HOHO or walking tour in Nice

[shoesonfire]

We will be in Nice on a Saturday in October from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. We may possibly not be able to continue with a private tour of Nice/Eze/MonteCarlo. Cannot do trip via bus/train on our own and would like recommendations for either walking tour of Nice or HOHO bus to see as much of the area as possible on our own.

[Hlitner]

Would like to help you but your post leaves me with questions that would impact our advice. We assume you will be tendering into Villefranche.....is that true? Your post is very cryptic when you say you "may not be able to continue with a private tour" and we need some clarification. Also, why can you not use a train/bus on your own? Does this mean you will not be doing any tour or you are thinking about leaving a tour in Nice? Do you have any physical limitations.....i.e. would you be comfortable walking about 2 miles over the course of a few hours? Hate to sound nosey but the more we understand the more we can customize our recommendations.

 

Hank

[shoesonfire]

Agree, my post was hasty and vague. We arrive and dock in Nice on a Sat. We originally booked a private all day tour of the Riveria, however, that is not working out due to withdrawal of other travelers and too much cost for the remaining folks. We are doing diy in other ports and choose to be more relaxed in Nice. Have read that Nice is easy to explore on foot, however, one person in our group has difficulty with uphill walks and that's why I asked for recommendations about walking routes as well as advice on the hoho bus in Nice. Most hoho buses don't take you close enough to the major sites and are not always the best way to sightsee an area or the best value. Would appreciate any insight about Nice, places to visit and ease of doing so. Thank you.

[Hlitner]

That info is helpful. Not many cruise ships actually dock in Nice (we did many years ago on the long gone Regent Spirit). For purposes of walking in Nice we think there are 2 "do not miss" areas. The one that is closest to the small Nice port is the old town area (our favorite part of Nice). Since you will dock on a Saturday morning we would suggest you get off the ship ASAP and head directly to the famous outdoor Flower Market. This is located in the old town area about 2 blocks from the water along the Cours Selaya. This market is a lot of fun and there will be lots of food products as well as tons of beautiful flowers. We enjoy just strolling thourgh the twisting streets of old town and browsing some of the small shops (not to mention cafes, restaurants, etc). The other part of Nice worth exploring on foot is the Promanade des Anglais. You can research these areas online although it is smart to have some kind of guide book with street maps (especially in the old town).

 

Hank

[Alex71]

We spent the Easter break in Cap d'Ail, between Nice and Monaco. I would definitely recommend to focus on one area. I'd say Eze is probable the least interesting. You have a nice view from up there, but there is not that much else to do.

 

Between Nice and Monte Carlo, we liked Nice quite a bit better. You can either take the bus or the train from Villefranche. Nice is very walkable, but it is easy to get lost, so I would recommend to bring / print out a map.

 

I'd support the comment about the Prommenade D'Anglais. If you plan to do some shopping, Avenue Jean Médecin is the main shopping street.