Monte Carlo to Nice/Cannes

[windy12]

We will have a one day stop in Monte Carlo from the Emerald Princess in early August. My plan is to rent a car and drive to Nice or Cannes to spend the day at a beach. Can anyone make me recommendations for both a sandy beach and nice lunch spot?

 

Wendy

[edinburgher]

There are no sandy beaches in Nice, it is pebbles. The best sandy beaches are further west and Antibes would be worth considering. Apart from being a very pleasant town worth the trip in itself) there are several beaches of varying size and quality in and close to town.

 

Be warned though, you are talking about early August.....possibly THE busiest time of year in this area. Most of Europe is on the move in August and you can expect to find beaches very crowded. Remember that in France there are likely to be both private (paying) and public beach areas. If you need sunbeds, beach umbrellas etc expect to pay for these. Prices will also be at their highest and restaurants extremely busy....pleasant it may not be. I am also a bit unsure about the wisdom of driving and more importantly trying to get parked at or near to any beach. Best to allow for delays due to slow moving traffic too, as the roads can be very congested. A car may be more of a hindrance than a help. Maybe consider a train?

 

Sorry to be so negative, just wanting to warn you that timing could be tricky, and an enjoyable day at the beach and a pleasant lunch may be more difficult to achieve than you might expect. It is August.

[edinburgher]

www.antibes.co.uk

 

There is a "beaches" link.

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

Wendy, why not just take the train to whatever city you end up choosing? There are at least 2 trains per hour running along the coast; even more to the major stops.

 

BobK/Orlando

[windy12]

Thank you for the advice. I guess the last time I went, it was not in August. Do you know the link for the train?

 

Wendy

[windy12]

Also, what about villefrance? On the Michelin map, it is closer than Nice and so my transportation time should be less. Do they have any sandy beaches?

 

Wendy

[barriedavis]

I drove in that area last Summer. Two points, parking and motor bikes. You may not be able to park your car easily as this is often difficult especially in Summer. In addition, all the teenagers seem to ride buzzy little motor bikes and they come at you from all directions. If you are not used to it, and do not have the awareness, the all round, peripheral vision you require at all times, it can be very tiring, if not dangerous.

[seapenarth]

We will have a one day stop in Monte Carlo from the Emerald Princess in early August. My plan is to rent a car and drive to Nice or Cannes to spend the day at a beach. Can anyone make me recommendations for both a sandy beach and nice lunch spot?

 

Wendy

 

I would not rent a car in that area at that time of year. You will find it all time consuming and frustrating. Hire a car, take a bus or train. I would not go to Nice. Cannes, Eze, and St Paul de Vence are the best spots.Start planning. :)

[seapenarth]

I would not rent a car in that area at that time of year. You will find it all time consuming and frustrating. Hire a car, take a bus or train. I would not go to Nice. Cannes, Eze, and St Paul de Vence are the best spots.Start planning. :)

 

 

I rushed that. Cap Ferrat and Villefranche are also great. The place for luncheon is the Colombe D`Or in St Paule de Vence. Magic :)

[SuzyQtraveller]

I was there last summer. We took the local bus from Monte Carlo to Nice for 1.30 euro /person each way. It was much cheaper than doing it any other way. The bus left from across the street of the Casino. It drove right along the coast the whole way which way beautiful. We loved walking around Nice.

[windy12]

I rushed that. Cap Ferrat and Villefranche are also great. The place for luncheon is the Colombe D`Or in St Paule de Vence. Magic :)

 

The restaurant you mentioned, is it near Villefranche? Can I get to Villefranche by train? Thank you for your advice,

 

Wendy

[seapenarth]

The restaurant you mentioned, is it near Villefranche? Can I get to Villefranche by train? Thank you for your advice,

 

Wendy

St Paul De Vence is a fortified village in the hills above Nice and Cannes. It is a fantastic place with wonderful art galleries and great views into the land below. La Colombe d`Or is a classy hotel with a garden restaurant and always busy. About 15 miles from Villefranche. :)

[SelectSys]

Also, what about villefrance? On the Michelin map, it is closer than Nice and so my transportation time should be less. Do they have any sandy beaches?

 

Wendy

 

They have a public beach right below the train station. If memory service me correctly, it is somewhat pebbly (certainly not fine sand) but not uncomfortable to walk on or sit on. The day we were there it was mostly a family crowd. We stopped on the beach for a bit after returning from Monte Carlo.

[kruzin']

I have been to Monte Carlo, Cannes and Nice and a sandy beach is not to be found...Any reason you dont want to tour Monte Carlo and have a nice lunch there...It is on of the nicest cleanest places we have ever visited..

We will have a one day stop in Monte Carlo from the Emerald Princess in early August. My plan is to rent a car and drive to Nice or Cannes to spend the day at a beach. Can anyone make me recommendations for both a sandy beach and nice lunch spot?

 

Wendy

[winncruiser]

We just returned from our holiday to the Med on board the Emerald Princess. On our day in Monte Carlo we took the ship's excursion to Nice and Cannes. It was wonderful. We had a fabulous tour guide (Sylvie- who is considered to be one of the best guides in France). We travelled to Nice on board an air conditioned small tour bus. Once in Nice, we broke off from the group touring the flower market and headed straight to the beach. We enjoyed walking the promenade along the waterfront, stopping at a private beach/bar for a drink and enjoying the view. We met back up with the group and then headed to Cannes. We had a wonderful lunch at a local restuarant (wine included) there along the waterfront as part of our tour. We then had lots of free time to enjoy Cannes. We could have headed straight to the beach here, but chose to do some shopping instead. So...in other words...the ship's tour to Nice and Cannes is quite enjoyable and can be geared towards time at the beach (both Nice and Cannes!) I'm sure that whatever you decide to do will be fabulous...the view along the coast is unforgettable!

[Hlitner]

The restaurant you mentioned, is it near Villefranche? Can I get to Villefranche by train? Thank you for your advice,

 

Wendy

 

Wendy, Colombe d"Or is a very famous hotel/restaurant located at St Paul de Vence. The good news is that lunches are quite a bit cheaper than dinners. That being said, you can expect to pay around $150 for lunch (for 2) as long as you only have a cheap wine. And you cannot get to St Paul de Vence on any train (I have posted detailed instructions on how to get to St Paul..in other posts).

 

Hank

[windy12]

Thank you all for your advice. It is greatly appreciated!!

Regarding Monte Carlo, both my husband and I visited previously, so I would rather spend our day elsewhere.

Our new plan will be to take the train to Villefranche and spend some time on the beach. I guess in order to get to the restaurant for lunch, we will take a taxi.

[windy12]

Thank you all for your advice. It is greatly appreciated!!

Regarding Monte Carlo, both my husband and I visited previously, so I would rather spend our day elsewhere.

Our new plan will be to take the train to Villefranche and spend some time on the beach. I guess in order to get to the restaurant for lunch, we will take a taxi.

[windy12]

Thank you for all your great advice!

 

As for Monte Carlo, my husband and I visited previously and would rather spend our one day elsewhere.

 

My new plan: take the train from Monte Carlo to Villefranche for the beach. Then, take a taxi to the restaurant for lunch.

 

Wendy