Monte Carlo to Eze on Sunday

[llarsen]

Hello,

 

We will be in Monte Carlo on a Sunday from 8am - 10pm. There is no bus service from Monte Carlo to Eze on Sundays.

 

The main places we hope to visit from Monte Carlo are Eze, Nice or Villafranche and Cap Ferrat.

 

Does anyone know if (4 of us) can catch a taxi to Eze in the morning (not sure what time shops open in Eze on Sunday?), then catch a train from Eze to Nice or Villafranche and then Cap Ferrat?

 

In your opinion, do we have time to see all of this, if not which should we leave out?

 

We are not familiar at all the bus/trains, but I keep reading how easy it is to visit these places using this form of transportation.

 

Any help is appreciated.

[marazul]

The trains DO NOT run through Eze.

 

You can get the taxi to get to Eze and maybe have it wait for one hour and take you to Nice. Then get the bus back from Nice to Villefranche and the train back to Monaco. You might be better off arranging from a private tour or renting a car. Then you can get to all thoe points.

 

And don't worry about the shops in Eze, aside from a couple of local painters and potters, the souvenirs you'll see are identical to the souvenirs at all the other places. Just go there and walk to the top, enjoy the views and the old streets and get back to your taxi. IMO, the perfume shop/factory is no great shakes.

[llarsen]

If we take the taxi to Eze we will ask to be dropped off near the village. Afterward, can we walk down to the bus stop or is that wasted time? Will there be taxis in the village to take us to bus stop or do most people walk? We are all in our 40-50's, capable walkers and in good shape.

 

Also, if we were to visit St Paul de Vence the day before, would you skip Eze? We also want to see Nice and Cap Ferrat.

 

Thanks!

[cberge]

If we take the taxi to Eze we will ask to be dropped off near the village. Afterward, can we walk down to the bus stop or is that wasted time? Will there be taxis in the village to take us to bus stop or do most people walk? We are all in our 40-50's, capable walkers and in good shape.

 

Also, if we were to visit St Paul de Vence the day before, would you skip Eze? We also want to see Nice and Cap Ferrat.

 

Thanks!

I can't help you with the taxi question,BUT if you go to St.P IMHO you do NOT need to go to Eze.It is smaller and more touristy than ST.P as St.P is a living town as well as shops etc.A visit to old toen Nice as well as other prts of the city is really nice as well.Never been to Cap Ferrat so that I cannot speak to.No matter what you do you will enjoy the area...it is a great place to visit.

[Hlitner]

If we take the taxi to Eze we will ask to be dropped off near the village. Afterward, can we walk down to the bus stop or is that wasted time? Will there be taxis in the village to take us to bus stop or do most people walk? We are all in our 40-50's, capable walkers and in good shape.

 

Also, if we were to visit St Paul de Vence the day before, would you skip Eze? We also want to see Nice and Cap Ferrat.

 

Thanks!

 

Regarding getting from Eze Village down to Eze Sur Mer (the main buses and train), there is an unimproved path but its a pretty steep walk and takes most folks about 45 min. Regarding taxis, you cannot depend on a taxi waiting around the Eze Village parking area although you can certainly call for a taxi (if you have a phone). But keep in mind that taxis are very expensive in this part of France.

 

We do agree with Cberge's post about St Paul de Vence. Although both Eze Village and St Paul de Vence are nice places to visit on a Sunday, we think St Paul de Vence is in a class of its own in this region. But getting there on a Sunday is not easy although you can take the #400 bus from Nice (or Cagnes sur Mer) to the town. The buses do not run very often (about once an hour for the 400 bus) so it pays to check the bus schedule before you waste a lot of your day waiting for buses.

 

IMHO the best way to visit places like Eze and St Paul de Vence is to rent a car. Although it can be difficult to find a rental car place open on Sundays, the Hertz location in Monte Carlo used to be open until around noon (you can arrange to drop the car after hours). With a rental car we might do something like drive to Nice to enjoy the Flower Market, then on to St Paul de Vence (our favorite spot in the area) for a few hours. We might then make a stop at Antibes or perhaps head back to Monte Carlo and stop at Eze (or you could even drive to Cap Ferat).

 

Hank

[llarsen]

We were considering renting the car on Saturday in Cannes to see St Paul, but if we do not rent a car, would you still try and see St Paul on Sunday (skipping Eze) by taking the train to Nice or bus to Cagnes Sur Mer from Monte Carlo, or is St Paul too far from Monte Carlo?

 

I'm so confused, and not sure what we should not miss.

 

We are in Cannes and Monte Carlo until 8:00am-10pm

 

Thanks!

[Hlitner]

We were considering renting the car on Saturday in Cannes to see St Paul, but if we do not rent a car, would you still try and see St Paul on Sunday (skipping Eze) by taking the train to Nice or bus to Cagnes Sur Mer from Monte Carlo, or is St Paul too far from Monte Carlo?

 

I'm so confused, and not sure what we should not miss.

 

We are in Cannes and Monte Carlo until 8:00am-10pm

 

Thanks!

 

Your long port day certainly makes just about anything possible. We would certainly recommend going to St Paul de Vence from one of your stops (either works) and spending a few hours. Also Google the Meaght Fondation (its an art museum) which can easily be combined with a visit to St Paul de Vence (especially if you have a car). If you are using the train/bus combination to get to St Paul de Vence, its actually closer (and faster) from Monte Carlo. From MC we would suggest taking the 100 bus to Nice and getting off at the final stop which is the Gare Routiere bus station. That same bus station is where the #400 bus (which goes to St Paul de Vence) originates which means you do not have to be concerned about getting a seat (or even on the bus). Sometimes (not very often) that bus can be full by the time it gets to its stop at Cagnes sur Mer (where many folks transfer from train to bus).

 

If you are going to rent a car at either Cannes or MC, that would be the best time to visit St Paul de Vence and/or Eze since the public transit to both of these places is not always convenient and can take a long time.

 

Hank

[llarsen]

Oh my gosh, thank you so much for this information!

I want our travel companions to enjoy our trip and not worry about driving in a foreign place (even if others seem to do it well)

I have been trying to read the bus and train schedules to see if there was someway to get there from Monte Carlo or Nice (can't seem to figure them out yet)

So thank you very much! I'm sure we will be seeing Saint Paul de Vence!!! Yeah!

[WAPilot]

Oh my gosh, thank you so much for this information!

I want our travel companions to enjoy our trip and not worry about driving in a foreign place (even if others seem to do it well)

I have been trying to read the bus and train schedules to see if there was someway to get there from Monte Carlo or Nice (can't seem to figure them out yet)

So thank you very much! I'm sure we will be seeing Saint Paul de Vence!!! Yeah!

 

Not sure if this may interest you or not, but we went to Eze on a Sunday in June this year by train & bus without any hassle.

 

We took the train from Montecarlo to Eze sur Mer & then the #83 Bus to Eze & vice versa on return. We could have also gone to Nice from Eze sur Mer by train & then caught the train back to Monte Carlo, but as our ship was returning to Monte Carlo, we decided to visit Nice at the end of the cruise.

[llarsen]

Yes thank you for that information! I keep reading there is no bus service on Sunday, and didn't know you could even take the train!

 

Wow, all these options. How long did it take by train and did you have a long wait for the #83?

And most important- How did you get back to the #83 from Eze Village?

 

Thanks so much!

[WAPilot]

Yes thank you for that information! I keep reading there is no bus service on Sunday, and didn't know you could even take the train!

 

Wow, all these options. How long did it take by train and did you have a long wait for the #83?

And most important- How did you get back to the #83 from Eze Village?

 

Thanks so much!

 

From memory, the trains run about every 30 or 40 minutes & the journey to Eze Sur Mer took about 10 to 15 minutes.

 

There is a direct bus service to Eze from Monte Carlo (#112), but not on a Sunday.

The #83 which does run on a Sunday starts in a suburb of Nice, runs along the coast via Eze Sur Mer train Station & then winds its way up the escarpment to Eze village & then higher up. We just missed the bus on the way to Eze & I think we had to wait about 30 or 40 minutes.

 

To get back to Eze Sur Mer train station you take the 83 bus again from Eze village. The bus fare is 1.50 Euro one way & you can pay on the bus. I cannot remember the exact cost of the train fare from Monte Carloto Eze Sur Mer, but think it was about 4 Euros one way.

 

The bus timetable is posted at the bus stops + there is an information centre with timetables in Eze village.

 

If you search CC & Tripadvisor, I recall when we were doing our 'homework' there were several threads on the topic of public transport in the Cote D'Azur on Sundays.

[llarsen]

Ok, sounds good. Thanks so much!

[KirkNC]

Not to be a party pooper but we were in Eze last week and we were disappointed. It is a beautiful village but to say it was over run with tourists is an understatement. The views are very nice but I think the Exotic Gardens on Monte Carlo are better and have no crowd. I think it would be nice to visit in Oct or May when it is not so crowded.

[WAPilot]

Not to be a party pooper but we were in Eze last week and we were disappointed. It is a beautiful village but to say it was over run with tourists is an understatement. The views are very nice but I think the Exotic Gardens on Monte Carlo are better and have no crowd. I think it would be nice to visit in Oct or May when it is not so crowded.

 

I am inclined to agree - even at the end of May it was very 'busy', so imagine July & August would be 'frantic'.

 

We only went because family had been there & said it was pretty + we had a spare day before a cruise & it was closer than St Paul de Vence from MC.

[llarsen]

We decided to rent a car and see St Paul de Vence from Cannes and Eze from Monte Carlo.

We will be there mid October, so hopefully not as many crowds.

 

I love gardens...glad to hear there is one in Monte Carlo. We are there until 10pm so hopefully we can go there after we return the car.

 

Thanks!

[calvin81]

In our June cruise with this itinerary we rented a car in Monte Carlo and went to Eze first, then to Cap Ferrat. If you like gardens, the garden at the Rothschild estate is wonderful. It was a highlight of the cruise for us. We did go in the cactus garden at the top of Eze Village as well -- great views. We had plenty of time later in the afternoon to explore Monte Carlo. A GPS in the rental car made getting around not too difficult, although we should have had an address for the estate. Driving around Cap Ferrat we found signs telling us where it was thankfully. In Cannes we took the train to Nice. The train took about an hour and the train station was an easy walk. We could have stopped in Antibes on the way back, but we spent a long time in Nice and wanted to see Cannes too. We had a reservation in one of the restaurants for dinner so had to be back on board on time.

[llarsen]

Calvin81- Thanks for the info. Did you also go to St Tropez and La Spezia on your cruise?

I'm wondering what you did in St Tropez and if you went to Cinque Terre?

 

We plan to rent a car in St Tropez and see some of the nearby villages.

We would like to hike one of the trails in Cinque Terre, wondering if you did this or have any suggestions for those ports?

 

Thanks so much. Hope you had a wonderful cruise!

[Hlitner]

Calvin81- Thanks for the info. Did you also go to St Tropez and La Spezia on your cruise?

I'm wondering what you did in St Tropez and if you went to Cinque Terre?

 

We plan to rent a car in St Tropez and see some of the nearby villages.

We would like to hike one of the trails in Cinque Terre, wondering if you did this or have any suggestions for those ports?

 

Thanks so much. Hope you had a wonderful cruise!

 

We will jump-in here (hope you do not mind) with some comments. Regarding St Tropez we agree with renting a car since we do not have much love for the beachside resort of St Tropez. As to Cinque Terre, this is a wonderful part of Italy and I guess it has now mostly recovered from the awful mudslide disaster in April 2011. We have hiked the trails prior to the mudslides (which closed the trails for quite some time) and you would probably want to limit yourself to only hiding for part of the day. The most famous walk would be the so-called Lovers Walk that is between Riomaggiore (the closest village to La Spezia) and Manarola. This particular walkway is easy to do with a paved path and frequent benches for relaxing (and enjoy the view). Whether you decide to continue hiking between some of the other villages is a decision you can make at the time you are there....and might want to base your decision on the weather, your energy, and the time. Keep in mind that all the villages are connected by the train line, and there are also small ferry boats that connect the villages.

 

And by the way, the train line does connect La Spezia to the villages so you do not need to pay for a cruise line excursion (or transportation) unless you prefer that form of travel.

 

Hank

[calvin81]

I think I mentioned on a post in another thread that we spent maybe an hour walking around St. Tropez and then spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool. In October that won't be as attractive an option for you. I don't feel comfortable with a manual transmission so renting a car wasn't an option for us there and the nearby villages weren't that appealing to us anyway. That was the end of our cruise and a relaxing day was in order. In La Spezia we took the ferry to the Cinque Terre. The ferry ran hourly and we were on the 10:00, which stopped on the way in Portovenere for a half hour, so time was an issue (the ship left at 6 pm that day). We got off the ferry on the way at Manarola and then took it to the end at Monterosso. In June there was only one hiking trail open -- from Monterosso to Vernazza. It was a 90 minute hike and the day was warming up, so we decided not to hike it. Again, time was a consideration. We took the train from Monterosso to Vernazza, and intended to also take it to Riomaggiore, but the schedule didn't work for that. We had a train schedule, but the trains were ALL late and the schedule was different that what we had printed - ?? So we only explored 3 of the 5, but there isn't that much different going on in the different towns IMHO. Monterosso is the biggest and had more shops and restaurants. The view from the water was fantastic and I would highly advise taking the ferry, if the weather allows (I know they stop service in inclement weather).

[calvin81]

One more point I wanted to make, regarding Eze being crowded -- we went there immediately after renting the car and it was delightful. By the time we were leaving the big tour buses showed up and it was crowded. When I looked at the bus schedule it was more limited, and it would take some time to get to the bus stop in Monte Carlo, so we would have gotten there much later, with the hoards of people. Another good reason to rent a car and be on your own schedule. I would highly recommend driving to Cap Ferrat after Eze. It was quite close and and the Rothschild Estate was a highlight of the trip for us.

[KirkNC]

One more point I wanted to make, regarding Eze being crowded -- we went there immediately after renting the car and it was delightful. By the time we were leaving the big tour buses showed up and it was crowded. When I looked at the bus schedule it was more limited, and it would take some time to get to the bus stop in Monte Carlo, so we would have gotten there much later, with the hoards of people. Another good reason to rent a car and be on your own schedule. I would highly recommend driving to Cap Ferrat after Eze. It was quite close and and the Rothschild Estate was a highlight of the trip for us.

 

That certainly was the case for us, we got there around 1:00 and there were lots of buses and people. It really loses it flavor when it is that crowded. Reminded me of Flam, a town of 500 people yet the day we were there it had over 5,000 cruise ship passengers.

[llarsen]

Thanks Hank and Calvin81

 

One more question...We are renting a car in St Tropez (Sixt), Cannes(Mistral) and Monte Carlo(Hertz)

 

They said the contract is in French (we can not speak or read French) Is there any concern with this?

[Hlitner]

Thanks Hank and Calvin81

 

One more question...We are renting a car in St Tropez (Sixt), Cannes(Mistral) and Monte Carlo(Hertz)

 

They said the contract is in French (we can not speak or read French) Is there any concern with this?

 

Yep it is a concern....in fact a very valid concern. Not sure anyone has ever read a rental car contract (in detail) even when its in English :). And just trying to understand the various deductibles can be a daunting task. But the truth is that when we rent a car in the US we seldom understand the contract language :)

 

By the way, have you ever read a cruise contract? I mean the entire contract with all of its fine print? Or how about an airline ticket contract? We think there is a secret law firm out there (probably based in Antarctica) that writes all these various contracts. This firm has made a fortune by writing contracts that are totally unreadable :)

 

Hank

[marazul]

Thanks Hank and Calvin81

 

One more question...We are renting a car in St Tropez (Sixt), Cannes(Mistral) and Monte Carlo(Hertz)

 

They said the contract is in French (we can not speak or read French) Is there any concern with this?

 

Not a concern. Make sure your credit card covers you even if you decide to take the car company's insurance.

[marazul]

That certainly was the case for us, we got there around 1:00 and there were lots of buses and people. It really loses it flavor when it is that crowded. Reminded me of Flam, a town of 500 people yet the day we were there it had over 5,000 cruise ship passengers.

 

The OP is going in October, not July so crowds will not be a big concern. Also, the OP is interested in the shops which are very likely to open late on a Sunday.

 

In Flam, you port there are there is no other place to go except into the little town before taking the train. For Eze, the ships port in at least three other places and some of the buses will then go to Eze. Not the same although it can get crowded in high season.