Cannes ... rental car or train or private excursion

[Bykrunski]

Does anyone have past experience or suggestions with respect to the complexity of renting a car in Cannes or purchasing a train ticket or private excursions?

 

We're docking in Cannes and it appears that we won't be on a tender before 9:30 am... .. missing the 9:41 am train from Cannes to Nice. Unfortunately we then need to take the tender back to the ship by 17:30. As a result, doesn't leave much time for exploring.

 

It is unreasonable expectations to try and see Nice or should we be content with exploring Cannes?

 

Thanks for all for your suggestions.

[gatorgirl59]

If you are wiling to do a private tour it is not unreasonable at all to see Nice, Monte Carlo and Monaco. We tendered at 10 and I believe ship departed at 7 or 8 and we had an amazing day seeing all of those places. Had our driver drop us in town in Cannes and still had time to wander around a bit before catching a tender back to the ship. Great day!

[Hlitner]

You do have other options instead of tours. There is a regional rental car dealer called "Mistral" located only a few blocks from the tender pier. There are also several major rental car dealers (i.e. Hertz, Budget and Avis) located about 1/2 mile from the port. As to the trains, the regional TER trains run quite often (at least once an hour) and are similar to commuter trains with no reservations (you can even bring your bike aboard). Visiting Nice in your time frame can be done...but your time in Nice is going to be limited. The train takes about 1 hour each way and driving takes just about 45 min if you use the fast A8 Autostrade. Although we usually rent cars when in France (on ships or just lengthy land vacations) we generally recommend using the train for a simple point A to point B route such as Cannes to Nice.

 

Keep in mind that you can be flexible if you plan to use the train. If tendering goes to well and you can get to the station pretty early....then the train is a great option. If tendering is very slow you could just forget the train and stay in Cannes.....or perhaps take the bus to Antibes for lunch. There are lots of options in this part of France.

 

Hank

[Bykrunski]

Thanks Hank... very reassuring & useful information. I'll plan to take the train (provided we are tendered early); otherwise it'll be a bus ride to Antibes for a wonderful lunch then a stroll about Cannes...

 

 

You do have other options instead of tours. There is a regional rental car dealer called "Mistral" located only a few blocks from the tender pier. There are also several major rental car dealers (i.e. Hertz, Budget and Avis) located about 1/2 mile from the port. As to the trains, the regional TER trains run quite often (at least once an hour) and are similar to commuter trains with no reservations (you can even bring your bike aboard). Visiting Nice in your time frame can be done...but your time in Nice is going to be limited. The train takes about 1 hour each way and driving takes just about 45 min if you use the fast A8 Autostrade. Although we usually rent cars when in France (on ships or just lengthy land vacations) we generally recommend using the train for a simple point A to point B route such as Cannes to Nice.

 

Keep in mind that you can be flexible if you plan to use the train. If tendering goes to well and you can get to the station pretty early....then the train is a great option. If tendering is very slow you could just forget the train and stay in Cannes.....or perhaps take the bus to Antibes for lunch. There are lots of options in this part of France.

 

Hank

[supersecdd]

Visiting Nice in your time frame can be done...but your time in Nice is going to be limited.

 

Do you just get a taxi on the street or use a certain company to drive you to Cannes, Nice and Monte Carlo?

[marazul]

Thanks Hank... very reassuring & useful information. I'll plan to take the train (provided we are tendered early); otherwise it'll be a bus ride to Antibes for a wonderful lunch then a stroll about Cannes...

 

Please, note that the main train station in Nice (Nice Ville) is very far from the Flower Market and main areas. You will need to take a taxi. The next station (Nice-Riquier) is closer, but still a longish walk or taxi. The trip to Nice Ville is about 40 minutes.

 

You do not have much time. You can spend some very nice time visiting Antibes first and then spending some time in Cannes.

[buggins0402]

Please, note that the main train station in Nice (Nice Ville) is very far from the Flower Market and main areas. You will need to take a taxi. The next station (Nice-Riquier) is closer, but still a longish walk or taxi. The trip to Nice Ville is about 40 minutes.

 

You do not have much time. You can spend some very nice time visiting Antibes first and then spending some time in Cannes.

 

Agree. Nice does have more to see, but it's better to do from Villefranche.

From Cannes, Antibes is just so easy, by either train or bus, if trying to stick to public transportation options only. There is a nice market every day. http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0PDoX3mw.lRmxgAhG6JzbkF?p=Antibes+market&fr=yfp-t-746-17&ei=utf-8&n=30&x=wrt&y=Search

The Picasso museum is pleasant if one is inclined in that direction. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187217-d195037-Reviews-Musee_Picasso-Antibes_French_Riviera_Cote_d_Azur_Provence.html

Marina is very pretty. And, Cannes has some nice areas to poke around for a few hours.

[Hlitner]

Please, note that the main train station in Nice (Nice Ville) is very far from the Flower Market and main areas. You will need to take a taxi. The next station (Nice-Riquier) is closer, but still a longish walk or taxi. The trip to Nice Ville is about 40 minutes.

 

You do not have much time. You can spend some very nice time visiting Antibes first and then spending some time in Cannes.

 

That is good info and we agree! In fact, this is one reason why we often suggest that cruisers tendering into Villefranche who want to go to the Flower Market (its best to go in the morning) will benefit by taking the bus into Nice. From the bus station it is a short walk to the inland side of the old town and another 15 min walk to the Flower Market.

 

Hank

[Julia’s Journey’s]

You do have other options instead of tours. There is a regional rental car dealer called "Mistral" located only a few blocks from the tender pier. There are also several major rental car dealers (i.e. Hertz, Budget and Avis) located about 1/2 mile from the port. As to the trains, the regional TER trains run quite often (at least once an hour) and are similar to commuter trains with no reservations (you can even bring your bike aboard). Visiting Nice in your time frame can be done...but your time in Nice is going to be limited. The train takes about 1 hour each way and driving takes just about 45 min if you use the fast A8 Autostrade. Although we usually rent cars when in France (on ships or just lengthy land vacations) we generally recommend using the train for a simple point A to point B route such as Cannes to Nice.

 

Keep in mind that you can be flexible if you plan to use the train. If tendering goes to well and you can get to the station pretty early....then the train is a great option. If tendering is very slow you could just forget the train and stay in Cannes.....or perhaps take the bus to Antibes for lunch. There are lots of options in this part of France.

 

Hank

 

Hank, I was looking for the name of the rental agent near the port and knew you would have it :D

Have you ever used them?

I am planning on picking up the car, a quick stop at the market in Nice before heading to St. Paul de Vence, Eze, Monaco.

Any suggestions?

[marazul]

Hank, I was looking for the name of the rental agent near the port and knew you would have it :D

Have you ever used them?

I am planning on picking up the car, a quick stop at the market in Nice before heading to St. Paul de Vence, Eze, Monaco.

Any suggestions?

 

You need to get your geography right. The towns are in the following order starting from Cannes: St Paul de Vence, Nice, Eze and Monaco. Plan accordingly. I hope you have a really long day in port if you are planning to visit all in one day.

 

The most efficient way might be to take the autoroute from Cannes to Monaco and then backtrack. From Monaco take the Moyenne Corniche to Eze and then to Nice. Make your quick stop and then follow the Promenade des Anglais to Cagnes-sur-Mer and from there up the hill to St Paul. Then back down to the sea shore drive and back to Cannes, either through Antibes or on the autoroute.

 

BTW -we have used Mistral on several occasions from the Nice airport. It's a good agency.

[Julia’s Journey’s]

You need to get your geography right. The towns are in the following order starting from Cannes: St Paul de Vence, Nice, Eze and Monaco. Plan accordingly. I hope you have a really long day in port if you are planning to visit all in one day.

 

The most efficient way might be to take the autoroute from Cannes to Monaco and then backtrack. From Monaco take the Moyenne Corniche to Eze and then to Nice. Make your quick stop and then follow the Promenade des Anglais to Cagnes-sur-Mer and from there up the hill to St Paul. Then back down to the sea shore drive and back to Cannes, either through Antibes or on the autoroute.

 

BTW -we have used Mistral on several occasions from the Nice airport. It's a good agency.

 

LOL, that wasn't the order I was planning for the day, I was there last month and we docked in Monaco and that is the order we did the ports but did a private excursion so typed them in the order they came to mind.

In October 2011 we docked in Cannes and were going to use public transport but it rained so bad and was so windy we ended up going back to the ship and ever the people on excursions didn't see or enjoy much so I am hoping to have a better October experience by renting.

Thanks for the info and suggested route, haven't researched the route yet as I wanted to discuss with hubby if he wanted to rent while he was home for the weekend.

[Hlitner]

Hank' date=' I was looking for the name of the rental agent near the port and knew you would have it :D

Have you ever used them?

I am planning on picking up the car, a quick stop at the market in Nice before heading to St. Paul de Vence, Eze, Monaco.

Any suggestions?[/quote']

 

We have not ever used Mistral as they did not even have an office the last time we rented a car in Cannes. But, quite a few CC contributors have used them and posted positive things and we have not seen any negative reviews. You have an ambitious plan (not sure we would do that much in a port day). We do also enjoy all the places you mention with the exception of Monte Carlo (DW would have me take here anywhere but MC). We normally do not go as far as Nice when we are driving from Cannes, since its a pretty long drive and we prefer to visit Nice when we are either at a closer port (Villefranche or Monte Carlo) or simply doing one our beloved European driving trips. We normally like to spend at least 3 hours in St Paul de Vence and I guess one could easily work out a driving trip to both Nice and St Paul de Vence and perhaps have enough time to visit Antibes. But tossing in Monte Carlo and Eze really stretches out the itinerary (and driving time) and could leave you spending very little time at many places.

 

A few years ago we started posting what we call "If its Tuesday It Must be Belgium" Syndrome (based on an old movie). This is a tendency of some travelers to go to as many places as possible without having much time to enjoy any of the places (or have a nice lunch). We have actually met fellow passengers that did so much in a port day that they could not remember where they went (and this was at dinner on the same day they took the tour!). Each person has their own agendas, but personally we like having enough time to really soak-up the atmosphere of a place. And being in France (or Italy) its hard for us to imagine spending a port day without enjoying a nice lunch (even if its just crepes or pasta).

 

You mention going to the Nice Flower Market (unless its a Monday) which is a great place that we also love to visit. But since that is located right in Nice's old town, its hard to imagine visiting the market without spending some time browsing the small streets and shops of the adjacent Old Town. And then that would make my mouth start to water thinking that perhaps we need to stay for lunch so I can have some of that fantastic fish soup that is unique to Nice. Oh MY!

 

I guess this is why, after our first visit to this region on a cruise we began to return (again and again) on lengthy driving trips when we did not have to worry about getting back to a ship :)

 

Hank

[Julia’s Journey’s]

We have not ever used Mistral as they did not even have an office the last time we rented a car in Cannes. But, quite a few CC contributors have used them and posted positive things and we have not seen any negative reviews. You have an ambitious plan (not sure we would do that much in a port day). We do also enjoy all the places you mention with the exception of Monte Carlo (DW would have me take here anywhere but MC). We normally do not go as far as Nice when we are driving from Cannes, since its a pretty long drive and we prefer to visit Nice when we are either at a closer port (Villefranche or Monte Carlo) or simply doing one our beloved European driving trips. We normally like to spend at least 3 hours in St Paul de Vence and I guess one could easily work out a driving trip to both Nice and St Paul de Vence and perhaps have enough time to visit Antibes. But tossing in Monte Carlo and Eze really stretches out the itinerary (and driving time) and could leave you spending very little time at many places.

 

A few years ago we started posting what we call "If its Tuesday It Must be Belgium" Syndrome (based on an old movie). This is a tendency of some travelers to go to as many places as possible without having much time to enjoy any of the places (or have a nice lunch). We have actually met fellow passengers that did so much in a port day that they could not remember where they went (and this was at dinner on the same day they took the tour!). Each person has their own agendas, but personally we like having enough time to really soak-up the atmosphere of a place. And being in France (or Italy) its hard for us to imagine spending a port day without enjoying a nice lunch (even if its just crepes or pasta).

 

You mention going to the Nice Flower Market (unless its a Monday) which is a great place that we also love to visit. But since that is located right in Nice's old town, its hard to imagine visiting the market without spending some time browsing the small streets and shops of the adjacent Old Town. And then that would make my mouth start to water thinking that perhaps we need to stay for lunch so I can have some of that fantastic fish soup that is unique to Nice. Oh MY!

 

I guess this is why, after our first visit to this region on a cruise we began to return (again and again) on lengthy driving trips when we did not have to worry about getting back to a ship :)

 

Hank

 

Thanks for the info, I am definately not one to try go to every spot in a short port day but have been to these places before as I spent a year travelling in Europe when I finished school and done some other port days, I know which places I want to stop at and pick up the few things that I regret not buying in May cause I knew I would be back.

Hubby and I are not the sit down for 2 hour lunch kind as I would rather be walking around.

I plan to work out a route for our day and if we decide to stay somewhere longer it is just us and we will go with the flow and adjust as needed.

Keep saying I am going to do land trips back to Europe but so addicted to cruising at the moment that that seems to be what we end up doing instead.

Appreciate your wealth of knowledge :)

[Hlitner]

Thanks for the info, I am definately not one to try go to every spot in a short port day but have been to these places before as I spent a year travelling in Europe when I finished school and done some other port days, I know which places I want to stop at and pick up the few things that I regret not buying in May cause I knew I would be back.

Hubby and I are not the sit down for 2 hour lunch kind as I would rather be walking around.

I plan to work out a route for our day and if we decide to stay somewhere longer it is just us and we will go with the flow and adjust as needed.

Keep saying I am going to do land trips back to Europe but so addicted to cruising at the moment that that seems to be what we end up doing instead.

Appreciate your wealth of knowledge :)

 

Totally agree with everything you say. The great advantage to "doing your own thing" is that you can vary your port itinerary on the fly. In fact, we often start our port days without any idea what we will do after the first stop...although we try to always know our options. As to your land trip comment, we "hear you" as this is often an item of discussion in our home. On one hand, I am happy to simply fly to Europe (or take a repositioning cruise) and rent/lease a car for a few weeks (or perhaps months) and just go! On the other hand, taking a long cruise is just so darn easy. Get to your embarkation port, hop on the ship, unpack once, head to the bar (no drinking and driving problem) and relax.

 

 

Hank

[Julia’s Journey’s]

Totally agree with everything you say. The great advantage to "doing your own thing" is that you can vary your port itinerary on the fly. In fact, we often start our port days without any idea what we will do after the first stop...although we try to always know our options. As to your land trip comment, we "hear you" as this is often an item of discussion in our home. On one hand, I am happy to simply fly to Europe (or take a repositioning cruise) and rent/lease a car for a few weeks (or perhaps months) and just go! On the other hand, taking a long cruise is just so darn easy. Get to your embarkation port, hop on the ship, unpack once, head to the bar (no drinking and driving problem) and relax.

 

 

Hank

 

Of course I still have that little 4 letter word to consider (work) to pay for these trips :)

DD graduated high school in May so we were planning a girls land trip to Italy, by the time I did the planning, booked hotel, cars, trains etc it was way more than the cruise cost plus I would be the one driving and planning and packing unpacking etc - ended up onboard and did some fun port days and it was a great trip before she headed to college 2 days after we got home!

Hopefully one day we can do some months long trips :)