questions for Susan-M re:Nice, Monte Carlo

[jnv]

Hi Susan,

I have seen many posts by you that are so detailed, so I am hoping you can help me. We leave next week - board the ship in Barcelona, and first port is Monte Carlo. We would like to visit the palace and see the changing of the guards if time permits, and also would like to take a bus to Nice to shop and sightsee. Would you please give me some really detailed info on where to go once we get off the ship, and in which order we should plan the day? we arrive at 10am and depart at 7pm. I think I read one of your posts that said the #100 bus is the best to go to Nice. This is our first trip to this part of the world, we have tours set for all our other ports, so I would really appreciate any help you can give me. also please feel free to make suggestions if you think another town is better to see than Nice' as we are just looking for somewhere that is scenic, has some fun shopping, and that will give us a feel of the region.

thank you so very much.

[Susan-M]

Hi jnv,

 

The palace in Monaco-Ville is within walking distance of the port, and easily visible from the port as well. The changing of the guards is at 11:55. If you don't want to walk up, you can take a bus (Monaco bus system, #1 or #2, or find the elevator.) Here's a link to a map which shows locations of lifts (elevators) and bus stops.

 

Re bus #100 to Nice, please see the info that I gave in your other thread a few days ago.

 

Since you want to see the changing of the guards, that leaves from approximately 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. to venture elsewhere. I haven't been to Nice, so can't comment on it (Hank is a great source of info, and I think he mentioned some thoughts on visiting Nice in his post on your other thread.) I really liked Eze and I think it fits the bill for what you are looking for ... scenic, shopping, and quaint. It's a shorter trip than going to Nice...but busses to Nice run much more frequently, so there's a trade off. (For Eze, use bus #112....see this thread for more info.) You could take the 1:20 bus from Monaco and return either at 2:35 or 4:30 bus from Eze.

 

Sorry, it's not the step by step that you are looking for, but if you have a map, guidebook material and bus schedules, you can work out a plan. One important thing to remember is to allow yourself plenty of time to be back at the ship in good time prior to sailing. If you weren't planning to see the changing of the guards, I would recommend heading off to Nice or Eze first and sightseeing in Monaco afterwards, but it's still doable if you head off for a few hours between ~1 p.m. - 4 or 5 p.m.

 

If you can pick up a copy of Rick Steves' guidebook, Provence and the French Riviera, it's very helpful for this area. You don't have to take the whole book ... just copy of cut out the section that you need.