Villefranche area on a Sunday

[anonymousegirl]

We are on Celebrity Constellation this Oct with a stop in Villefranche (tendered) on Sunday Oct 24. We scheduled for 10am to 8pm.

 

We'd like to see a museum and have a fabulous lunch somewhere. DH wants to see Monaco and I am interested in the hilltowns like Eze or Mougins.

 

We can't decide whether to try and arrange something on own own (car and driver so we can imbibe) or take one of the ship's tours.

 

I am worried about nothing being opened on a Sunday.

 

Any advice?

 

Thanks!

[Hlitner]

Well, keep in mind that you are talking about a Sunday and also at the end of the shoulder season. You need to give careful consideration to what you want to do and what is possible on a Sunday. For example, in Monte Carlo you will find that nearly every shop/boutique is closed on Sunday. It is the same in Nice, although some of the shops in the old town area do stay open on Sunday afternoons. You will do much better on this day of the week if you go to Eze (most shops should be open) or St Paul de Vence (Sunday is actually the best day of the week in this town). Cruise passengers sometimes do not keep things in perspective when it comes to Europe where a few cruise ships have very little impact on services or what will be open. If a French taxi driver does not want to work on a Sunday he could care less that a ship is in a nearby port. Its the same with shops and other sites. As to museums, you should always check their specific websites for opening days and hours, although most are open on Sundays and will perhaps close on a Monday.

 

Hank

[anonymousegirl]

Thanks for the reply Hank. We are not shoppers and prefer museums and a really good place to eat. St, Paul de Vence sounds marvelous for a Sunday, and in Nice we're thinking of the Matisse and Chagall museums (1 hour each).

We're F1 fans so in Monaco it would be fun to walk part of the street route and it would get me another country closer to my 100 (in my fifties now).

Any idea of how bad the local traffic might be on a Sunday in late OCtober?

[Hlitner]

Actually, walking the streets and sidewalks in Monte Carlo on a Sunday is quite nice since town is normally pretty quiet (and not crowded) on Sundays and there is not much traffic in the streets. We have often posted that our favorite Sunday place is St Paul de Vence, but this is also the most difficult places to get to for a cruise passenger. The 400 bus does run from Nice (it starts at the Nice Gare Routiere bus station) to St Paul de Vence, but only runs about once every 45 min (and does not run for about 2 hours at around unch time) so one must carefully plan their schedule if using that bus. And since you like art musuems you might also enjoy the Fondation Maeght which is near St Paul de Vence but is ideally visited if you have a rental car (this is not within walking distance of the town). That museum has (or used to have) Miro which made we envy the man who could draw a pencil line on a white canvas and get paid! If a child drew that work in school (years ago) the teacher would have hit them with a ruler for drawing such a piece of c$#%.

 

Hank

[anonymousegirl]

Actually, walking the streets and sidewalks in Monte Carlo on a Sunday is quite nice since town is normally pretty quiet (and not crowded) on Sundays and there is not much traffic in the streets. We have often posted that our favorite Sunday place is St Paul de Vence, but this is also the most difficult places to get to for a cruise passenger. The 400 bus does run from Nice (it starts at the Nice Gare Routiere bus station) to St Paul de Vence, but only runs about once every 45 min (and does not run for about 2 hours at around unch time) so one must carefully plan their schedule if using that bus. And since you like art musuems you might also enjoy the Fondation Maeght which is near St Paul de Vence but is ideally visited if you have a rental car (this is not within walking distance of the town). That museum has (or used to have) Miro which made we envy the man who could draw a pencil line on a white canvas and get paid! If a child drew that work in school (years ago) the teacher would have hit them with a ruler for drawing such a piece of c$#%.

 

Hank

 

I completely agree. I like art. I like all different kinds of art. I like impressionism, post-impressionism, pre-Raphaelite, Aboriginal, pre-Columbian, sculpture, architecture, photography, mosaics, oils, and watercolors. But seriously, I went down to the Tate St. Ives once and thought it was just full of BS. A large square of brown construction paper with a sloppily penciled square drawn on it and a fifteen-line explanation of what I was looking at. This person isn't an artist, he/she is a master of BS and Public relations. Would probably make a mint in advertising.

[BiggiB]

Bonjour!

To combine arts and a wonderful lunch I find Monaco a good choice. Inaugurated on Sept 18, the second part of the new National Museum, the Villa Paloma close to the Jardin Exotique, will feature an exhibition "La Carte d'après Nature", a hommage to surrealistic art. The first part of the NMNM (Noveau Musée National Monaco) is the beautiful Villa Sauber on the beach promenade, featuring artworks by Japanese Yinka Shonibare.

Combined entrance tickets to both villas are EUR 10 pp.

There's also the famous "Sculpture Walk", where you can combine both: Explore the city and walk from one piece of art to the next. Prince Rainier was a great collector of modern art works, favoring big Boteros and likely sculptures. More information about this walking tour you find on http://www.visitmonaco.com.

To have the most romantic lunch, try LE GRILL at the Hotel de Paris, overlooking most of the Principality and the Port. It's an elegant setting on the top floor of the best hotel in town, and service and cuisine are exceptional. More info: http://www.montecarloresort.mc

If you prefer a more modern setting, the L'HORIZON on the top floor of the Fairmont Hotel features a more relaxed atmosphere and a Sunday lunch buffet for starters and desserts.

If there's time after lunch, why not take the bus or a taxi up to Eze Village for some further sightseeing and gallery browsing. An espresso on the terrace of the Chateau Eza would be a spectacular finish of a perfect day.

How to get back from Eze to Villefranche, has been described in this forum at length.

Enjoy a magic day in the Principality!

[zoncom]

Used to be a sweet antique/collectable market on Sundays near port.

[Hlitner]

My perfect Sunday in Villefranche would be to quickly get off the ship and grab the bus (probably #100) into the Nice Gare Routiere bus station. From there we would walk right into old town (towards the water) until we get to the Cours Selaya where we would enjoy the Sunday morning Flower Market (also lots of interesting food items). We would then walk back to the bus station and grab the bus to St Paul de Vence for a few hours.

 

Hank