you plenty of time to walk in Old Nice. That is a must if you want your family to see the most iconic photo-ops in Nice. As for Nice, before arriving at the Promenade des Anglais, you drive around the very scenic old port. It is also possible to drive up to the Chäteau, the promontory between the port and old Nice for eyepopping views of the Riviera. You could also go up to Cimiez to the Matisse Museum and the Roman Arena; drive alongside the Paillon to see the Tête Carrëe (Square Head - headquarters of the Public Libraries) and other buildings such as the Theater, etc.

That strike was scheduled months in advance. It should not have taken anyone by surprise.

Taxis accept cards, but use Mastercard or VISA. Amex is not favored, but it will certainly be accepted by your hotel and higher end restaurants and shops. Always say that you want to be charged in euros, not US$. Get your euros from an ATM when you arrive for the best exchange rates. Look at the many posts from @alserrod on this forum on those subjects. Also, there are lots of excellent posts on all money issues in the Italy forum. They apply in Spain.

Come me. Faccio molte cose bene, ma nessuno di loro produce alcun reddito.

Congratulazioni. Un meraviglioso esempio di procrastinazione.

@MudderBear Agree. Taxis are plentiful and reasonable. You can walk if you wish. The area is flat and there are wide sidewalks everywhere and stop lights at every street crossing. You can set the walking path on your phone using google maps. But you would be walking for about 40-45 minutes to get there followed by a couple of hours on your feet at the church and another 45 minutes to go back to the hotel. Really, take the short taxi ride over. It is safe and convenient. You can flag a taxi right outside the door of the hotel or the doorman can do it for you. There will be lots of taxis waiting for rides when you come out of the church.

You could not be more centrally located. It is at the corner of Paseo de Gracia and Plaza Catalunya. You can walk to most places, except la Sagrada Familia. It is a few short blocks of Casa Batllo and La Pedrera and even closer to Las Ramblas and the Gothic Quarter. Get a guidebook to Barcelona to see the many easily accessible sites from the hotel.

You can also check the weather report before you stand in line to buy the ferry ticket. If you are staying nearby, you can check the weather report for the duration of your stay before you decide when to go. There are a number of boat companies that take you around the island with opportunity to swim, etc. they usually have very limited time in Capri.

@AKJonesy - Adding to cruisemom's recommendations. If you are going to Delphi you can add an overnight to Meteora. Also, look at the George's Taxi website for their out-of-Athens private tours (plus transfers and local tours). Since time is not an issue and you want to go all in, this would be a great option for you. We have traveled with George's Taxi a number of times and can highly recommend them. They only do private tours, not shared tours. They will customize the tours to your liking. https://www.georgestaxi.com/ https://www.georgestaxi.com/tour_category/multi-day-private-tours/

I bet you that most people swimming in 60 degree water were Scandinavian tourists enjoying the "balmy" Med and getting away from the frigid Baltic. I don't know where @bkjewett lives, but many people from warmer climates would think that the water in Mallorca right now is the "Polar plunge." Very many first time visitors to the Mediterranean think it is like the Caribbean with 80-84 degree seas year round. They should be aware of what to expect at the time they go and decide whether they whether they would want to try it or not. By August the sea temps in Palma should be 80 or higher. Today, it is 58 degrees. https://www.seatemperature.org/ gives current as well as average sea temperatures for locations all over the world for every day of the year.

Make sure you have plans to fill your day after the swim. It will probably be a very short one. Average sea temperatures in Mallorca in April is 60º F. https://www.seatemperature.org/europe/spain/palma-april.htm

If you book through a transfer company like Stefano's Rome Cabs, you can add a tour on the way to the ship. You have lots of time and would not have to worry about luggage or arriving on time. Go to their website and checkout the options. www.romecabs.com

The drivers are well informed and tell you about the places before you go in. They are not licensed to guide within the venues.

Look in the Plaka or Koukaki neighborhoods. Koukaki is just by the Acropolis Museum.