Cannes~St Paul~Eze~Monoco/Monte Carlo

[gbcruise]

Arriving via Gem 10am-5pm. Will be tendering & info says to be back on board 2 hours before sailing. Pretty much that makes our port time about 4 hours???? This will be our first time in Europe so advice on what is reasonable to see in a 4 hour time frame on our own is appreciated from the above listed places to choose from.

[cberge]

Arriving via Gem 10am-5pm. Will be tendering & info says to be back on board 2 hours before sailing. Pretty much that makes our port time about 4 hours???? This will be our first time in Europe so advice on what is reasonable to see in a 4 hour time frame on our own is appreciated from the above listed places to choose from.

If I were you I would stay at the place of your port..walk around see the sights,have anice luncheon etc. as you really do not have the time to do any of the other places justice in a 4hour time slot especially St.P or Eze. Could you see them..yes..but seeing them and doing them justice is another thing.If your port in Monte Carlo there is enough to see and do as well as if it is Cannes.This is just MHO.Even if you tacked on another 1/2 hour there is still not a lot of time.Other's may have a whole other take.Enjoy your trip/cruise.Remember youcan always go back!!!!:D

[PangeanSir]

Arriving via Gem 10am-5pm. Will be tendering & info says to be back on board 2 hours before sailing. Pretty much that makes our port time about 4 hours???? This will be our first time in Europe so advice on what is reasonable to see in a 4 hour time frame on our own is appreciated from the above listed places to choose from.

 

I would clarify the wording to confirm how much time you actually have in port. Typically the ship requires you to be there for initial embarkation 2 hours prior to departure, but for port stops you only have to be back 1/2 hour before departure. Even factoring in the extra time for tendering, you should have more than 4 hours for touring.

 

P.

[gbcruise]

I would clarify the wording to confirm how much time you actually have in port. Typically the ship requires you to be there for initial embarkation 2 hours prior to departure, but for port stops you only have to be back 1/2 hour before departure. Even factoring in the extra time for tendering, you should have more than 4 hours for touring.

 

P.

 

The bottom of the itinerary says "Due to security reasons, all guests must be on board 2 hours before sailing" so I'm not sure if it's just embarkation or at each port. I'm hoping it's only embarkation as the extra 1 1/2 hours in port would be really great. So now if I have 5 1/2 hours does that change anything?

[cberge]

The bottom of the itinerary says "Due to security reasons, all guests must be on board 2 hours before sailing" so I'm not sure if it's just embarkation or at each port. I'm hoping it's only embarkation as the extra 1 1/2 hours in port would be really great. So now if I have 5 1/2 hours does that change anything?

Not really IMHO...you could do Cannes and M/M by using the bus or pick Eze and spend time there ,but I would leave St.P for another time as it really is a place to spend some time just checking it all out.Maybe other's will have a different idea for you.There is a lot just posted on this board how to get to these places using bus or train...just scroll down a few pages.Also,post this time question on your cruiseline board re times in port and see what other's have to say.

[Hlitner]

I am going to lend support to CBerge and strongly recommend that the Gem folks stay in Cannes unless they are taking a ship's tour. For whatever reason, NCL has made this port stop just too short for passengers to explore the region outside of Cannes. Keep in mind that this is a tender port and all the cruise lines give priority to their own tours when loading tenders. More than likely, independent passengers will not even get ashore until at least 11 and it takes about 20 min to walk from the tender pier to the train station. You can assume that your last tender back to the ship would leave at 4:30 and I sure would not want to be cutting it too close. Bottom line is spend a relaxing day in Cannes or take a ship's tour (we hate ships tours).

 

Hank

[CruzinFamilyof5]

Hlitner, we're on the Gem 7 to 3pm. We really wanted to see St. Paul and Grasse, but we also want to see Monaco. The ship has a 7 hour tour of Monaco, Eze and Monte Carlo. They have a 4 hour tour of St. Paul and Grasse. Viator also offers a 15 minute boat ride to St. Marguerite for $14. Forgot we were tendering and perhaps a 7 hour ship tour would provide us with the most sightseeing. :confused: What do you think?

[Hlitner]

Hlitner, we're on the Gem 7 to 3pm. We really wanted to see St. Paul and Grasse, but we also want to see Monaco. The ship has a 7 hour tour of Monaco, Eze and Monte Carlo. They have a 4 hour tour of St. Paul and Grasse. Viator also offers a 15 minute boat ride to St. Marguerite for $14. Forgot we were tendering and perhaps a 7 hour ship tour would provide us with the most sightseeing. :confused: What do you think?

 

I truly dislike ship's tours, but given your short port day a tour would be the best way to get to more distant places like St Paul de Vence (a 45 min drive each way) and Monte Carlo (around an hour each way). As to Grasse, this was never high on our list of favorite places, but the tours cannot resist the lucrative kick-backs they get from various "perfume factories." A major issue can often occur with independent travelers at these tender ports. All the cruise lines give tender priority to their own tours, and it's not uncommon for independent passengers to be held on-board for more than an hour...which makes the short port day even shorter. IMHO taking a boat to Ste Marguerite is a waste of time for any first-time visitor to the area although it is an option for somebody spending a day in Cannes who gets bored with Cannes!

 

Hank

[RJG1011]

We have a long port day, tendering in VilleFranche in mid-July. I just checked and we're there on a Sunday. Does that make a difference? We arrive at 7 and leave at 8. We originally thought about seeing Monaco, but now we are rethinking. St. Paul de Vence sounds lovely as does Eze. What about some beach time and/or Cannes? We were also told that Villefranche itself is charming as is the boardwalk in Nice. So much to see - so little time. Now I know why people do multiple Med cruises with the same ports. We plan to travel by bus and/or train independently. Any suggestions would be welcome.

[Host Sharon]

Be aware too that the Cannes / Monaco / Monte Carlo area is notoriously difficult for tendering and you may not get ashore at all if the seas are too rough. It is not a good idea to book non-ship's tours in advance.

[neil5054]

We will tender in Villefranche from 7am to 7pm. As I read the posts, I should be able to bus to Nice and St. Paul de Vence fairly easily. If I figure taking the bus back to Villefranche by early afternoon, does anyone think there's time to continue by bus to Eze and back to the ship by 6pm???

[Hlitner]

We have a long port day' date=' tendering in VilleFranche in mid-July. I just checked and we're there on a Sunday. Does that make a difference? We arrive at 7 and leave at 8. We originally thought about seeing Monaco, but now we are rethinking. St. Paul de Vence sounds lovely as does Eze. What about some beach time and/or Cannes? We were also told that Villefranche itself is charming as is the boardwalk in Nice. So much to see - so little time. Now I know why people do multiple Med cruises with the same ports. We plan to travel by bus and/or train independently. Any suggestions would be welcome.[/quote']

 

Great question. Sundays are different in the South of France. Generally, most of the stores, shops and boutiques located in cities are closed. In major tourist cities such as Monte Carlo and Nice, there will be some "tourist" shops open, but keep in mind they are tourist shops with much of their merchandise coming from local places like China:)

 

The best place to be on a Sunday is St Paul de Vence. In fact, many French even go to St Paul de Vence on Sundays when the weather is good. The reason is that everything is open on Sunday including the shops and wonderful art galleries. It is pretty much the same in Eze (most places are open) but Eze is a smaller village than St Paul de Vence. The Promanade in Nice (you called it the boardwalk) is always a fun place to stroll, but on Sundays in Nice we also love the old town area. On Sunday mornings, they have the weekly Flower Market in old town (it closes down by 1 pm) which is a great place to visit if you can get there by 11 am. One possibilty is to take the bus from Villefranche to Nice (go to the bus station ..Gare Routiere from where its a 10 min walk to the Flower Market. Than after an hour or so at the Flower Market walk back to the Gare Routiere and take the bus to St Paul de Vence (you would check the schedule when you first arrive). This would still give you about 2 - 3 hours in St Paul de Vence before you had to head back to the port (you would want to be on a bus by 4).

 

Hank

[Maritime Mom]

Just back from the Gem and were in Cannes from 7am to 3pm (last tender at 2:30). Due to the very intense intinerary on this cruise, we opted to take it easy on our last day. We wondered around town, purchased any last minute gifts and headed to the beach for a couple hours.

 

A gift from me to my husband who was tired of visiting churches and museums. While at the beach he bought a sandwich from a street vendor and enjoyed the sights, if you know what I mean. ;) His favorite day of the trip.

[RJG1011]

Great question. Sundays are different in the South of France. Generally, most of the stores, shops and boutiques located in cities are closed. In major tourist cities such as Monte Carlo and Nice, there will be some "tourist" shops open, but keep in mind they are tourist shops with much of their merchandise coming from local places like China:)

 

The best place to be on a Sunday is St Paul de Vence. In fact, many French even go to St Paul de Vence on Sundays when the weather is good. The reason is that everything is open on Sunday including the shops and wonderful art galleries. It is pretty much the same in Eze (most places are open) but Eze is a smaller village than St Paul de Vence. The Promanade in Nice (you called it the boardwalk) is always a fun place to stroll, but on Sundays in Nice we also love the old town area. On Sunday mornings, they have the weekly Flower Market in old town (it closes down by 1 pm) which is a great place to visit if you can get there by 11 am. One possibilty is to take the bus from Villefranche to Nice (go to the bus station ..Gare Routiere from where its a 10 min walk to the Flower Market. Than after an hour or so at the Flower Market walk back to the Gare Routiere and take the bus to St Paul de Vence (you would check the schedule when you first arrive). This would still give you about 2 - 3 hours in St Paul de Vence before you had to head back to the port (you would want to be on a bus by 4).

 

Hank

Thank you Hank! I copied your info and will take it with me. I will also check for info on train and/or bus schedules. Lots of us have "met" through CC and we plan to set out on public transit in most ports. We did it when visiting Rome and London and it worked fine.

[Hlitner]

I would add that there are several advantages to taking the bus from Villefrance vs the train. The buses generally run more often (although not sure of the Sunday schedule) than the trains and are cheaper (buses cost 1 Euro). Another reason is that the bus station is closer to the Flower Market and the location for the bus to St Paul de Vence vs the train station which means you have a longer walk to either place. I do belive the St Paul de Vence bus stops somewhere near the Nice train station (it originates in the Nice bus station) but we have heard of a few instances where the bus got full and just started bypassing interim stops (a good reason to get on the St Paul de Vence bus at the bus station). That being said, if you did not have a reason to stop in Nice, and you did want to take the train, you could take the train past Nice...than past the Nice Cote d'Azur airport and than get off at the Cagnes sur Mer stop. From there , you can intercept that same St Paul de Vence bus (across the street)......assuming it is not full.

 

Hank

[skyview851]

Cannes will be our first port on the Century in Sept. We are thinking a beach day might be in order. Is the beach within walking distance or are there various beaches to choose from? Suggestions????

[Hlitner]

You will tender into Cannes at a pier that is located right on the old port. As you exit the pier area, just walk across the large parking lot and keep the water on your left. If you keep walking in this direction (water on your left) you will come to a beach as soon as your clear the parking lot area, and this beach is called the Plage du Midi. This particular beach has real sand (many beaches in the region are full of rocks) and also happens to be free! There are quite a few cafes within a couple of blocks of the beach. The more famous Place du la Croisette (this is opposite the very pricy hotels) is actually a lousy beach full of pebbles and rocks....and people pay a lot of money to be on this beach. Go figure!

 

Hank

[CruzinFamilyof5]

We just returned and the beach is right next to the port as Hlitner mentioned. We have pictures of the beach and port on Flickr. We walked to the train station and found a less expensive taxi to Monaco, Nice, Monte Carlo, Eze and St. Paul. On the way back, we spent an hour at the beach while other cruisers lined up to take the tender. Enjoy! :)

[RJG1011]

I would add that there are several advantages to taking the bus from Villefrance vs the train. The buses generally run more often (although not sure of the Sunday schedule) than the trains and are cheaper (buses cost 1 Euro). Another reason is that the bus station is closer to the Flower Market and the location for the bus to St Paul de Vence vs the train station which means you have a longer walk to either place. I do belive the St Paul de Vence bus stops somewhere near the Nice train station (it originates in the Nice bus station) but we have heard of a few instances where the bus got full and just started bypassing interim stops (a good reason to get on the St Paul de Vence bus at the bus station). That being said, if you did not have a reason to stop in Nice, and you did want to take the train, you could take the train past Nice...than past the Nice Cote d'Azur airport and than get off at the Cagnes sur Mer stop. From there , you can intercept that same St Paul de Vence bus (across the street)......assuming it is not full.

 

Hank

Hank,

 

We saw your post about Cannes and the Plage du Midi sounds great for our Sunday visit- we may have time to see a bit of Nice, then St. Paul de Vence and then head to Cannes - do you know how far Cannes is from there? We have a 13 hour port day - figuring with tendering time at least 10-11 hours to get back to Villefranche. If you are enjoying a 4th of July weekend away from your computer, don't worry - we leave on Monday mid-day for Venice - the last time I'll probably check for a post would be Monday morning. Thanks for all of your advice - I'll try to report back at the end of July - perhaps with some good suggestions for others!

Rebecca

[alcman]

I would add that there are several advantages to taking the bus from Villefrance vs the train. The buses generally run more often (although not sure of the Sunday schedule) than the trains and are cheaper (buses cost 1 Euro). Another reason is that the bus station is closer to the Flower Market and the location for the bus to St Paul de Vence vs the train station which means you have a longer walk to either place. I do belive the St Paul de Vence bus stops somewhere near the Nice train station (it originates in the Nice bus station) but we have heard of a few instances where the bus got full and just started bypassing interim stops (a good reason to get on the St Paul de Vence bus at the bus station). That being said, if you did not have a reason to stop in Nice, and you did want to take the train, you could take the train past Nice...than past the Nice Cote d'Azur airport and than get off at the Cagnes sur Mer stop. From there , you can intercept that same St Paul de Vence bus (across the street)......assuming it is not full.

 

Hank

 

Hank,

We will be going on December 1. Any reason to think the bus will be full by Cagnes sur Mer on an off-season date? I thoght the train would otherwise be faster and easier to get to.

Thanks

Jerry

[skyview851]

Thanks for the directions Hank, I think we will plan on a beach day in Cannes.

 

CruzinFamilyof5- appreciate the link to your photos. The beach looks nice, and not too crowded. With Hanks' directions, and your pictures, I know exactly where to go!

 

After flying from the US the day before, we will be happy to spend the day lounging in the sun & people watching. We are going to save our energy for the last days in Rome & Naples.

[anniversay/grad trip]

We will be tendering in Villefranche for a 13 hour stay and would like to see Monte Carlo/Monaco/the village of Eze and St paul, with a stop for a traditional luncheon perhaps in Eze. We are a family 5 and thought we'd try this by a combo of taxi and buses...is this do-able? Can anyone recommend a private service that we can customize that doesn't break the bank? Every private tour group I look at is roughly 600-700e plus lunch etc etc....any recommendations would be helpful? We are also there on a Sunday (Aug 16th)....

[AF-1]

I was in Villafrance in May. We tendered off of Voyager of the Seas; my recommendation is to pick one or two places and limit to that. We did ship tour thru Nice and than up to St. Pauls. St. Pauls was worth the drive. It's about 40 minute drive from Nice. St. Pauls is an artist town. Winding cobblestone streets, cafes, shopping, and lots of art. It overlooks the countryside. We were there during the Cannes Film Festival and some movie stars were staying in some of the bed and breakfasts in St. Pauls. In Villafrance there is a small village right where the tenders come in; u can buy some very nice french silk, and linens for decent prices; also plenty of places to eat and drink right in port.

[anniversay/grad trip]

I was in Villafrance in May. We tendered off of Voyager of the Seas; my recommendation is to pick one or two places and limit to that. We did ship tour thru Nice and than up to St. Pauls. St. Pauls was worth the drive. It's about 40 minute drive from Nice. St. Pauls is an artist town. Winding cobblestone streets, cafes, shopping, and lots of art. It overlooks the countryside. We were there during the Cannes Film Festival and some movie stars were staying in some of the bed and breakfasts in St. Pauls. In Villafrance there is a small village right where the tenders come in; u can buy some very nice french silk, and linens for decent prices; also plenty of places to eat and drink right in port.

 

Thanks AF-1....we are still looking for recommendations for a tour group. I really want to see Eze and St Paul de vence...possibly Monte Carlo as well.

[jacruisers]

Our ship docked in Villafranche last month and I wanted to say thank you to Hank, Cathy and everyone else that has posted info on how to get around and trying on your own ;). After researching on these boards we started with about 25 of us on an adventure to try to see as much as possible. We docked from 7am-8pm & had to be back on the ship by 6:45pm. We had train & bus directions to Nice, Monaco/Monte Carlo, Eze, and St Paul de Vence. We ended up splitting up but 12 of us stuck together and we were able to see Nice, St Paul de Vence, Monaco, Monte Carlo and back to Villafranche using bus and train. Keep in mind that Nice and St Paul de Vence are in one direction and Monaco/Monte Carlo & Eze are in a different direction. Make sure you take note of the bus and train schedules so you allow yourself enough time. We were able to see a lot in one day, we did do some walking and were tired at night but glad we did it all.

 

Anna