Public Transportation from Monaco to Eze and Nice

[Hlitner]

I found a tour company that said they can give us a 15-passenger van for a 8-hour guided tour of Eze, Nice, St. Paul de Vence, Gourdon, and Monaco for 750 euros. Most likely I will go with this option. They have the 8-passenger van for the same tour for only 490 euros; too bad we have 9 people so have to pay an extra of 260 euros for the larger van. My group prefers not to share the van with others (otherwise I can probably find 6 some people from my CC group to join and only need to pay 50 euros per person).

 

It sounds like you found a great solution. Perhaps you will meet another one or two couples early in your cruise and can invite them to join you for your day in France. Using the Roll Call to find others does work, but it is really hit or miss as to whether you find folks who fit in with your crowd. In fact, DW and I generally prefer to do our own thing and often rent cars. Over the years, despite many requests, we have seldom asked anyone to join us since we prefer to do what we want, when we want, without having to be concerned with others.

 

Hank

[chubbypiggy]

It sounds like you found a great solution. Perhaps you will meet another one or two couples early in your cruise and can invite them to join you for your day in France. Using the Roll Call to find others does work, but it is really hit or miss as to whether you find folks who fit in with your crowd. In fact, DW and I generally prefer to do our own thing and often rent cars. Over the years, despite many requests, we have seldom asked anyone to join us since we prefer to do what we want, when we want, without having to be concerned with others.

 

Hank

 

Yes, that is what I have in mind too. If we meet new friends on the cruise that seem to have similar interest, I will invite them to join us. I would like to have maximum of 13 people, so another 2 couples would be fine.

 

From my reading, the drive from the port to St. Paul de Vence is about 1.5 hours, which mean 3 hours round trip, definitely not what I would prefer; I sure hope the visit is worth the long drive. With the 3+ hours driving and maybe an hour of lunch break, that only leaves us less than 4 hours for sightseeing.

 

The tour operator said if we book the private tour, we can choose what we want to do and where we want to go during that 8 hour time. Instead of just spending 30 minutes or so at each site (if we follow their itinerary of covering Eze, Nice, St. Paul de Vence, Gourbon, and Monte Carlo, then each site is only about 30 minutes), I am thinking maybe we will tell them to just do Eze, Nice, and St. Paul de Vence. Maybe an hour at each of those 3 sites. I need to do some more readings to find out what we can see/do at those 3 sites. We have no interest to see the Flower markets, perfume factory, and wine factory. We like to see historical buildings, old towns, medieval village, and sceneries.

 

With less than 4 hours of actual sightseeing, do you think we have enough time to enjoy Eze, Nice, and St. Paul de Vence? Or should I cut it down to just doing Eze and St. Paul de Vence? We visited Nice in the past, but only the town center area for about 2 hours in 2010.

 

I would greatly appreciate it if you could give me some suggestions on 1) if I should visit all 3 sites or just 2 sites (skip Nice), and 2) what to do/see at those sites.

 

Thank you so much for all your time and responses.:)

[Hlitner]

Ok, let me deal with one issue. I can drive from the Monte Carlo port to St Paul de Vence in about 45-50 min by using the fast autostrade. There are several routes and if one were to use the slower route along the coast it might take slightly more the an hour. You can be sure your tour driver is as fast (or faster) than moi, except they might take a little longer if they make some photo stop along the route. You might ask your tour operator about a short stop in Nice to visit the Flower Market (best done in the morning on the way to St Paul de Vence) since many of us love these outdoor markets for getting a wonderful sense of the local culture.

 

If it is your own private tour, you can ask to make modifications as the day moves on. We would probably make Gourbon and Monte Carlo the lowest priority. In fact, when DW and I have a long port day in Monte Carlo, and rent a car, we would normally stop at the Nice Flower Market, then drive on to St Paul de Vence where we often extend our stay and have lunch, then sometimes we will head directly to Antibes (to enjoy the harbor and perhaps visit the indoor market) and finally, if we have enough time we would stop at Eze Village (which is getting relatively close to the port) before returning to Monte Carlo. But everyone has their own priority. For DW and myself it is to always enjoy a nice lunch of regional cuisine (food and wine is an important part of France). We know others who do not want to "waste" time eating and prefer to see more places....and that is just reflects each groups own preference.

 

Hank

Edited January 30, 2015 by Hlitner

[chubbypiggy]

Thank you for your suggestions.

 

I think I will reserve the private mini bus first. Then do more researches and reading during the next few weeks to decide on what we want to do and where we want to visit. Most likely limit to just doing Eze, Nice, and St. Paul de Vence.

[marazul]

I agree with Hank, the drive from Monaco to St Paul is only 45 minutes. Have you priced two minivans for 6 people each instead of a large one?

 

Do skip Gourdon, it is lovely, but not nearly as beautiful as St Paul and it will add a lot of time to the trip. It is about 35-40 minutes from St Paul to Gourdon. Hank's suggestion of Nice-St Paul- Eze makes a lot of sense. If time allows, go to Antibes after St Paul. Or, else, Nice-St Paul-Antibes and if time allows, Eze. In that way you will see one hilltop village (St Paul) and one seaside village (Antibes) instead of two hilltop villages. In all likelihood, you will get a good view of Eze along the Moyenne Corniche either going or coming back to Monaco.

Edited January 30, 2015 by marazul

[chubbypiggy]

I agree with Hank, the drive from Monaco to St Paul is only 45 minutes. Have you priced two minivans for 6 people each instead of a large one?

 

Do skip Gourdon, it is lovely, but not nearly as beautiful as St Paul and it will add a lot of time to the trip. It is about 35-40 minutes from St Paul to Gourdon. Hank's suggestion of Nice-St Paul- Eze makes a lot of sense. If time allows, go to Antibes after St Paul. Or, else, Nice-St Paul-Antibes and if time allows, Eze. In that way you will see one hilltop village (St Paul) and one seaside village (Antibes) instead of two hilltop villages. In all likelihood, you will get a good view of Eze along the Moyenne Corniche either going or coming back to Monaco.

 

I like seaside village. Thank you so much for the suggestion. I will e-mail the tour company and ask them if they can do the tour for us as Nice-St Paul-Antibes and maybe just a short stop at Eze if time allowed. I will ask them what they will take us to see/do at those places. After I finish planning for the other 6 ports that we will be visiting, I will do more readings to see what we can do/see in Nice, St. Paul de Vence, Antibes, and Eze (in case the tour company does not give us suggestions and need for us to tell them where to take us). I know they will not be interested in seeing the Flower market and any wineries.

 

I did asked two tour companies, and the prices I got from both were similar. 370 euros for car up to 4 persons, 490 euros for van up to 8 persons, and 750 euros for mini bus up to 15 persons. We have 9 people and they prefer not to share the mini bus with people they have never met. So if we meet new friends on the ship that want to share the mini bus, then the cost will be reduced, otherwise, we will have the mini bus just for the 9 of us.

[chubbypiggy]

I just got an e-mail from the tour company that I having been dealing with, and they said if we like, they can replace Nice and Eze with Gorges du Loup and Gourdon. If so, the 8-hour private tour will be from the Monte Carlo tender pier to Antibes, St. Paul de Vence, Gorges du Loup, and Gourdon. Does this itinerary sound better?

 

Since Marazul suggests skipping Gourdon, maybe I can ask if they can replace it with Eze or Nice. If so, should I ask for Eze or Nice?

 

Thank you both (Hank and Marazul) for your time and suggestions.:)

[Hlitner]

I like seaside village. Thank you so much for the suggestion. I will e-mail the tour company and ask them if they can do the tour for us as Nice-St Paul-Antibes and maybe just a short stop at Eze if time allowed. I will ask them what they will take us to see/do at those places. After I finish planning for the other 6 ports that we will be visiting, I will do more readings to see what we can do/see in Nice, St. Paul de Vence, Antibes, and Eze (in case the tour company does not give us suggestions and need for us to tell them where to take us). I know they will not be interested in seeing the Flower market and any wineries.

 

I did asked two tour companies, and the prices I got from both were similar. 370 euros for car up to 4 persons, 490 euros for van up to 8 persons, and 750 euros for mini bus up to 15 persons. We have 9 people and they prefer not to share the mini bus with people they have never met. So if we meet new friends on the ship that want to share the mini bus, then the cost will be reduced, otherwise, we will have the mini bus just for the 9 of us.

 

Perhaps we should expand on these places since you ask about things to see and do. St Paul de Vence is one of our favorite walled cities and its a charming place as popular with the French as with tourists. It is a city where you simply stroll through the streets (they only have one main street), browse the art galleries (some are excellent), enjoy the ancient atmosphere and perhaps the view out into the valley. There are also plenty of places to grab a bite to eat or even haute cuisine (if you want to spend a few hours).

 

We also suggested having your tour bus stop at the Nice Flower Market...which is an outdoor market located in the Cours Selaya of Nice's Old Town area. Even a half hour just looking at the various food products and flowers is enough to give you the flavor of the place.

 

Antibes is a seaside city (with a very attractive marina) where some of us just enjoy strolling, having a snack/lunch or a drink, and perhaps taking a quick walk through their well known indoor market. Again, this is about atmosphere and culture more then specific sites.

 

Eze Village is a small medieval village located on a hilltop overlooking the Med. We sometimes describe it as a much smaller version of St Paul de Vence in that it is walled, has some art galleries, restaurants, etc. We sometimes think Eze is a bit overhyped here on CC, but it is certainly an attractive place worth a visit (and also nice for lunch).

 

Personally, we have never seen much advantage to having a guide to see Eze or St Paul de Vence since its just a matter of strolling the streets, browsing, and enjoying. Antibes is a bit larger and a guide can probably be helpful in guiding you to the best streets.

 

Hank

[marazul]

Ditto to whatever Hank says.

 

Here is the story on the suggestion on the Gorges du Loup and Gourdon - and it helps if you bring up a Google map of the area. The scenery and the village are lovely. But it does take you away from the shore and farther from Monaco. The advantage to the touring company is Parking. The Gorges is a drive around the river Loup. Gourdon is on that road with hardly any tourists at all (you cannot replace it with any other place if you go on that road.). No parking issues whatsoever for a 15-passenger minivan. The other places are crowded and, as you will see, the van will have to park at a paid lot or drive away until the guide calls the driver. That will be the main use of having the guide. Hank is right, the guide is not really needed for seeing the villages, but they can always add value, such as telling you stories about Yves Montand playing boules in St. Paul, history of the area, etc, etc.

 

You have not been to the area and you will probably be more satisfied with the Nice-StP-Antibes-Eze visits. For what is worth, stick to your plan.

 

Suggestion - check with the other company that quoted you the same price. They might pose fewer objections to doing a perfectly reasonable 8-hour tour.

Edited January 31, 2015 by marazul

[chubbypiggy]

My most sincere thank you to both of you for spending the time to give me detailed information and suggestions.

 

My godsister and I love to travel and we do annual European cruises. We have visited almost all of the ports on our upcoming cruise. We both love to DIY. For sites that we are interested in visiting but are far from the ports, we either join the ships' excursion or join our Cruise Critic group. For those not too far sites, we usually just DIY by walking, buses, trains, HOHO bus (though we are not brave enough to rent a car :D).

 

For our upcoming 17-day cruise, 7 of our family members will be joining us (4 persons in their mid-70s who are still in average shape). For all 7 of them, this cruise will be their first time to Europe, and quiet honestly, I don't know when they will be able to go again on such a long cruise (4 persons are too old, and the other 3 person find it difficult to get approval for such a long vacation). So I would like to make it a special cruise for them and show them as much as possible for not "as tiring" as possible.

 

 

I will e-mail to the tour company again and ask them if they can do a 8-hour tour for the 9 of us to spend an hour each in St. Paul de Vence, Nice, Antibes, and Eze. Since all them have never visited Monte Carlo, if time allowed, I am going to ask the tour company if they can take us for just a photo stop at the MC casino and palace (since we will not have enough time for the driver just drop us off at the palace and we walk back to the tender pier on our own). Our port time is from 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Since we need to take the tender, I assume the earliest we can meet the tour guide at the tender port will be 9 a.m. For a 8-hour tour, the tour should end around 5 p.m. That is probably the latest time we need to be back at the tender pier to take the tender back to the ship.

 

I will also ask the tour company the time it takes to drive from one place to the other, and to be efficient, the order of the cities that we will visit.

[marazul]

I've driven this many times.

MC to Nice - 25-35 minutes depending on route

Nice-St P - 25 minutes (could get some traffic)

StP-Antibes - 25-30 minutes

Antibes- Eze - 45 minutes (plus could get some traffic going through Nice)

Eze- MC - 15 minutes

 

I would follow that itinerary. You want to be in Nice in the morning to see the Flower market (all veg stalls close by 1 pm, some of the flowers stay open until later). Then St Paul because it will have fewer tourists in the morning than in the afternoon. Antibes will be the same regardless of the time. Eze is best as last stop because it is so close to the ship and you will not have to worry about traffic going back. (Also, it is easier to drive between Antibes and Nice in the afternoon than between StP and Nice beacause of the traffic.) Lunch can be either at St P or Antibes. More choice and more reasonable in Antibes, but it depends on the timing. Don't over think it.

 

The absolute safest, traffic wise, would be first Eze, then Nice (you should be there before noon), then St P and Antibes last. The return then has to be on the autoroute from outside Antibes to Monaco to get you back on time. But the first way should work just fine and it is prettier because of the ride from Nice to Eze on the Moyenne Corniche has better views in that direction. I would only do this if there are any major events in the area the day you are there.

 

 

Bon voyage!

Edited January 31, 2015 by marazul

[chubbypiggy]

I've driven this many times.

MC to Nice - 25-35 minutes depending on route

Nice-St P - 25 minutes (could get some traffic)

StP-Antibes - 25-30 minutes

Antibes- Eze - 45 minutes (plus could get some traffic going through Nice)

Eze- MC - 15 minutes

 

I would follow that itinerary. You want to be in Nice in the morning to see the Flower market (all veg stalls close by 1 pm, some of the flowers stay open until later). Then St Paul because it will have fewer tourists in the morning than in the afternoon. Antibes will be the same regardless of the time. Eze is best as last stop because it is so close to the ship and you will not have to worry about traffic going back. Lunch can be either at St P or Antibes. More choice and more reasonable in Antibes, but it depends on the timing. Don't over think it.

 

Bon voyage!

 

The total travel time seems to be less than 3 hours, which is great; that will leave us an hour in each place (1 1/2 hour at SP or Antibes for sightseeing and lunch). And if the traffic is not too bad, we should be able to do the photo stops at MC casino and palace. Sounds like a good plan.

 

Thank you so very much.........:)