Question Regarding Villefanche Port

[sparks389]

Our cruise will be stopping in Fillefanche and we have scheduled a tour with a known tour guide for that area figuring we could get a few more couples to join us. My husband has Parkinson's and at this time can not climb more than 5 or 6 stairs or walk more than 3/4 blocks. That eliminates the regular tours because most people would be bothered by our slow pace. However, no one on the cruise board has expressed any interest and going by ourselves would be very expensive. We do not arrive until 10/10/18, so I do have some time, but I need to know if there is anything we could do or go to that would suit our situation there. It looks like getting to the train or bus would require too many stairs or loads of walking uphill. Any ideas if we cancel our guide?

[HelenREMfan]

Villefranche is a very picturesque town. Along the harbour front it is flat and you can walk to the train station - but it is around the curve of the harbour. Fast trains go to Monaco and Nice from the station. There is a beach at that end of the bay and I have always liked to go and swim there. To access the rest of the town it is fairly strenuous uphills and steps etc.

Right where the tender boat reaches the harbour just a little up to your left there is 'le petit train' which takes you all around (and up!) and you get a wonderful panoramic view of the town and harbour (and the ship out in the bay) I can recommend that if you are going to stay in Villefranche. At the terminus of the little train there is usually a small local market, often you can get lavender products and home crafts. Just set back from the harbour front behind the market are cafes where you can usually get free wifi if you need it. There is a Chapel (Chappelle Saint Pierre) with murals by the famous French artists Jean Cocteau. It will be possibly a climb up to it from the port but it's not too far (google it on a map to reassure you) It is signposted from my memory. All along the harbour are restaurants and we always treat ourselves to a nice lunch there !

At the port there is a tourist information office where you can get a quite detailed map of the town.

It is actually one of my favourite ports on the cruise and am sorry that on my next cruise we are stopping at Toulon instead - from what I cn find out it is nothing like a quaint as Villefranche!

[Hlitner]

The OP is correct, that one needs the ability to climb lots of steps to the train station or walk uphill to get to the nearest bus stop. With mobility limitations it becomes necessary to have some type of transportation from near the tender pier which means either a cruise line excursion, private tour (with a car or van) or a rental car. Going on your own does allow for frequent rest stops, but seeing most places in the region would still require significant walking. We have a good friend (sometimes she is around the CC boards) who also suffers significant mobility limitations. She has done a great job overcoming some of the problems by getting herself a lightweight relatively portable electric scooter. For many ports this would be a good option. But this assumes that your cruise line will accommodate the scooter on a tender.

 

Hank