French ports and distance to cities

[flaming red]

We will be on Voyager of the Seas October 11, 09. In France we will be going to Nice (Villefranche) and Provence (Marseilles). Can anyone provide information about the distance from the port to the points of interest. Will independent tour groups meet us at the port, or will we need to make our own transportation arrangements, as I understand we will have to do for Rome and Florence? Any information is greatly appreciated. Happy Travels.

[moyaroo]

Other than Boulibaise, one needs to go a field in <erseille to see the "interesting" thigs. Tours to Avignon are all day long distance affairs. Aix en Provence is a little closer. I would hire a car a head for Aix myself as I find it a lovely town.

 

Another really nice car trip is to head over to Cassis via the headlands and then take a boat ride to the Calanques.

 

Villefranche is about a third from Nice to Monaco. Train will get you to either quite nicely. Car trip here is to go up to the upper Corniche and the town of Eze. (One can walk IIRC but it is pretty much straight up. I think friction shoes would be helpful :))

[flaming red]

Thanks for your response Moyaroo, are the trains within walking distance of the port? Also can you, or anyone else advise me about spending in excess of $100US for a choice of a day group tour to see Monaco, Monte Carlo & Eze or A French Riviera Tour that goes to Cannes, Monte Carlo and Nice. Is it worth spending the money, or are there better choices that make better economic sense?

[moyaroo]

Good questions. The train station in Villefranche is along the coast walkable (some stairs) from the port.

 

Tours are soooo subjective. I am not fond of Cannes but found the slightly further afield Cagnes su mer fascinating (Renoir's winter home and where he died)

 

Eze is cool because it is so high abouve the rest and has stunning views. And you might just find that the area around Villefranche is interesting. Juan les Pins is home to the Rothschilds et al.

[Got2Cruise]

Thanks for your response Moyaroo, are the trains within walking distance of the port? Also can you, or anyone else advise me about spending in excess of $100US for a choice of a day group tour to see Monaco, Monte Carlo & Eze or A French Riviera Tour that goes to Cannes, Monte Carlo and Nice. Is it worth spending the money, or are there better choices that make better economic sense?

 

I don't know anything about the trains. But I can say that you can look for the "On Your Own" tour, which is less expensive because it does not include lunch. Also, you have to figure the Euros opposed to the U.S. dollars. We did the Nice and Monaco "On Your Own", and we liked the comfort and the convenience of the bus. It was a modern air conditioned bus and you take the low road to go Nice, and then the high road to to from Nice to Monaco. It was two hours in Nice and three hours in Monaco. Nice and Monaco are in the opposite direction of Villefranche.

[moyaroo]

It was two hours in Nice and three hours in Monaco. Nice and Monaco are in the opposite direction of Villefranche.

 

Actually Nice and Monaco are opposite directions from each other. Nice is S West of Villefranche and Monaco is N East

[Got2Cruise]

It was two hours in Nice and three hours in Monaco. Nice and Monaco are in the opposite direction of Villefranche.

 

Actually Nice and Monaco are opposite directions from each other. Nice is S West of Villefranche and Monaco is N East

Isn't Villefranche in the middle? That is what I meant.

[moyaroo]

There you are. Smack in the well not really middle as Nice is closer even if not nicer.

[SASSYIN2]

We are on VOS May 23rd and so far RCL has no tours for Nice listed. Should we stay in Nice or try and get a private tour to go to Monaco? Is Nice a great city on its's own to explore for the day and just shop?

[Hambagahle]

There are busses that run from Monte Carlo to Nice through Villefranche. Which is, indeed, between the two. There are also trains. The walk up to the station from the harbour in Villefranche involves a lot of steps.

 

Marseilles is a fair way from what Americans think of as "Provence" which would involve Avignon and the Lubéron. You would need to take a train. There are TGV (fast trains) between Marseilles and Avignon that take around 30 minutes. However these stop at the Avignon TGV station which is a bus ride from the town. If you take the local train it is 90 minutes or so and this does go to the main (old) Avignon station which is in town. For the TGV you must have a booked seat.

 

If it is the Lubéron that you want then the best way is to hire a car in Marseilles and drive. It will take you 45 mins to get to Cavaillon (where the melons come from!) and then you can explore the Lubéron. If you go along Rte N100 you will find many places to visit - Gordes (hill top village), Lacoste, Bonnieux etc etc. The ochre cliffs at Roussillon are qutie a sight! And the food is generally not bad either...