St. Paul de Vence - Help

[llarsen]

Hi,

 

We will be in Cannes Saturday October 12th on Oceania from 8am-10pm

Our first trip to the Med

 

Originally we planned to take the train to Villafranche and or Nice and maybe to Antibes if we had time.

 

But St Paul de Vence looks like our kind of place.

 

My only hesitation is that I read on CC that some people were stranded at Cagnes sur Mer (bus stop?) because they were full and did not stop to pick anyone up.

 

What is the likelyhood of this happening in October?

Also, if it were to happen- would it be possible for us to walk to another stop or call a taxi?

I do have an international phone that should work in France.

[Hlitner]

The likelihood of a full bus is not great....but it is always possible. You could not walk to another stop....but would simply have to wait for the next bus (and that could be an hour) or find a taxi. We have only used the public bus to St Paul de Vence on two occasions...and both times we got on the bus at its origin in Nice. When in Cannes we prefer to rent a car so we have total flexibility. St Paul de Vence is normally our first stop :).

 

Hank

[llarsen]

Hlitner, Is it an easy drive to St Paul? Which other places do you visit when renting a car in Cannes? We planned on bus to St Paul and then Villafranche or Nice and maybe Antibes if we have time. We are there until 10pm but not sure if things close in Antibes?

 

Monte Carlo is also a stop on our itinerary. It's a Sunday and we wanted to go to Eze but no bus, so considering a taxi there and then bus to Nice and Cap Ferrat. We are in Monte Carlo until 10pm Is that do-able?

[marazul]

Not Hank, but here is the info.

It is an easy ride to St Paul. You can go along the shore through Antibes or take the autoroute to Villeneuve Loubet. You might spend a lot more time in St Paul than you think, especially if you visit the Fondation Maeght museum. Nice is easy from there: down the hill to Cagnes-sur-Mer and turn left when you get to the Med. Consider renting a car, you would waste a lot of time making those connections by bus.

 

Other places: after St Paul, go up the hill to Vence (10 minutes). Old town and the Chagall chapel. All depends on the time you have left.

 

You can always take the autoroute to Nice first, look around and then go to St Paul and return to Cannes along the shore by way of Antibes, Cap d'Antibes and Juan-les-Pins.

 

If you don't make it to Villefranche from Cannes, you can do it from Monte Carlo. Villefranche is next to Cap Ferrat. Also, rent a car so you can get to everything. Very doable. If you do take the bus from Eze to Cap Ferrat/Villefranche, consider returning by train. But really, think of the car, you don't want to spend time in bus stops!

[blondietoo]

How easy is it to get the bus? We prefer not to rent a car as there is only 2 of us. We went to Eze from Nice on the bus last year and it was so easy.

[llarsen]

Wow, thank you marazul! That is great information!

Our hesitation on renting a car is that automatics are almost non existant in Europe and we aren't sure of the roads (we also do not speak or read a word of French)

 

But one of our travel companions said they are willing to give it a try, I just want to return safely to my kids and grandchildren if you know what I mean.

 

Do they speak English at the rental offices?

 

Thanks sooooo much!

[marazul]

Wow, thank you marazul! That is great information!

Our hesitation on renting a car is that automatics are almost non existant in Europe and we aren't sure of the roads (we also do not speak or read a word of French)

 

But one of our travel companions said they are willing to give it a try, I just want to return safely to my kids and grandchildren if you know what I mean.

 

Do they speak English at the rental offices?

 

Thanks sooooo much!

 

English should not be a problem. In any case, rent ahead of time and have the contract with you, that takes care of it.

The roads are all very well marked.

Bring your own GPS if you have it, save the money in the rental. Plus you can download the European maps and pre-program your locations before you leave.

And automatics are available and more plentiful than you think.

[marazul]

How easy is it to get the bus? We prefer not to rent a car as there is only 2 of us. We went to Eze from Nice on the bus last year and it was so easy.

 

Sorry, we always drive. But I think you would have to change buses in Nice.

[Hlitner]

Agree with Marazul's post on where to go with a car. Our typical day might be to get a car in Cannes and drive directly to St Paul de Vence (about a 45-50 min drive) where we spend several hours. Depending on how we feel at the time we might stay in St Paul de Vence for lunch. We will often then drive to the coast and visit Cap d'Antibes or other places in that vicinity before working our way back to Cannes (if we have time we stick to the slower and more interesting coastal route). Given the traffic problems during the busy summer season we like to have the car back in Cannes at least an hour (1 1/2 hours is better) early. If we do get back to Cannes early we will usually stop at one of the cafes that line the Marina (actually across the street) that is only a few minutes walk from the tender pier.

 

We have been somewhat excited about a small regional rental car company (Mistral) locating a rental office close to the tender pier. In the past we always had to walk to one of the dealers on the other side of town which would take about 30 min.

 

Hank

[pspercy]

Antibes is fun, see the huge yachts and also the Picasso museum. Vence/St Paul is an easy drive, you could hire a car for the day. Also see Fondation Maeght in the area, drive along a few miles to Tourrettes-sur-Loup. Choices, choices :)

[Hlitner]

Ahhh. I have neglected to mention the Fondation Maeght which is quite close to St Paul de Vence. This is a pretty neat museum for those who love Modern Art...or, as in my case, love to laugh at modern art. You can google this place and if you are a lover of Jean Miro you would be in heaven walking through this place.

 

Hank

[marazul]

Ahhh. I have neglected to mention the Fondation Maeght which is quite close to St Paul de Vence. This is a pretty neat museum for those who love Modern Art...or, as in my case, love to laugh at modern art. You can google this place and if you are a lover of Jean Miro you would be in heaven walking through this place.

 

Hank

 

The building itself is worth seeing. Beautiful modern architecture with many Vasarely mosaics in the fountains.

[llarsen]

I'm not a fan of modern art, but I looked the museum up and my husband would love this!

 

Thanks!

[Herman The Cat]

Wow, thank you marazul! That is great information!

Our hesitation on renting a car is that automatics are almost non existant in Europe and we aren't sure of the roads (we also do not speak or read a word of French)

 

But one of our travel companions said they are willing to give it a try, I just want to return safely to my kids and grandchildren if you know what I mean.

 

Do they speak English at the rental offices?

 

Thanks sooooo much!

 

We rented from Hertz and got a car with navigation. They reprogrammed the navigation system at the counter to it spoke English to us rather than French.

 

You can reserve and automatic, but they are certainly pricier.

[llarsen]

Hi,

 

We just rented with Mistral. I believe they are closeby to the cruise pier.

Thanks so much!

[Dymt]

Love this thread! I visited St. Paul de Vence a few years ago and fell in love. I really want my husband to go with me this time. My concern is that we don't arrive at the Cannes port until 8:00 a.m. and leave at 6:00 p.m. Since we're going in early August, I expect traffic. I'd love to see the coast as well and have a chance to stop on the way there or the way back (perhaps see something I haven't seen before). Since I've only been to Eze and St. Paul, will you please offer suggestions of a day trip that would fit within those time parameters and suggest, as well, transportation options, keeping in mind that St. Paul is my must-see? Incidentally, I've been to the Maeght and would sooner die than go back!

 

Thank you!!

[Hlitner]

Love this thread! I visited St. Paul de Vence a few years ago and fell in love. I really want my husband to go with me this time. My concern is that we don't arrive at the Cannes port until 8:00 a.m. and leave at 6:00 p.m. Since we're going in early August, I expect traffic. I'd love to see the coast as well and have a chance to stop on the way there or the way back (perhaps see something I haven't seen before). Since I've only been to Eze and St. Paul, will you please offer suggestions of a day trip that would fit within those time parameters and suggest, as well, transportation options, keeping in mind that St. Paul is my must-see? Incidentally, I've been to the Maeght and would sooner die than go back!

 

Thank you!!

 

Well, 8 - 6 is a pretty decent amount of time although you need to deal with time wasted due to tendering. But if you can get on one of the early tenders you will get a long port day since your last tender back to the ship will probably be at 5:30. Driving to St Paul de Vence takes about 45 min (from Cannes) if you use the Autostrade route. This is plenty of time to go to St Paul de Vence for several hours and still have time to drive down to the coast (we like to go to Antibes) and work your way back to Cannes (you want to get back at least an hour early to allow for unexpected traffic problems). Going to Eze Village really does add a lot of driving time, and personally, we think the place is somewhat overrated by many CC members (especially when compared to St Paul de Vence). Eze is cute, has some great views of the sea, but we are underwhelmed by the quality of their shops/art stores when compared to St Paul de Vence.

 

Hank

[Dymt]

Thanks so much, Hank!! I concur with your description of Eze. Our other options include Nice and Monaco. We've been to Monaco and have no burning desire to return. We considered Nice but since most of our ports of call are focused on cities and monstrous architecture, we thought St. Paul would be a nice departure. I take it you believe renting a car is our best and simplest option?

[Hlitner]

Thanks so much, Hank!! I concur with your description of Eze. Our other options include Nice and Monaco. We've been to Monaco and have no burning desire to return. We considered Nice but since most of our ports of call are focused on cities and monstrous architecture, we thought St. Paul would be a nice departure. I take it you believe renting a car is our best and simplest option?

 

Renting a car is a great option if you intend to go to St Paul de Vence. Plus with that car you can also visit the nearby Maeght Fondation (a modern art museum) and some other places. Another good option, although it can be very expensive, is to take a private tour. Trying to go to St Paul de Vence on public transit is possible (its a train/bus combination) but takes an awful lot of time. You could probably do both St Paul de Vence and Nice in a day...but you will be pushing the limits of time.

 

Hank

[marazul]

I was at the Maeght a couple of weeks ago and they have a truly awful special exhibit of some very "modern" art. Their permanent collection of wonderful Chagalls and Matisses were put away. You might want to check their website for the absence of special exhibits when you are there. The permanent collection and the building are worth seeing.

[Hlitner]

I was at the Maeght a couple of weeks ago and they have a truly awful special exhibit of some very "modern" art. Their permanent collection of wonderful Chagalls and Matisses were put away. You might want to check their website for the absence of special exhibits when you are there. The permanent collection and the building are worth seeing.

 

We would hope that the Chagalls and Matisses are hanging when we again visit....but if they toss the Miro's in the trash we would be happy campers.

 

Hank