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Stay in Villefrance or take a tour?


wide eyed wanderer
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We are having a cruise stop in Villefrance and are wondering if we should stay there for the day or take a tour.  We could go to Antibes, Cannes or Menton. Let me say we tend to like small , quaint, picturesque charming towns over large ones. We have been to Monte Carlo and Nice already. TIA!

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Keep in mind that you do not have to book any tour or even make a decision until "the day" when you can avail yourself of flexibility depending on your mood and the weather.  Villefranche Sur Mer is located right along the regional train line (that spans the area from Cannes to Monte Carlo to the Italian Border near Menton.   Villefranche is also connected to quite a few nearby places via the regional public bus line (the buses are very nice and inexpensive).  

 

If you are of the mind that you do not want to do anything on your own then you might want to consider an excursion that goes to St Paul de Vence (a favorite place of mine) or Eze Village...or perhaps both.

 

Hank

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  • 1 month later...

I took my first ever trip to Europe in 2019 and was all about going to Italy. However, I have to admit that I think my favorite day was in Villefranche and I think the tour had a lot to do with that.  I booked almost all my tours with Italytours.eu and despite their name, they DO have tours in Villefranche - send them an email!  There were only 4 of us on the tour and our guide (Guy - pronounced Ghee) was amazing and so full of knowledge. You can probably even ask for him specifically.  We did visit the town of Nice and walked through the town, tried some local foods - followed by some brief time at the little market and a quick drink at a local pub, we also went to Monaco and enjoyed a wonderful lunch at a restaurant our guide recommended, then on to Monte Carlo and then Eze (a little hike but was worth it).  I'm sure if you've already done some of this, they can cater a tour to your liking.  As I said, I came in not thinking this would be a highlight but ended up being one of the best days.

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  • 1 year later...
On 8/9/2021 at 12:16 PM, erby2283 said:

I took my first ever trip to Europe in 2019 and was all about going to Italy. However, I have to admit that I think my favorite day was in Villefranche and I think the tour had a lot to do with that.  I booked almost all my tours with Italytours.eu and despite their name, they DO have tours in Villefranche - send them an email!  There were only 4 of us on the tour and our guide (Guy - pronounced Ghee) was amazing and so full of knowledge. You can probably even ask for him specifically.  We did visit the town of Nice and walked through the town, tried some local foods - followed by some brief time at the little market and a quick drink at a local pub, we also went to Monaco and enjoyed a wonderful lunch at a restaurant our guide recommended, then on to Monte Carlo and then Eze (a little hike but was worth it).  I'm sure if you've already done some of this, they can cater a tour to your liking.  As I said, I came in not thinking this would be a highlight but ended up being one of the best days.

How long were you in port?  Sounds like you were able to do quite a bit!  

 

On 6/29/2021 at 9:43 PM, mskaufman said:

We did both.  Several hours in Villefrance is certainly worth it (see pictures).  After lunch we went to Eze.

 

IMG_1006.thumb.JPG.404ad3a9de7befff40312ad1d19a0dfc.JPGIMG_1196.thumb.JPG.d654d4c37f066dfd1d069f23e2f023fe.JPG

That’s lovely!

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8 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

How long were you in port?  Sounds like you were able to do quite a bit!  

 

That’s lovely!

We had an overnight in Venice. It was amazing to be able to experience the city at all hours. The only downside was that if you missed all the local transportation back to the port before 11 pm you had quite a bit of a walk. But we made sure to make it in time. 

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11 hours ago, erby2283 said:

We had an overnight in Venice. It was amazing to be able to experience the city at all hours. The only downside was that if you missed all the local transportation back to the port before 11 pm you had quite a bit of a walk. But we made sure to make it in time. 

 

Update Unless on one of the small cruise ships that are still allowed to port in Venice, the walk back to the ship's port is now about 29 hours 🤭

 

Villefranche is very pleasant for a lazy day, but rather limited.

Train or bus east to Monte Carlo, or west to French Riviera towns.

I recommend Monte Carlo but I know Hank disagrees 😛

 

Unless you want an excursion I suggest you take Hank's advice and decide on the morning according to weather, mood, and energy levels. 

 

JB 🙂

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1 hour ago, John Bull said:

 

Update Unless on one of the small cruise ships that are still allowed to port in Venice, the walk back to the ship's port is now about 29 hours 🤭

 

Villefranche is very pleasant for a lazy day, but rather limited.

Train or bus east to Monte Carlo, or west to French Riviera towns.

I recommend Monte Carlo but I know Hank disagrees 😛

 

Unless you want an excursion I suggest you take Hank's advice and decide on the morning according to weather, mood, and energy levels. 

 

JB 🙂

LOL, Yep.  JB knows us too well.  DW and I have no love of MC although it is certainly worthy for a day visit to visit the Palace area and witness the daily Changing of the Guard.   We were recently in MC because that was the debarkation port for a cruise we took last Spring.   In keeping with over "love of MC" we arranged for a car and driver to meet us on the pier and rush us to nearby Nice :).  I think we were in MC for less than 45 min (which was 44 minutes too long).

 

Hank

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2 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

LOL, Yep.  JB knows us too well.  DW and I have no love of MC although it is certainly worthy for a day visit to visit the Palace area and witness the daily Changing of the Guard.   We were recently in MC because that was the debarkation port for a cruise we took last Spring.   In keeping with over "love of MC" we arranged for a car and driver to meet us on the pier and rush us to nearby Nice :).  I think we were in MC for less than 45 min (which was 44 minutes too long).

 

Hank

 

Ignore this peasant.😛

Wonderful panoramic views from the Palace / Oceanography centre area.

Then walk the Grand Prix circuit (lap record is a fraction over 1 minute 14 secs, but it'll take you about 40 minutes - longer if you make pitstops at cafes, harbourside bars or the casino)

 

Nice is for up-market fashion shops & such, so Monte Carlo is actually kinder to your credit card. 

But we know who wears the trousers in Hank's household 😛😛😛

 

(In jest 😏)

JB 🙂

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7 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

Ignore this peasant.😛

Wonderful panoramic views from the Palace / Oceanography centre area.

Then walk the Grand Prix circuit (lap record is a fraction over 1 minute 14 secs, but it'll take you about 40 minutes - longer if you make pitstops at cafes, harbourside bars or the casino)

 

Nice is for up-market fashion shops & such, so Monte Carlo is actually kinder to your credit card. 

But we know who wears the trousers in Hank's household 😛😛😛

 

(In jest 😏)

JB 🙂

😬

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  • 1 month later...
On 6/29/2021 at 9:43 PM, mskaufman said:

We did both.  Several hours in Villefrance is certainly worth it (see pictures).  After lunch we went to Eze.

 

IMG_1006.thumb.JPG.404ad3a9de7befff40312ad1d19a0dfc.JPGIMG_1196.thumb.JPG.d654d4c37f066dfd1d069f23e2f023fe.JPG

We are thinking of doing the same, how did you get to Eze..I am trying to figure out how to get there..bus or cab??

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On 2/12/2023 at 10:27 PM, susannecw said:

We are thinking of doing the same, how did you get to Eze..I am trying to figure out how to get there..bus or cab??

Little problem is that you will arrive at Villefranche sur Mer and that Eze sur Mer is at sea level too. But Eze village is to be visited from the Moyenne Corniche (quite high up...).  See here https://www.lignesdazur.com/  choose the english language and look for the interactive map. Place of departure will be JMO (if tendering) Quai de l'Amiral Ponchardier. and place of arrival: Eze Village.  Including walking between bus stops, it will take at least 75 minutes. I believe bus #80 plus #82 will give the best connection from sealevel to the busstop at the Moyenne Corniche where you can wait for bus #82 to Eze Village.  At least you will see from the interactive map the winding roads uphill.....   I never arrived at Villefranche by cruiseship (however we will in April next..), but normally Tourist Information will be nearby or present when you arrive.  

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14 minutes ago, MAVIP said:

 I never arrived at Villefranche by cruiseship (however we will in April next..), but normally Tourist Information will be nearby or present when you arrive.  

Bureau de Tourisme Nice etc.

Jardin François Binon - 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer

04 93 01 73 68

www.explorenicecotedazur.com

info.villefranchesurmer@nicecotedazurtourisme.com

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On 2/14/2023 at 5:14 AM, MAVIP said:

Little problem is that you will arrive at Villefranche sur Mer and that Eze sur Mer is at sea level too. But Eze village is to be visited from the Moyenne Corniche (quite high up...).  See here https://www.lignesdazur.com/  choose the english language and look for the interactive map. Place of departure will be JMO (if tendering) Quai de l'Amiral Ponchardier. and place of arrival: Eze Village.  Including walking between bus stops, it will take at least 75 minutes. I believe bus #80 plus #82 will give the best connection from sealevel to the busstop at the Moyenne Corniche where you can wait for bus #82 to Eze Village.  At least you will see from the interactive map the winding roads uphill.....   I never arrived at Villefranche by cruiseship (however we will in April next..), but normally Tourist Information will be nearby or present when you arrive.  

I still recall, a few years ago, waiting for the #82 bus (at Eze Bord/sur Mer) which never came.  We finally walked to a nearby cafe and called for a taxi (which eventually did arrive).  When we asked the taxi driver "what happened to the bus?" he just laughed and said the driver probably took a long lunch break!   As a lifelong independent traveler, we have learned to smile, keep our sense of humor, and always have a "Plan B."

 

Hank

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20 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I still recall, a few years ago, waiting for the #82 bus (at Eze Bord/sur Mer) which never came.  We finally walked to a nearby cafe and called for a taxi (which eventually did arrive).  When we asked the taxi driver "what happened to the bus?" he just laughed and said the driver probably took a long lunch break!   As a lifelong independent traveler, we have learned to smile, keep our sense of humor, and always have a "Plan B."

 

Hank

Today"no bus at all if I am right: on strike and the French love that...

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 1/2/2023 at 7:20 AM, Hlitner said:

LOL, Yep.  JB knows us too well.  DW and I have no love of MC although it is certainly worthy for a day visit to visit the Palace area and witness the daily Changing of the Guard.   We were recently in MC because that was the debarkation port for a cruise we took last Spring.   In keeping with over "love of MC" we arranged for a car and driver to meet us on the pier and rush us to nearby Nice :).  I think we were in MC for less than 45 min (which was 44 minutes too long).

 

Hank

How did you locate and reserve the car and driver?  Thank you.

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37 minutes ago, MindyJohn said:

How did you locate and reserve the car and driver?  Thank you.

We were on Seabourn, so simply went to the Guest Relations folks and they took care of it.  Since we had a ton of non-refundable OBC that car actually cost us nothing.

 

Hank

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1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

We were on Seabourn, so simply went to the Guest Relations folks and they took care of it.  Since we had a ton of non-refundable OBC that car actually cost us nothing.

 

Hank

Aha - definitely a higher level of service on lines like Seabourn 👍

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