3 nights post stay disembarking in Monaco

[Vineyard View]

I just spoke with Kristin at La Perouse. What a delightful person. She was so helpful and kind. We have shared several emails and it was a pleasure to speak with her. 
She explained to me the main difference of the Superior and Deluxe rooms. She is blocking a room on the 4th floor for better views. 
I believe that this will be the perfect place to finish out a lovely journey. 
 

Now I can get back to planning our travel days!  Yay!  Thanks for all the help on this thread. 
 

Edinburgher and marazul - as always, you are very much appreciated by me. 

[D&N]

We've never stayed in Nice. We only travel in for lunch, dinner or shopping and go home afterwards.

 

But a positive comment on potential traffic noise levels outside La Perouse. One way traffic westbound was introduced on Quai Rauba Capeu and Quai des États-Unis in 2020. There have been legal challenges to that, but the latest judgement a few weeks ago at the Marseille Administrative Court is in favour of the City and the one way system remains.

I imagine road noise levels are lower with the one way system.

 

You have received very good advice from others here, I just wasn't sure if their experience was recent enough to be aware of the traffic situation.

[Vineyard View]

9 hours ago, D&N said:

We've never stayed in Nice. We only travel in for lunch, dinner or shopping and go home afterwards.

 

But a positive comment on potential traffic noise levels outside La Perouse. One way traffic westbound was introduced on Quai Rauba Capeu and Quai des États-Unis in 2020. There have been legal challenges to that, but the latest judgement a few weeks ago at the Marseille Administrative Court is in favour of the City and the one way system remains.

I imagine road noise levels are lower with the one way system.

 

You have received very good advice from others here, I just wasn't sure if their experience was recent enough to be aware of the traffic situation.

Thank you so much for this further information. It still sounds as if the location of La Perouse on the main thoroughfare is set back further than most with one way better?  
Any recommendations as a local on staying in Nice only,  or taking a day to venture further for an adventure is more than welcome. We should have 2 1/2 full days to explore. I am guessing that Nice can easily take that time and more. Then we will want to return! 

[D&N]

7 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

Thank you so much for this further information. It still sounds as if the location of La Perouse on the main thoroughfare is set back further than most with one way better?  
Any recommendations as a local on staying in Nice only,  or taking a day to venture further for an adventure is more than welcome. We should have 2 1/2 full days to explore. I am guessing that Nice can easily take that time and more. Then we will want to return! 

That's my point. One way should mean less traffic overall. We were at Quai Lunel, which is part of the one way system, one evening about a month ago and there was very little traffic.

 

As a local, we aren't really into culture. We try and steer clear of Nice unless we want to visit particular shops or restaurants. Nothing wrong with Nice, but it's a city and cities don't seem as relaxed as small towns.

Just about everywhere along the coast and in to the back country are worth visiting, in our case for rambling or lunches. But if you're going to see cultural stuff, for me you don't have enough time to go anywhere else.

[marazul]

On 8/1/2024 at 9:47 PM, Vineyard View said:

Thank you so much for this further information. It still sounds as if the location of La Perouse on the main thoroughfare is set back further than most with one way better?  
Any recommendations as a local on staying in Nice only,  or taking a day to venture further for an adventure is more than welcome. We should have 2 1/2 full days to explore. I am guessing that Nice can easily take that time and more. Then we will want to return! 

Just a couple of ideas.

 

If you haven't been to Eze, have your transfer Monaco-Nice stop there for one hour so you can walk around. This would save you a lot of time going back there.  Later in the afternoon, you can do some of the Nice sightseeing below.

 

For a day in Nice, look at my posts above.  The Palais Lascaris, the Cathedral and a walk around the Market and Old town are musts.  If you look at my second picture on Post #16, the rocky area between both buildings is where the elevator to the Chateau of Nice is. In addition to that there is the Matisse Museum and nearby Roman ruins up in Cimiez, the old Russian church in town, the Modern Art Museum and the library "Square Head" in the Paillon Promenade, etc, etc. 

 

For a day out of Nice, you need a car or a tour.  I would start by going to St Paul-de-Vence first thing.  Then continue up the hill to Vence and the Matisse chapel.  Then on to Tourrettes-sur-Loup for lunch and a walk of the Medieval town.  Then on along the gorge of the Loup river to Gourdon, IMO one of the loveliest perched towns.  That will be a nice full day and you will get to see some of the most beautiful villages and views in the area.  If you decide to skip Gourdon, you could come back down the hill past St Paul and go to Antibes which is one of my old neighborhoods.  A wonderful Medieval town right on the sea with spectacular mega-yachts, market, the Picasso Museum and wonderful restaurants.  

 

 

[Vineyard View]

I love these ideas marazul. We were in Eze 10muears ago and really enjoyed our time there. I have a cou-Le of beautiful glass pieces from there and a picture we mounted and framed. Brings a smile every time. But the idea of a re-visit sure isn’t a bad on!

I like the ideas of areas outside on Nice for a day…..but we will only have 2 full days plus our arrival day….so does that make sense?  It sounds as if Nice could easily take up that time? 
If you feel that the out of town day is compelling enough to try, how difficult is it to rent a car and drive? 
Thank you again

[marazul]

@Vineyard View

Take the day outside Nice. You have the afternoon you arrive and one more day for Nice. Use the other day to visit the other towns.  You could rent the car at the airport and return it when you leave. The only question is parking near La Perouse. So it would be easier to rent at the airport or train station (taxi there and back). If you drive in SFO, you can drive in the Riviera. GPS is your friend. If you rent at the airport you would be out of Nice traffic already heading up to St Paul. Do start early.

We always rent there, but maybe @D&N have other rental suggestions. 

[D&N]

@Vineyard View

We haven't rented a car since March 2016. It was from the Rental Centre at Nice Airport Terminal 2. Terminal 1 has a few desks but all the cars are at T2. I can't find documentation and can't remember what company it was. I think it was one of the well known multi nationals and we didn't have any problems. Have never rented from Thiers (Nice) Station. I note that Goldcar seem to have moved from an off airport site into the airport. I've never used them but relatives have (in other locations) and from what I've heard you are best to give them a very wide berth.

I'd stick with the airport rental centre. While you might find something a fraction cheaper off airport, it could be difficult to find the place.

 

I'm afraid we're not into touristy things. On our first visit, 5 nights over 27 years ago, my wife noted that I relaxed, something she'd not seen before. We came back every opportunity after that, then buying a holiday flat, and moved permanently as soon as we could.

We never try to do too much at one go. That doesn't mean we're lazy, we run 10km and visit the gym several times a week, and walk most places and if too far use buses and trains. The car averages 50 miles a month, as it's only used for heavy weight shopping, including shopping trips to Italy.

 

@marazul Is the expert on sightseeing. We'd make at least five different trips out of that "day out of Nice"! 😀

[marazul]

1 hour ago, D&N said:

@Vineyard View

 

 

@marazul Is the expert on sightseeing. We'd make at least five different trips out of that "day out of Nice"! 😀

We would too if we still lived there.  An easy afternoon in each. I am trying to give VV a taste of the area so they will go back.  And all those places are so beautiful that it is hard to pick just one for them.

 

We also rent at the car rental center by T2. We have used europcar and Hertz the last two times. I think that is the easiest place to rent.

[Vineyard View]

I sincerely appreciate all this advice and input. Do either of you know someone who would be a driver for all or part of this itinerary for a day that you could recommend?  No doubt we could get from La Perouse to the airport. Then back to the airport to drop the car as parking is a challenge at the hotel, but it might be an option worth looking into. 

[marazul]

2 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

I sincerely appreciate all this advice and input. Do either of you know someone who would be a driver for all or part of this itinerary for a day that you could recommend?  No doubt we could get from La Perouse to the airport. Then back to the airport to drop the car as parking is a challenge at the hotel, but it might be an option worth looking into. 

Returning the car at the airport would be the easiest.  And, of course,  there are plenty of taxis there to take you back.

 

I don't know where you would get a driver for your car. However, you could get a quote from Friend in France to take you to all those places. They probably would do an hourly rate.

[Vineyard View]

Thank you. I didn’t word that correctly. I meant private transportation, not driving the rental car. Not necessarily a tour guide, but someone who would pick us up and drop us at the hotel as an option to renting a car at the airport. Sorry about that. I will look further at both options. 

[edinburgher]

On 8/6/2024 at 8:11 PM, D&N said:

if too far use buses and trains.

 

On 8/5/2024 at 7:21 PM, marazul said:

Take the day outside Nice

 

On 8/2/2024 at 2:47 AM, Vineyard View said:

taking a day to venture further for an adventure is more than welcome

Should you want a REAL adventure, consider le Train des Pignes, a round trip scenic train journey between Nice and the historic city of Digne Les-Bains. As it is not SNCF, but operated by Chemins d Fer de Provence it leaves from a different train station in Nice.  On certain dates during summer months it can be experienced with a steam engine and historic carriages.

 

We have not personally taken this journey - yet,  but having read about it in travel features over the years, have in mind to try next time we will be in Nice for more than a couple of days as our stays there have been short and we remained in the city.

 

I just checked and it still runs with good reviews.  Much info about it can be found online.

 

It is also something that marazul and D&N might consider if it would be new to them also.And maybe Hank (HLitner) too, but as i forgot to "quote" him on this post and he isn't "following" I have had to add another post.

Edited August 9 by edinburgher

[edinburgher]

On 7/14/2024 at 3:15 AM, Hlitner said:

Nice is a perfect place to use as a base to explore various parts of the region.

Hank.  possibility of something of interest to you in the post above (#38)

[Vineyard View]

Edinburgher, that looks like a pretty amazing opportunity.  The steam train runs May-October. The other train apparently is not limited in when.  The one way is almost 3 1/2 hours to Digne-Les Baines with stops along the way. I am wondering if this might be a plan for a 2 day journey, vs round trip in one as it would be a full day train ride round trip. Otherwise, possibly only going so far as one of the stops, such as Entrevaux or Annot, for a one day journey? Definitely looks like a great experience, and that steam engine is very cool! 

[edinburgher]

13 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

That looks like a pretty amazing opportunity.

thank you for liking the suggestion.

 

There is a huge amount of info about the route and scenery online, and Tripadvisor reviews for "le train des Pignes" are very positive with most folks loving it.  Passengers don't all go the full route, some stopping as you suggested at Entrevaux or Annot, neither of which I know anything about but there should be online info, and possibly some of the Tripadvisor reviews mention doing that..

 

And as absolutely everything nowadays appears to be found on YouTube, I looked, and when I searched for" le train des Pignes", several videos for viewing appeared in the results.😀

Edited August 9 by edinburgher

[Vineyard View]

Great suggestion - YouTube. It does seem to be a go-to now days for me more-so than in the past. I will do that. 
Given that this is our first time in Nice, I am finding that there are a lot of great options including marazul’s suggestions, as well as this. I am thinking that we may need to not make this our last visit to such a beautiful area! 

[Hlitner]

50 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

Hank.  possibility of something of interest to you in the post above (#38)

Thanks for the heads up!  Have never heard of this and it does sound like something for a fun day.  Shocking that one could take the regular train for less than 2 Euros!   It gives us a good excuse to go back to Nice for a few days :).

 

Hank

[edinburgher]

11 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

I am thinking that we may need to not make this our last visit to such a beautiful area! 

Absolutely revisit and for longer as there are so many sightseeing options in the city and in the region as a whole.  You could easily spend at least 7-10 days exploring along the coast and l'arriere pays. .

 

Cruising has many disadvantages when it comes to sightseeing, insufficient time being the principal disadvantage, but one huge thing in its favour is the opportunity to have a short peek at what a town or city offers and taking a mental note about which would be worth returning to on a longer land trip, and which are "one and done"

Edited August 9 by edinburgher

[marazul]

49 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Thanks for the heads up

 

1 hour ago, edinburgher said:

Hank.  possibility of something of interest to you in the post above (#38)

We have taken this train a couple of times. Once as a round trip to Annot. Once to Digne. It is a really fun day.

The highlight is Entrevaux. It has been a few years and I haven't checked the current schedules. The idea of doing an overnight in Digne is very good.

However, I would save this for the second or third visit to Nice unless you are a real train enthusiast. There is too much to do in the area for a first visit. So Hank, for your next trip...

And I would bring a picnic. Pan bagnat and a bottle of rosé.

[Hlitner]

4 hours ago, marazul said:

 

We have taken this train a couple of times. Once as a round trip to Annot. Once to Digne. It is a really fun day.

The highlight is Entrevaux. It has been a few years and I haven't checked the current schedules. The idea of doing an overnight in Digne is very good.

However, I would save this for the second or third visit to Nice unless you are a real train enthusiast. There is too much to do in the area for a first visit. So Hank, for your next trip...

And I would bring a picnic. Pan bagnat and a bottle of rosé.

I really like your idea of spending an overnight in Digne :).  Make that two bottles of wine (for the picnic),

 

Hank

[D&N]

We travelled on Train des Pignes to Digne and back many years ago. We dropped my brother and partner at Lingostière a couple of years ago and they spent the day at Entrevaux and we met them on the way back, to save them going into Nice.

I think it was a bit more expensive than regular trains, but I'm not up to date on that.

[D&N]

5 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

I am thinking that we may need to not make this our last visit to such a beautiful area! 

Simpler just to move here and never leave! 😀

[D&N]

For regular trains we've been using a Day Pass recently. For the Alpes-Maritimes (06) department, it costs €20 for 1st person then €5 for each extra (up to 8). So if adding up singles exceeds €25 we get better value. You must all stay together.

You can get a two department pass, Var (83) and Alpes-Maritimes for €35 plus €5 per additional person.

[marazul]

Many people do not know this, but there is a ski resort in the Maritime Alps only 1.5 hours from Nice. It is called Isola 2000. The ride up there is beautiful and it would be worth doing on one extra day in the area.

 

36 minutes ago, D&N said:

Simpler just to move here and never leave! 😀

Isn't that's the truth. I still think of our wonderful apartment with the view of the Baie des Anges.