DIY Villefranche/Eze/Monaco...Best way?

[sgk2000]

We are cruising on the LOS in October. Trying to decide whether to try to do both Eze Village and Monaco from Villefranche. Has anyone done both from this port? Would it be better to go to Eze first then Monaco or Monaco first then Eze? I have read about the limited bus schedule to get to Eze and am wondering if the trip to Eze is worth the hassle. We were thinking of taking the bus because the views are suppose to be better. Our other alternative is just do Monaco and return to Villefranche and walk around before getting back on the ship. We are in port on a Monday from 7a.m-7p.m

[Hlitner]

My suggestion would be to simply list all your options (including the bus schedules) and then go off to Monte Carlo and do whatever pleases you at the time. If you get tired of Monte Carlo (we get tired of Monte Carlo by just thinking about the place) you can just exercise your option of changing your mind and grab the bus to Eze Village. One of the major advantages of DIY days is the ability to change your plans as things develop during the day. As to whether Eze Village is worth it, many here will tell you its a great place to stop for a couple of hours. Personally, we would prefer a day at St Paul de Vence and perhaps some time in Nice...but this is just one of those personal preference things.

 

Hank

[sgk2000]

Thanks Hank,

My concern is the time it takes on buses to travel to all three places. Not as many #112 bus

times, so that's why I thought it might be better to go to Eze first and then could go to Monaco and go back to Villefranche on the #100 bus. I've read that Eze is small so I don't think we would spend a lot of time there. If time allows, at the end of the day, we thought we could walk around Villefranche. We are traveling with another couple so we have to discuss all this with them and decide.

I have read that St-Paul-de-Vence is beautiful I haven't researched much on it. Is it easier to get to? I did buy Rick Steves new book Mediterranean Cruise Ports. He says St-Paul-de-Vence is difficult to reach on your own. That's why I haven't did much research on it.

Sue

[Hlitner]

Thanks Hank,

My concern is the time it takes on buses to travel to all three places. Not as many #112 bus

times, so that's why I thought it might be better to go to Eze first and then could go to Monaco and go back to Villefranche on the #100 bus. I've read that Eze is small so I don't think we would spend a lot of time there. If time allows, at the end of the day, we thought we could walk around Villefranche. We are traveling with another couple so we have to discuss all this with them and decide.

I have read that St-Paul-de-Vence is beautiful I haven't researched much on it. Is it easier to get to? I did buy Rick Steves new book Mediterranean Cruise Ports. He says St-Paul-de-Vence is difficult to reach on your own. That's why I haven't did much research on it.

Sue

 

It actually is not very difficult to get to St Paul de Vence from Villefranche, but it does take nearly 1 1/2 hours (each way). You would just take the #100 bus from Villefranche to the Nice bus station where you change to the #400 bus that will take you to St Paul de Vence. And yes, you are correct that using buses (and other public transit) does waste significant time. It's one reason why we generally prefer to rent a car unless we decide to spend our day in a single location.

 

Hank

P.S. One irony is that the buses to St Paul de Vence run more often then the buses to Eze Village.

[sgk2000]

Thanks Hank,

I think 3 hrs bus travel is too much. My husband is not interested in renting a car and driving. I guess St Paul-de-Vence will have to be another time.

Sue

[wcook]

I have never been to Eze, so take this with a grain of salt... but from everyhing I've read, the main reason to go to Eze is the spectacular view. Well, the views in Monte Carlo are spectacular. Heck, the views from the Villefranche train station are spectacular. It's the French Riveria.... a very pretty place.

 

If Eze works into your schedule, great. But if you are stressing to fit it in, I'd skip it. Again, see initial disclaimer.

[sgk2000]

I agree. I think we'll head for Monaco and if there is time and the bus schedule works out....maybe Eze. We'll see how the day goes. Don't want to go crazy trying to see everything!

[Hlitner]

Thanks Hank,

I think 3 hrs bus travel is too much. My husband is not interested in renting a car and driving. I guess St Paul-de-Vence will have to be another time.

Sue

 

I should have mentioned that there is another alternative method to getting to St Paul de Vence. It is possible to take the coastal train (you can get the train from Villefranche or Monte Carlo) past Nice to the small train station located at Cagnes sur Mer. Once at that station you go outside where you can catch that same #400 bus (that started its route at Nice) for its last 20 minutes to St Paul de Vence. My only reason for not recommending this method is that there is a risk that the #400 bus would be full when it gets to Cagnes sur Mer..in which case they bypass the stop. This does not happen on a regular basis, but it has been reported here on CC by a few folks who found themselves stuck in Cagnes sur Mer without a bus ride.

 

Hank

P.S. Over the years we have avoided all the public transit hassles by merely renting a car.

[sgk2000]

Thanks Hank. My husband doesn't feel comfortable driving so we'll probably stick with Monaco and Eze and Nice, if there is enough time. We'll just wing it and see how things work out. First time in France, except for one day in Paris, about 10 years ago.

Sue

[Susan-M]

We travelled to Eze and Monaco from VF by bus (#100 & #83 to Eze, #112 to Monaco) and then train back to VF. You'll have plenty of time to do both, and Eze is definitely worth visiting (would recommend going up to the cactus garden at the top for both the spectacular views and the cacti.)

 

We went to Eze first, but our arrival in VF was 10 a.m. With your 7 a.m. arrival, if you want to go to Eze early, you would need to head to Nice and then take a bus from there to Eze.

 

Otherwise, you could head to Monaco first, and then come back on #112 to Eze Village, #83 down to Eze bord du Mer and #100 back to VF. It's not as complicated as it sounds, and if you have the bus schedules with you, it really minimizes waiting time (our bus/train wait times were no more than 10 minutes.)

[sgk2000]

Thanks Susan,

It's reassuring to know that you did go to both Eze and Monaco without any problem. I would very much like to see Eze so definitely think we will try to do both.

[Susan-M]

You're welcome. I should add that although it was fairly easy to do while there, it took some advance research to figure out where the bus stops are in VF and Monaco. I have some links bookmarked, so if you need any, just let me know. Also, I found Rick Steve's book, Provence and the French Riviera, helpful in my research on this area (was able to borrow it from our local library.)

[Metaxus]

I've worked out our plans for our day at Villefranche, but would appreciate some details of the bus stops.

 

Our basic plan is to get the train from Villefranche to Monaco, then get a bus from Monaco station to Monaco Ville to see the Palace, cathedral, etc. Then a bus to Monte Carlo to see the casino and then walk down to the harbour. Then get a bus back to Villefranche to walk through the town of Villefranche before heading back to the port.

 

My questions are:-

 

1 In the morning, I am thinking it sounds easier from the Villefranche tender to find the railway station in Villefranche than the bus stop. Am I right?

 

2 Monaco railway station sounds very complicated on different levels. I am hoping there are signs for buses to Monaco Ville, and I am assuming the bus stop we'll need is Princesse Florestine. Is that right?

 

3 After sightseeing in Monaco/Monte Carlo, we plan to get the 100 bus back to Villefranche. I gather there is a bus stop for the 100 at Place Ste Devote. Ii looks near the harbour. But is it a steep climb from the harbour?

 

4 After the bus ride, we want to wander through Villefranche town. There seem to be several bus stops in Villefranche. Which do you recommend is the best one to get off?

[Susan-M]

Metaxus,

 

1) yes, easier to find, it's a flat walk (other than the steps up to the station) as opposed to an uphill walk to the bus stop, and a quicker trip to Monte Carlo. Do you have a schedule?

 

2) We didn't use the local bus in Monaco, so not sure about signage at the train station.

 

3) We didn't use Sainte Devote stop...so I'm not sure about elevation of it from the harbour.

 

4) We used l'Octroi stop - it's the one in the bottom left of this map: http://www.villefranche-sur-mer.fr/pages/plan/planville.html

[wcook]

One thing to consider... we had about a 20 minute wait to buy tickets at the Villefranche train station.

 

In Monaco, if you want to take the train back... yes, there are many entrances to the station. But they are easy to find on the local bus map. Any bus stop near an entrace to the "gare" are clearly marked with the SNCF logo.

[Metaxus]

Thanks for your responses.

 

No, I haven't seen a train timetable, but I thought they were every half hour.

Yes, I suppose there will be a lot of people walking from the port to the rail station. Can you buy tickets at tobaccanists, like you apparently can in Italy, or do you have to queue at the station?

[Susan-M]

Re the timetable ... here's a pdf version in French

[Metaxus]

Thanks, Susan.

Very useful.

 

I know you said you didn't use the buses in Monaco, but do you remember how well signposted are things at Monaco train station?

[Susan-M]

If you mean signposted for finding your way to where you are going outside of the station ... no, sorry, we returned via train and walked to it using our map ... it was a bit of a convoluted route & I'm sure if we had taken a more direct route, or looked for signposts instead of having our noses buried in a map, it would have been more direct :)

 

Have you been to Tripadvisor to ask there ... I use it a lot for our port days planning, for specific info that I can't get here.

[Newtoncruise]

The train stops at villefrance, eze and monte Carlo. eze y!

[Susan-M]

Newtoncruise .. there is Eze Bord de Mer (where the train stops) and Eze Village ...the quaint village that people want to visit, quite a ways up the hill from Eze Bord de Mer. Bus #83 connects the two, but the buses are infrequent, so it's important to co-ordinate your train/bus trip if that's the way you plan to go to Eze Village.

[Fred321]

We've rented an apartment on Cap Ferrat for a couple of winters and these three towns are doable in a single day by either bus or train.

 

#100 bus runs about every 15 minutes and it's around a 20 minute ride from Villefranche to Monte Carlo. Spectacular scenery along the coast. Train runs about every half hour unless there's a strike and it's about 10 minutes into Monaco. Bus costs one euro and train is about two and a half euro one way. Your one euro bus ticket, however, will allow you to transfer to the #83 bus up the mountain to Eze Village for no additional cost as long as you get on within the hour. Don't confuse Eze Bord de Mer with Eze Village. You want to see Village. Bord de Mer is just a train and bus stop.

 

Views from Eze are amazing. You can walk through the narrow pathways out to the hotel at the end of the village. It's perched on the edge of the cliff and is very expensive but they do have a terrace bar where you can get a beer or soda and look out over the med and Cap Ferrat for not too much money.

 

100 bus gets crowded. If you are going to take it toward Monaco from Villf.best place to catch it is in the main square which is up the hill to your left when you land. Go between the fort and the pointy looking apartment house and look to your left for the street that ends at a wide set of stairs. Go up those stairs and you will have a tourist office and the bus stop right across the street in front of you. Also a great little bakery to your right.

 

The train station in Villf. is to your right when you land and also up a steep hill. You'll see it from the ship at anchor and there are signs. For the train you will probably have to buy your ticket from the seller in the station. They have machines but the last time we were there they didn't take cash; only train cards. On the bus you can just buy it from the driver when you get on. Remember to validate it.

 

Train station in Monaco is no big deal. Lots of signs for it and easy to figure out where to go. Just make sure you know which way you are going but the folks there also almost all speak english. They may not speak English at the station in Villefranche.

 

If you are taking the 100 bus into Monaco stay on until you get to the Casino stop. That way most of the stuff you want to see is downhill. If you are taking the 100 from Monaco back to Villf. it is usually mobbed by the time it gets to the last stop in Monaco at the Place des Armes. Better to go to the casino and walk up the hill away from the casino through the little park until you come to the main street. Cross there and the bus stops right where you are in front of the small shopping mall. Just ask someone and they will probably be able to help. Or bus in to Monaco and take the train back to Villf. so you can walk back downhill to the tenders.

 

Don't stress too much about what to do. The whole area is wonderful and you can have a great day just walking around Villf. and the little town of Beaulieu sur Mer just to the East. LaGringotere (sp?) in Villefranche is a great little place to eat. La Pignotelle in Beaulieu is also great as is the Patisserie des. Anges in Beaulieu for almond croissant and the restaurant across from the patisserie is also good. If you do that you can also look for Nellcote (the villa that Keith Richards rented and where the Rolling Stones recorded Exiles on Main Street). You can walk there from the dock around the beach in Villf and then up the stairs at the end and down the street in front of you.

 

Hope I didn't confuse you. As you can tell we love Villefranche and this area. Hope you enjoy it.

[Susan-M]

Good info Fred ... what a beautiful area to spend your winters!

 

Susan

[scotslizzy]

I have tried looking for the timetable for the 83 bus that takes us from Eze su mer to Eze Village but cant find it . Where or what am I doing wrong .

 

Any help appreciated .

 

Thanks

 

Scotslizzy

[Susan-M]

Hi Scotslizzy:

 

I use two schedules, per my links below:

 

1) from the Eze Tourism Office ... a simplified schedule of several routes.

 

2) from the bus website. This one is more detailed, and has a map of each stop (see the 'Map' column, beside the stop name).