Monaco on our own???

[brown's fan 1]

Hank

 

Thanks for all the good advice. We are in Monaco from 8 am until 10 pm on Nov. 9, 2010. The next day we are in Marseille and then in Sete. So I figure we have time to see at least a cursory view of Southern France. But because we are there so late in the fall, I wonder about the busses running frequently enough between Monte Carlo and Eze. We could rent a car in Mote Carlo at a good rate. Would that allow us to see Nice, Eze and St. Paul de Vence? Or is that too much? I am planning to see Provence from Marseille and Sete, again in a rent car. Too ambitious a plan? My husband wonders if we would be happy staying put in Marseille or Sete and just touring from one. Our day in Sete is Armistice Day, national holiday in France. Thanks for your advice.

[Hlitner]

Hank

 

Thanks for all the good advice. We are in Monaco from 8 am until 10 pm on Nov. 9' date=' 2010. The next day we are in Marseille and then in Sete. So I figure we have time to see at least a cursory view of Southern France. But because we are there so late in the fall, I wonder about the busses running frequently enough between Monte Carlo and Eze. We could rent a car in Mote Carlo at a good rate. Would that allow us to see Nice, Eze and St. Paul de Vence? Or is that too much? I am planning to see Provence from Marseille and Sete, again in a rent car. Too ambitious a plan? My husband wonders if we would be happy staying put in Marseille or Sete and just touring from one. Our day in Sete is Armistice Day, national holiday in France. Thanks for your advice.[/quote']

 

The bus line (bus #100) and train should still be on a regular schedule even in November as these transportation modes are for the entire region, not just tourists. As to car rentals, this is our favorite form of transport for most places in France and Italy. We do strongly recommend that folks unfamiliar with the area also rent a GPS unit (we finally bought our own with European map sets) which makes navigation very easy and saves many marriages ("honey, can't you read a map!!!!"). With your long port day you can do Eze, St Paul de Vence and Nice an also have a little time in Monte Carlo. My recommendation would be to get your car early in morning and drive directly to St Paul de Vence since this would be your furthest point. There is a large parking garage near the entrance of St Paul de Vence which is very convenient (its just past the city entrance). After St Paul de Vence you would head to the coast and than drive directly to Nice. From Nice, you take the middle corniche road (towards Monte Carlo) and stop at Eze Village (there is a parking lot right in front of the village entrance) and than finally back to Monte Carlo (only a few minutes from Eze). You would want to get back to Monte Carlo at least a couple of hours early (a good margin or error means you never miss a ship) and return your car. You can than explore Monte Carlo on foot until its time to return to the ship. By the way, you might want to also consider renting a car in Marseille since it makes it possible to visit multiple places in Provence including smaller villages like Les Baux.

 

Hank

[brown's fan 1]

Thanks, Hank. Very good advice. Last year after 10 days on a Rhine river cruise, we rented a car and did the Romantic Road and the Phaltz region of Germany for a week. We bought the GPS with European maps before we left home. It made the travel amazingly easy. Then we did a week on trains in Belgium and Holland. At our advanced ages (DH is 75), the train was a killer. We even mailed some luggage home at one point because we had too much. Then I had my purse stolen from off my arm in a train station in the Hague. So I am thrilled you know first-hand that a rent car is a good way to go in France and Italy as well. That is what we shall do and I thank you again for confirming my plan!

 

I see you are from PA. I am an old Nittany Lion myself. I was a real minority, a West Texas student at PSU, but I loved every day in Happy Valley.

[scubababy]

The Oceanagrapic Museum is worth the visit. We are avid scuba divers, and love the history of anything to do with the ocean. Absolutely beautiful. Make sure you vist not only the aquarium, but the rooms and halls within the museum. Architecture is breathtaking.

Little side note. We had lunch at the musuem. A little roof top Cafe. Awesome.

[nelderwoman]

Hank

Can I just confirm. When trying to get back from Eze to Villefranche, take the shuttle from Eze village (how often does this run) to Eze sur Mer and get the bus from here. without checking the schedules how often does the bus/train run from here.

 

Terrified of missing ship, will have to have times worked out

 

Thanks for your help

 

Nelderwoman

[Hlitner]

Hank

Can I just confirm. When trying to get back from Eze to Villefranche, take the shuttle from Eze village (how often does this run) to Eze sur Mer and get the bus from here. without checking the schedules how often does the bus/train run from here.

 

Terrified of missing ship, will have to have times worked out

 

Thanks for your help

 

Nelderwoman

 

As far as we know the only "shuttle bus" that runs from Eze Village to Eze/Bord sur Mer (the train station) is the #83 bus. Since this bus does not run very often (often only about once an hour) you need to time your visit. You can find the bus schedule on the Lignes d'Azur schedule (click on bus 83) at http://www.lignedazur.com/horaires_ligne/?rub_code=6&laction=all

 

Hank

[nelderwoman]

Thanks Hank,

 

I have read about a shuttle bus.

 

Can I get a bus from Eze village straight back to Villefranche or do I have to Eze/Bord sur Mer for the bus

 

Nelderwoman

[Hlitner]

Thanks Hank,

 

I have read about a shuttle bus.

 

Can I get a bus from Eze village straight back to Villefranche or do I have to Eze/Bord sur Mer for the bus

 

Nelderwoman

 

There is no direct bus. You would have to take the 83 bus to Eze/Bord sur Mer where you can transfer to either the train or the 100 bus. The only other reasonable alternative would be to take the bus to Nice, spend some time in that city (we think Nice is very nice) and then take the 100 bus or train back to the port. You have stumbled on the reason we normally rent a car when we are in Villefranche, Monte Carlo or Cannes. It gives us a lot of flexibility and lets us do what we please. From Monte Carlo we have driven to St Paul de Vence (our favorite place in this region), stopped at Nice and then ended in Eze before dropping our car (this itinerary is not reasonable with public transit. We do like bus or train if we simply want to go from point A to point B, but the wasted time does limit the options.

 

Hank

[klay25]

We are cruising thru France with a stop at the port in Cannes. Anyone know how to get from the port to Monte Carlo on your own?

Thanks!!

[Hlitner]

We are cruising thru France with a stop at the port in Cannes. Anyone know how to get from the port to Monte Carlo on your own?

Thanks!!

 

Its quite easy if you have the time. You can walk from the tender pier to the Cannes train station in about 30 min, and much of it is a nice walk through Cannes. You then take the regional train (there are usually 2 trains an hour) to Monte Carlo.

 

Hank

[Adsmama]

I am still a little confused. We are stopping in VilleFranche for the day and need to know what to do on our own. We are two young able bodied people (carrying an infant in a backpack), no problem with public transportation. How do we go about doing this? We'd like to do something that doesn't take much brain power. Not particularly interested in any one thing but I would love to say I have seen Monaco and Montecarlo.

[TV Dad]

First of all, thanks to Hank for being our Cote d'Azur tour guide.

 

I will be on a cruise ship tendering at Monte Carlo in June 2011, 8a-5p.

 

We will have a 17 year old with us and would like to do it on our own.

 

So Hank (and other cruisers) , help me out. I think we'd like to do Nice and/or Villefranche, and Monaco (Palace tour would be great).

 

Which should we do first and how do you propose we travel?

 

Thanks in Advance!!!:)

[Biffer1997]

I am in the very early stages of planning a European cruise from Barcelona-stopping in Monoco next summer. I would like to see Monte Carlo, Cathedral, and would like to go to France (whatever town is closest/cheapest to get to from Monaco). I don't mind walking at all and can handle steep inclines, etc. Would I be OK in doing this on my own? Most concerned about crossing into France--did I read correctly that there is a bus that runs between the two places?

[Hlitner]

We would urge everyone with questions on the Cote d'Azur to spend a little time looking at a detailed map of the area (available online or in any bookstore) to get an idea of the "lay of the land." Villefranche is a small resort village that lies only a few minutes east of Nice (and about 25 min west of Monte Carlo). When you tender into Villefrance (there are no docking facilities here) you have access to both the regional train line (TER) and the regional bus line (Ligne d'Azur) if you can walk. As a generaly rule, the buses are quite a bit cheaper then the trains (buses only cost 1 Euro per trip). The train line (there is only a single relevant train line in the region) runs relatively close to the coast and spans the entire Cote d'Azur from Cannes to Monte Carlo (it also goes further in each direction). Between Cannes and Monte Carlo you have quite a few places on the train line such as Antibes, Cagnes sur Mer, Nice Cote d'Azur Airport, Nice, Eze/Bord sur Mer. The village of Eze (very popular here) lies high up on a hill above Eze/Bord sur Mer and can only be accessed by bus, car, or a long hike. St Paul de Vence (our personal favorite place in this region) lies several miles inland (the main route to this town starts along the coast at Cagnes Sur Mer) and can only be accessed by bus or car (no train line goes near St Paul de Vence). For the typical cruise passenger making their first visit, keep in mind that it is possible to get all the way from Cannes to Monte Carlo in a little over an hour by using the train. Of course everything in between takes less time. The trains on this line generally run about once every 30 - 45 min (it does vary). Buses run at different intervels (depending on the line) with many popular lines running as often as every 10 min. The various buses that go to Eze Village do not run very often (often more then an hour between buses) so fitting a visit to Eze in your day does involve a little planning.

 

Hope this helps stiumulate some thought and clear some of the fog.

 

Hank