Nice/Eze by bus?

[dotshub]

Is there anyone out there who knows about going to Nice and Eze by bus? I have read couple of places that the buses do not run often and then other places say they do. Just don't want to get stuck and miss the ship. We sail at 2:00pm so i am sure we will be back on the ship by 1:30pm. We arrive n Monaco at 7:00am. Thanks, Dot

[moyaroo]

With times so tight I would opt for just one of the two. Nice can be reached by train from Monaco/Monte Carlo Eze will require a bus. Of the two I prefer Eze. Of the two the easiest and least worrisome is Nice.

[Hlitner]

Well, we like to deal in facts and with having to be back that early (we have long been critical of cruise line itineraries that do this) we think you should forget about going to Eze unless you want to spend the money for a tour or private transfers. The problem (at first glance) is with the #112 bus which runs from Nice to Eze Village to Monte Carlo. The last 112 that would get you back in time departs from Eze Village at 11:30. There is a bus from Monte Carlo at 8:00 and the next one is not until 9:55. Assuming you did not want to take that early 8:00 bus (nothing would be open in Eze when you arrived) you would need to take the 9:55 and return on the 11:30 which would give you about 1 hour at Eze. With the early arrival in Monte Carlo, assuming you do not want to stay in MC, you might want to grab a very early bus (#100) to Nice and get off at the Nice Gare Routiere bus station (the final stop). From there you can walk in about 15 min to the Cours Selaya where they have the daily markets (hopefully you will be there on a day when they have the Flower Market). You can then spend some time exploring Nice's old town (this is where they have the market) and return to MC later in the morning. Blame your cruise line for the lousy port times. The 7 am arrival is really kind of worthless since most of France does not open much before 10 am (except for the early markets) which means they are giving you about 3 good hours in the port.

 

Of course you could always take one of the overpriced ship excursions.

 

Hank

[dotshub]

thanks to all for the information-i guess it's the carnival tour this time. don't usually do those tours but really want to see both places. so now i know-i keep those tours i booked. what would we do if we didn't have our cruise critic friends who tell you like it is. again, thanks dot

[Hlitner]

thanks to all for the information-i guess it's the carnival tour this time. don't usually do those tours but really want to see both places. so now i know-i keep those tours i booked. what would we do if we didn't have our cruise critic friends who tell you like it is. again, thanks dot

 

We think you are making a wise decision. And this from a guy that thinks the word "tour" is a 4 letter word. If you had a couple of more hours in the port we would have given you a detailed itinerary on how to do both places for only a few Euros transportation cost (it can be done for a total of 3 Euros per person!). Enjoy your trip.

 

Hank

[dibbitz]

Hi. We went to EZE on our stop in Monte Carlo.......we shared a taxi with another couple, picked it up right by the tourist office at the cruise ship dock bright and early. The young lady at the tourist desk called it for us. ...I could look up how much it cost but since we are not BIG spenders, I suspect it was quite reasonable. It dropped us off at the base of the long, steep walk to the village of Eze...it is beautiful just to walk around Eze with wonderful panoramic views from every corner. If the businesses are not open, I still think you would enjoy the experience. The bus to Nice stops at the base of the same hill, We did not go to Nice afterwards but others did. The trick I think is to find a taxi that will take you back to the docks as it is a long walk from the bus stop to the ship...we had plenty of time so we were able to wander and gradually find our way back. Eze was a unique experience, there was a Saturday morning market with all kinds of herbs and soaps....beautiful...and the people were charming and helpful.

Of course, such a short day always makes for a nervous time. Just my two cents worth....L

[Hlitner]

The last post leaves me somewhat puzzled. If one takes a taxi (or the regional bus that goes to "Eze Village") you are normally dropped right at the parking lot adjacent to the town entrance (no steep hill other then the slopes in the town). If you choose to go to Eze/Bord sur Mer which is along the road below the city, you have quite a hike (probably 45 min for a good hiker) up a pretty steep hill. The trains that run between Monte Carlo and Nice (and also the regional #100 bus) all stop at this same place (Eze/Bord sur Mer) where one can hike, wait for the local bus, or call for a taxi to get up to Eze. But we do not understand why anyone would take a taxi to this place( well below the city) when you can go right to the entrance for about the same price.

 

Hank

[Green4me]

Hank, my appologies for asking as I know you have posted this before, we are in Monaco from 9am to 8pm on a Monday and plan on Nice and Eze. The fish soup sounds awesome, thinkning of going to Nice by bus then back to Eze then back to Monaco by 6ish. Would you reccomend this route or the other way?

 

Thanks:)

[Hlitner]

Well Mondays are always interesing and a bit different. I mention this because the Nice Flower Market does not operate on Monday. However, in the same location at the Cours Selaya there is an all day Antique Market on Mondays so this might be of interest. As to where you go first, we would probably be thinking "where do we want to eat lunch?" Being France this can be a very important decision. Keep in mind that you need to work with the #112 bus schedule (this is the bus to Eze) which has a very limited schedule. If you follow this link you can then click on the PDF which will get you the entire time table for this bus line.

http://www.lignesdazur.com/horaires_ligne/?rub_code=6&lign_id=1093

 

You need to plan your Eze journey around this bus. If you take the #100 bus (this runs about every 15 min) from Villefranche to Nice it ends at the same bus station where the 112 starts (its sometimes called Nice -Vauchan or also J.C. Bermond. This bus station is located just north of Nice Old Town and more convenient (if you want to go to old town) then the train. Also remember that the bus is only 1 Euro which is less money then the train fare (not sure of the current train fare). Since it only takes about 15 for the #100 to get from Villefranche to Nice...folks will often find that they are in Nice and walking around while others are still at Villefranche waiting for the more expensive train (that only runs about once every 30 minutes).

 

As to lunch you will get different opinions on this topic. Personally, I love to eat in Nice old town, but many others would tell you to have lunch in Eze Village. If you do go to Eze in the afternoon you could take the 4:30 bus back to MC (the 6:35 bus is also possible). If something were to happen that caused that bus to be late (or not show) your back-up plan would be to grab a taxi back to the port. But doing Eze Village and Nice on a 3 Euro transportation budget (per person) is a real bargain.

 

Hank

[StartrainDD]

Hank, thank you for the link to the bus schedule. We arrive in Villefranche on Monday, October 24. It's a tender port, and we are scheduled to be there from 10:00 AM until 8:00 PM (last tender 7:30PM).

 

I know we want to see Eze, and hopefully Nice as well. It looks like Villefraches is between the two? Do you know which stop on the bus routes we are looking for both the port in Villefranche, the best location for Eze, and also for Nice?

 

Thank you so much!

[Hlitner]

Hank, thank you for the link to the bus schedule. We arrive in Villefranche on Monday, October 24. It's a tender port, and we are scheduled to be there from 10:00 AM until 8:00 PM (last tender 7:30PM).

 

I know we want to see Eze, and hopefully Nice as well. It looks like Villefraches is between the two? Do you know which stop on the bus routes we are looking for both the port in Villefranche, the best location for Eze, and also for Nice?

 

Thank you so much!

 

To be honest, I am not sure the name of the closest bus stop to the port in Villefranche (the #100 bus makes several stops in Villefranche). When you arrive at the tender pier just ask somebody to point you in the right direction (which is up). As to Eze, you are looking for "Eze Village" which only has one stop (right at the parking lot in front of the village entrance. If you get concerned about finding the right stop just ask the driver or other passengers to point out the right stop (its hard to miss). I should mention that there is also another bus (and train) stop called Eze/Bord sur Mer which is right along the coast below Eze Village (you can hike up to the village in about an hour). The main bus line (there are a few other buses) that goes through Villefranche is the #100 bus which travels along the coastal road (or lower corniche) between Nice and Monte Carlo. This bus not only stops at several location in Villafranche, but it also stop at Eze/Bord sur Mer (this is in the direction of Monte Carlo). If you are trying to get directly to Eze Village from Villefranche you should take the #100 bus or the train and get off at the Eze/Bord sur Mer train station (its a tiny station). In front of that station is a small bus stop and there is a bus line that runs from the station up to Eze Village. But this bus does not have a schedule that coordinates with the train (or other buses) so its hit or miss whether you get a decent connection (the schedule is posted on the small bus kiosk in front of the station). If it turns out that you would have to wait a long time (it can be over an hour) then most folks will call for a taxi (there is a cafe across the street that can get you a taxi). If you look a good regional map (or draw a picture in your head) you need to simply think about two major routes between Nice and Monte Carlo (with Eze Village closer to MC). The lower road goes along the coast and has some nice views. The upper road is well up the hill (it never goes to Villefranche) and passes through Eze Village. This upper road is the one used by the #112 bus that runs between Nice and Monte Carlo with a stop at Eze Village. Look at a map (just pull one up on the internet) and it should all fall into place.

 

Hank

[rlyans]

Hank, You are world of knowledge. Thanks in advance. I am starting to plan some ports in July. We will also be arriving in Monaco at 9am and departing at 8pm. So it looks like we have a good long port day. We would like to stop and see Eze village first and then on to Nice for lunch. (the Antique market sounds fun) and then back to Monaco to take in a few of it sights. Does this seem doable? I saw that you posted that you could do it for about 3 Eurros per person. WOW!!! I also think a ship tour is a 4 letter word (funny to here you say that) Any help would be appriciated. rlyans

[rlyans]

Hank, One more thing. Do you have any ideas where we could have a good reasonable lunch? Thanks again ....rlyans

[Hlitner]

I will explain the 3 Euros per person for transportation. Take the bus from your Monte Carlo to Nice (1 Euro). Later take the 112 bus from Nice to Eze (1 more Euro). And finally take the 112 bus from Nice back to Monte Carlo (the 3rd Euro). If you are in Villefranche it might require one more bus so those unfortunate folks would have to spend 4 Euros. Of course for the big spenders there is also the train. But to be very honest,when we have had a long port day (in either Villefranche or Monte Carlo we simply rent a car. With our own car we do not have to be concerned about waiting for buses and/or trains and it gives us total flexibility. The last time we were in Monte Carlo on a cruise we did get a car and managed to spend some time in St Paul de Vence (our favorite place), a quick stop in Antibes (we also like this town) then on to Nice, then Eze and finally back to MC. That car cost us about $110 (with gas) which meant that our "personal excursion" cost DW and I a big $55 per person for about 8 hours plus our cost for food and drink. As to reasonable lunch, you do not say where you will be but we really like to have lunch in the old town of Nice. If you simply go to Cours Selaya (this is the same place where they have the markets) there are a group of cafes/restaurants that surround the plaza...and we will often look at the various carte de jours and pick whatever looks best.

 

As to a great lunch, there is a tiny restaurant (26 seats) in Nice called La Merenda. It is owned by a chef named Dominique LeStanc. LeStanc got his 2nd Michelin Star when we was the Chef at Chanteclar (the restaurant in the Hotel Negresco) and gave us the best meal we have ever had anywhere in the world. He was young, had achieved some fame, and was on his way to being one of the top chefs in France. So what did he do? He quit and opened this tiny simple restaurant in old town Nice. We have never had the opportunity to eat at his restaurant, but it is high on our list for a future visit. You can read a little about this place at this link :http://www.foodtourist.com/ftguide/Content/I431.htm. The problem with this place is it is nearly impossible to get a reservation (nobody seems to know how to do it) although we figure there is always a chance for walk-ins.

 

Hank

[Green4me]

Hank, thanks so much for all of your information, we will bus to Nice, stroll the old town and antique market, lunch as you suggested and catch the 112 to Eze then back to MC. with 5 of us that will save lots on transportation.

:)

[rlse9]

If you happen to be running late and don't have much time for lunch (the story of basically every time I travel anywhere) there are several small restaurants in the old town of Nice where you can get a sandwich and a drink for around 5 euros to eat as you walk. Did that a couple times, the bread in France is so good...

[rlyans]

Thanks Hank, I think we will take the 112 bus to Eze at 9:55 (if we miss that we could catch the 100 to Nice and come back thur Eze.) if we make the 112 bus I guess we could catch the 100 bus back...it look like it runs a lot more often. Do you know if they are close by and where you catch the 2 buses (100 and 112) in Monoaco? Also from Nice do you catch the 100 and the 112 in the same place? Also how long does it take to get bus stop and is it hard to find? Thank again, rlyans

[Hlitner]

I am not real good with directions but the #100 bus is about a 15 min walk from the pier. You need to get to the Blvd. Charles III for the #100 bus (look at a map online) which is actually the same road that goes all the way to Nice. The #112 is further from the port and runs along the Avenue Prince Rainier III. You can ask for directions once you get to Monte Carlo. At the other end (Nice) both buses start at the "J.C. Bermond" bus station which is located north (inland) of old town along the Ave. F. Faure. This is actually a real bus station with a large covered bus parking area and a large electric sign telling you which platform # has your bus. From Nice old town (depending where you are) it takes 10 - 15 min and it is easy to get lost so you need to get (or print-out)a decent map. We have walked around Nice's old town many times, but still get lost trying to find our way out the north end of the neighborhood.

 

You are asking all the right questions, but you need to spend some time finding maps and marking your "target." Otherwise, you will be like me on our last visit to Nice when we got horribly lost in the narrow old town streets and had to beg some locals for help. With the #100 bus you do not have to be concerned with the schedule since they run about 4 times an hour. But that #112 should not be missed so you need to give yourself extra time. Do not by shy in asking locals for help. Just using words like

"autobus" and "Eze Village" will usually get you pointed in the right direction. If you are lucky there will be a local tourist rep at the gangplank who will have good maps and can give directions...but you can never count on that to happen. The last time we docked in Monte Carlo we were off the ship by 7:30...but they said the tourist office people would not show-up until around 9.

 

As you are walking out of the port (in Monte Carlo) there are a few cafes (more like modern coffee shops) along the route (in the port area) that should be open...so if you are really desperate you can always beg for help! I am a typical proud male who hates to ever ask for directions, but when we travel I am never too proud :)

 

Hank

[rlyans]

Thanks so much Hank...we think that will work. I have a few more questions for a few of the other ports. I will post on the Italy board for them later. THANK SO MUCH!!!! Rlyans

[bjrose]

I am not real good with directions but the #100 bus is about a 15 min walk from the pier. You need to get to the Blvd. Charles III for the #100 bus (look at a map online) which is actually the same road that goes all the way to Nice. The #112 is further from the port and runs along the Avenue Prince Rainier III. You can ask for directions once you get to Monte Carlo. At the other end (Nice) both buses start at the "J.C. Bermond" bus station which is located north (inland) of old town along the Ave. F. Faure. This is actually a real bus station with a large covered bus parking area and a large electric sign telling you which platform # has your bus. From Nice old town (depending where you are) it takes 10 - 15 min and it is easy to get lost so you need to get (or print-out)a decent map. We have walked around Nice's old town many times, but still get lost trying to find our way out the north end of the neighborhood.

 

You are asking all the right questions, but you need to spend some time finding maps and marking your "target." Otherwise, you will be like me on our last visit to Nice when we got horribly lost in the narrow old town streets and had to beg some locals for help. With the #100 bus you do not have to be concerned with the schedule since they run about 4 times an hour. But that #112 should not be missed so you need to give yourself extra time. Do not by shy in asking locals for help. Just using words like

"autobus" and "Eze Village" will usually get you pointed in the right direction. If you are lucky there will be a local tourist rep at the gangplank who will have good maps and can give directions...but you can never count on that to happen. The last time we docked in Monte Carlo we were off the ship by 7:30...but they said the tourist office people would not show-up until around 9.

 

As you are walking out of the port (in Monte Carlo) there are a few cafes (more like modern coffee shops) along the route (in the port area) that should be open...so if you are really desperate you can always beg for help! I am a typical proud male who hates to ever ask for directions, but when we travel I am never too proud :)

 

Hank

Hi Hank, Thanks for giving a trove in info. We are there on a Sun in Nov. We want to take a bus this time from the port to Eze or another village. Not interested in Monaco again for the 3rd time. Do buses run on Sun. There from 8 to 5. Even one village would do us nicely but don't want to get lost. We love medieval villages and a nice lunch too.

Thanks.

bjrose;)

[Hlitner]

The Sunday bus schedule seems to be difficult to d/l in a PDF form. If you go to the Ligne web site (I posted a link in an earlier post in this thread) and use the List of Lines option you can pull-up the Sunday schedule (which does not show-up in the PDF file). They do show Sunday buses (you are looking for the #112 bus) but just like on the other days of the week they have an infrequent schedule. It means if you want to go to Eze Village you need to carefully plan around the bus schedule.

 

For what it's worth, we think that St Paul de Vence is the best place to go on Sundays, but this is quite a distance from MC if you want to use public transit. You can get there by taking the bus from MC to Nice (to the bus station) where you then transfer to the #400 bus which goes to St Paul de Vence (its easy to find the right bus in the bus station since they are all identified with a large Electric sign. If we were in MC on a Sunday and had a full port day we would probably take the bus to Nice, walk over to the Flower Market for a couple of hours and then go to St Paul de Vence in late morning (you have to watch the time and work with the bus schedules to make sure you get back to the port. Coming back from St Paul de Vence on the 400 bus it might make sense to get off at Cagnes sur Mer (ask the driver) and then catch the train from that station directly back to Monte Carlo (this would be faster then using the bus to get all the way back to Nice and then another bus to get to MC. So, you do have a fwe options using buses or bus/train. But either way, you need to be careful with the time issue as you do not want to miss the ship. A back-up Plan B, in case you had problems with public transit, would be to grab a taxi all the way back to the port...but this is quite expensive.

Hank

 

 

Hank

[btorlv]

Hank, Thanks for all your great info. We will be stopping in Monaco on Sat. from 9am-8pm. Since this is our 1st time here, I wanted to go to the Cathedral and see the changing of the guards. Now that I have doing more research about Nice and Eze, these both sound like really great places to see also. Is that too much to do in this time frame? I know the changing of the guards is at 1155. I was thinking about catching the bus right after that. Would I have enough time to do both Nice and Eze? If not, I think I'd rather seee Nice since the buses run more frequently there. Thanks for your help.

[Anguillafan]

Hank, Thanks for all your great info. We will be stopping in Monaco on Sat. from 9am-8pm. Since this is our 1st time here, I wanted to go to the Cathedral and see the changing of the guards. Now that I have doing more research about Nice and Eze, these both sound like really great places to see also. Is that too much to do in this time frame? I know the changing of the guards is at 1155. I was thinking about catching the bus right after that. Would I have enough time to do both Nice and Eze? If not, I think I'd rather seee Nice since the buses run more frequently there. Thanks for your help.

 

Can I jump in on this too? Our port day is also a Saturday, but a little shorter from 9-6. We dock in Cannes :( Does that mean Monaco/Monte Carlo, Nice and Eze can't all be done in a day? My impression is it's a train trip from Cannes. We want to see and feel it, but we aren't going to stay long anywhere.

[pobulus]

hello ...again!

be very carefull with our buses !!! they are not really in time specially in summer du to the traffic

in october you also have children holliday and for economy reasons buses are less than usual Sunday it's one every hour and

most of the shops are closed this day and the 1er November is holiday here