Driving from Cannes to MC on Sunday July 5th

[tc-cruise]

Is Sunday traffic along the scenic coastal roads better or worse than weekdays?

 

And I heard Europe is already flooded by US travelers due to strong dollar. Can't imagine the Sunday after 4th of July.

 

My parents are healthy but both are 80 years old. Since this is their 1st and possibly the last trip to Europe, I try to cover both Nice and MC in a day. (10AM-8PM) although I hate driving in the urban and hilly areas. So the other question is: Which part of the coastal roads is worth driving/more vista points?

[Hlitner]

Sundays will normally have less traffic since few French work that day. But the coastal road is always stop and go during the busy summer tourist season. As to the 4th of July, it means nothing in France where the 14th of July has lots of meaning (its Bastille Day).

 

As to renting a car, some agencies are closed on Sunday so make sure you reserve (we know that Europcar is normally open). And if you cannot drive a manual shift be prepared to pay a premium or even not be able to find a car.

 

Your question about routes is pretty straight forward. You can either head inland to the fast Autostrade or move along the coast on the local road network. Doing both is not practical (takes to long to be moving back and forth from the coast out to the autostrade) although it does make sense to use the slower roads one way and then jump on the fast Autostrade the other way. And by the way, our favorite place to go on Sundays is St Paul de Vence where just about everything is open that day. But it can get crowded since even the French head to St Paul de Vence on Sundays.

 

Hank

[marazul]

The most scenic road from Nice to MC is the Moyenne Corniche. Beautiful views and Eze is right on that road. To return from MC follow the Basse Corniche for an easy stop in Beaulieu, St Jean-Cap Ferrat and/or Villefranche.

 

The three corniche roads start at the port of Nice. The roads are clearly marked. Sunday morning will have minimum traffic. In any event, once you are out of the Nice port and Beaulieu areas, the traffic on the corniches is very light.

[tc-cruise]

Thank you! I thought more Americans will come during 4th of July and Americans love driving.

 

If the coastal road is always stop and go, then I doubt driving can cover more areas than taking the train as I have to worry about parking.

 

Sundays will normally have less traffic since few French work that day. But the coastal road is always stop and go during the busy summer tourist season. As to the 4th of July, it means nothing in France where the 14th of July has lots of meaning (its Bastille Day).

 

As to renting a car, some agencies are closed on Sunday so make sure you reserve (we know that Europcar is normally open). And if you cannot drive a manual shift be prepared to pay a premium or even not be able to find a car.

 

Your question about routes is pretty straight forward. You can either head inland to the fast Autostrade or move along the coast on the local road network. Doing both is not practical (takes to long to be moving back and forth from the coast out to the autostrade) although it does make sense to use the slower roads one way and then jump on the fast Autostrade the other way. And by the way, our favorite place to go on Sundays is St Paul de Vence where just about everything is open that day. But it can get crowded since even the French head to St Paul de Vence on Sundays.

 

Hank

Edited June 9, 2015 by tc-cruise

[tc-cruise]

Thank you. The problem is the ship won't dock (tender) at Cannes until 10AM. So I imagine it will be afternoon when we hit the road.

 

And the other question is where to park. Are there any pull outs along the road or vista points?

 

 

The most scenic road from Nice to MC is the Moyenne Corniche. Beautiful views and Eze is right on that road. To return from MC follow the Basse Corniche for an easy stop in Beaulieu, St Jean-Cap Ferrat and/or Villefranche.

 

The three corniche roads start at the port of Nice. The roads are clearly marked. Sunday morning will have minimum traffic. In any event, once you are out of the Nice port and Beaulieu areas, the traffic on the corniches is very light.

[marazul]

Thank you. The problem is the ship won't dock (tender) at Cannes until 10AM. So I imagine it will be afternoon when we hit the road.

 

And the other question is where to park. Are there any pull outs along the road or vista points?

 

The traffic will not be stop and go along any of the three corniches. The Basse Corniche is the lowest coastal road. It will be heavy in Nice Port and through Beaulieu, but this is not a very long distance. We were there a week ago today (Tuesday) in the middle of the afternoon. It took some 20 minutes between Cap Ferrat and the other side of the Nice port. (There was a small construction project at an intersection.) Maybe 10 minutes more than it would take you on a Sunday.

 

The best scenic pullout would be in the Moyenne Corniche. Shortly after you get on it and start seeing the sea, you will pass a restaurant on your right and the pull out is just past it. It has a fabulous view of the shore between Cap Ferrat and Cap d'Ail.

 

There is parking outside Eze village. Elsewhere, you will find plenty of paid parking, either on the street or on parking lots/decks. Try your google maps app or website and search for parking. It will show you all the parking lots.

 

Also, use google earth to view the roads. You can easily make out the pull out areas on all three roads.

 

The traffic from the center of Cannes to the Autoroute is quite heavy. It is easier to follow La Croissette along the sea towards Antibes. Once you get to Antibes, follow the signs "Nice - Bord de Mer" for the road along the shore that becomes the Promenade des Anglais and leads you right to the port of Nice and the corniche roads. The ride is beautiful.

 

Plot your route on google maps, Garmin, etc. It will give you a fairly realistic time estimate.

In Nice, the navigation may try to take you inland through the Voie Rapide, which parallels the Promenade des Anglais. It is faster, but I would avoid it due to a huge construction project in the area. They are building a new tram line from the airport into Nice. So unless, you are familiar with the area, stick to the "bord de mer" route all the way.

Edited June 9, 2015 by marazul