cannes to monaco

[CruisingMouse]

I'd like to jump in here. We're also coming into Cannes, and we want to see Monte Carlo, Nice, and Eze. I was thinking train to Nice, bus to Monte Carlo for the view, bus back to Nice, lunch in Nice, bus to Eze, and then bus to Nice? to get the train back to Cannes. Should we be taking the train straight to Monte Carlo to cut down on traveling time? Should we be getting the return train from Eze to Monte Carlo? I understood the bus ride between Nice and Monte Carlo to be part of the experience.

 

Let me say in advance this thread is really helpful. I was a little concerned about how to find the train station in Cannes as well as how to find the train itself. I feel much better about that now. :)

 

 

Hi and welcome, when are you sailing? I have been picking Hlitner's brain as well as the others here and few guys on this board (Peter and Craig)http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1485875

and then all have really helped me out, as that is how I plan to do it.. Good Luck, maybe the info on the other board with help you out as well.

[Anguillafan]

Hi and welcome, when are you sailing? I have been picking Hlitner's brain as well as the others here and few guys on this board (Peter and Craig)http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1485875

and then all have really helped me out, as that is how I plan to do it.. Good Luck, maybe the info on the other board with help you out as well.

My cruise is in June. BTW, I got some good advice on my day in Rome, or more accurately getting back to the ship from Rome, from Hank. I'm a fan.

[Hlitner]

I'd like to jump in here. We're also coming into Cannes, and we want to see Monte Carlo, Nice, and Eze. I was thinking train to Nice, bus to Monte Carlo for the view, bus back to Nice, lunch in Nice, bus to Eze, and then bus to Nice? to get the train back to Cannes. Should we be taking the train straight to Monte Carlo to cut down on traveling time? Should we be getting the return train from Eze to Monte Carlo? I understood the bus ride between Nice and Monte Carlo to be part of the experience.

 

Let me say in advance this thread is really helpful. I was a little concerned about how to find the train station in Cannes as well as how to find the train itself. I feel much better about that now. :)

 

We first want to thank those who made the nice comments :). Your plan is ambitious and possible. But keep in mind that Eze is located between Nice and Monte Carlo when you work out a plan. You also need to be aware that the bus line that goes to Eze Village from Nice or Monte Carlo (the #112) does not run very often and will probably not work for your plan. Regarding your other bus idea, although the #100 bus between Nice and MC is more scenic then the train, we are not sure the scenery is worth the hassle and extra time in your plan.

 

Let me be long winded and clear the air about the bus to Eze Village (the #112). If you are going from Monte Carlo there are only buses that leave at 9:55, 11:55 and 15:10 (too late for you). If you were using this same bus line from Nice to Eze the buses leave at 9:00. 11:00 and 14:00. So not only is getting to Eze Village a problem but then you need to time it so you can get a bus from Eze Village (not an easy task) This is why we are not big supporters of using public transit to Eze for many folks. In fact, for your planning about the only decent option would be to take the 11:00 to Eze Village (from Nice) to Eze Village...and perhaps later find a taxi (or bus) down to Eze/Bord sur Mer where you can connect to the train. But this still would probably not give you enough time (not sure when you need to be back in Cannes which is about an hour away by train).

 

 

So what to do. The only other public transit option is to take the train (or bus) to the Eze/Bord sur Mer stop (this is on the coast well below Eze Village) and then get up to Eze Village by either the local bus (runs infrequently) or calling a taxi. Personally, when we want to go to Eze Village we do it with a rental car. In fact, a rental car is probably the best solution for you since it would allow you to achieve all your goals. You would get off your ship ASAP (keep in mind its a tender port and this can take a while) and walk (or get a taxi) to one of the rental car offices in Cannes. With a rental car you exit Cannes and take the fast Autostrade (like an interstate highway) directly to Monte Carlo. From MC you later can drive the Middle Corniche Road to Eze Village, then on to Nice. Then you can either drive back to Cannes on the Autostrade, or if you have a lot of time you might enjoy using the slow (and often congested) coastal route which is more interesting but a lot slower.

 

I will offer another opinion with which others may disagree. As much as we like visiting Eze Village, we do not think its worth all the trouble to get to the place. When we are driving in the region we much prefer visiting St Paul de Vence over Eze (although we often do both when we are staying in the region). But like Eze Village, St Paul de Vence is best accessed by a rental car (or tour).

 

Hank

[CruisingMouse]

, although the #100 bus between Nice and MC is more scenic then the train, we are not sure the scenery is worth the hassle and extra time in your plan.

 

Let me be long winded and clear the air about the bus to Eze Village (the #112). If you are going from Monte Carlo there are only buses that leave at 9:55, 11:55 and 15:10 (too late for you). If you were using this same bus line from Nice to Eze the buses leave at 9:00. 11:00 and 14:00. So

Hank

 

Hi Hank, Having read the above wonder if you would give your opinion on what I had thought as a plan, am I cutting it to close? As renting a car sounds scary as well as fun, not sure we could pull that off being from Canada?? I would want that all booked and taking care of ahead of time.

 

Train from Cannes to Monte Carlo It’s an hour ride, so if we get the 10:11 train should be there about 11:15 seeing the sites for about 2 hours Then I was thinking of taking the bus # 100 around 1:15 pm? to Nice, that’s about a 30 min ride then we would have 2 hours to hit the beach and walk around, have lunch and do whatever, before catching the 3:40 train back to Cannes then we would have time to check Cannes out before boarding the ship to sail again for approximately 5:30 pm?? Thanks again!!

[Hlitner]

Hi Hank, Having read the above wonder if you would give your opinion on what I had thought as a plan, am I cutting it to close? As renting a car sounds scary as well as fun, not sure we could pull that off being from Canada?? I would want that all booked and taking care of ahead of time.

 

Train from Cannes to Monte Carlo It’s an hour ride, so if we get the 10:11 train should be there about 11:15 seeing the sites for about 2 hours Then I was thinking of taking the bus # 100 around 1:15 pm? to Nice, that’s about a 30 min ride then we would have 2 hours to hit the beach and walk around, have lunch and do whatever, before catching the 3:40 train back to Cannes then we would have time to check Cannes out before boarding the ship to sail again for approximately 5:30 pm?? Thanks again!!

 

We will not take the bait on the Canada comment (we have very good friends from Quebec) but think your plan should work fine. The end of the line for that #100 bus is the small bus station in Nice which is located a few blocks inland from Nice's Old Town. We would suggest getting yourselves a decent street map (you can download one) and walking from the bus station through the old town district ending near the water at the Cours Selaya. There will still be some remnants of the daily flower market in that square (everyday but Monday) but this square also has several nice restaurant/cafes if you have not found a place to eat up until that time. From the Cours Selaya you can walk another block to the water and then work your way over to the main part of town (assuming you like long walks) and stroll on the Promanade Anglais before heading over to the train station. Your schedule will be a bit tight...but it will be easy for you to make adjustments as you go.

 

Hank

[CruisingMouse]

We will not take the bait on the Canada comment (we have very good friends from Quebec) but think your plan should work fine. The end of the line for that #100 bus is the small bus station in Nice which is located a few blocks inland from Nice's Old Town. We would suggest getting yourselves a decent street map (you can download one) and walking from the bus station through the old town district ending near the water at the Cours Selaya. There will still be some remnants of the daily flower market in that square (everyday but Monday) but this square also has several nice restaurant/cafes if you have not found a place to eat up until that time. From the Cours Selaya you can walk another block to the water and then work your way over to the main part of town (assuming you like long walks) and stroll on the Promanade Anglais before heading over to the train station. Your schedule will be a bit tight...but it will be easy for you to make adjustments as you go.

 

Hank

 

 

LOL All I meant by "Canada" was it always seem so difficult to rent a car from here for use in a different country. Again that's for all your help and input.

[Anguillafan]

We first want to thank those who made the nice comments :). Your plan is ambitious and possible. But keep in mind that Eze is located between Nice and Monte Carlo when you work out a plan. You also need to be aware that the bus line that goes to Eze Village from Nice or Monte Carlo (the #112) does not run very often and will probably not work for your plan. Regarding your other bus idea, although the #100 bus between Nice and MC is more scenic then the train, we are not sure the scenery is worth the hassle and extra time in your plan.

 

Let me be long winded and clear the air about the bus to Eze Village (the #112). If you are going from Monte Carlo there are only buses that leave at 9:55, 11:55 and 15:10 (too late for you). If you were using this same bus line from Nice to Eze the buses leave at 9:00. 11:00 and 14:00. So not only is getting to Eze Village a problem but then you need to time it so you can get a bus from Eze Village (not an easy task) This is why we are not big supporters of using public transit to Eze for many folks. In fact, for your planning about the only decent option would be to take the 11:00 to Eze Village (from Nice) to Eze Village...and perhaps later find a taxi (or bus) down to Eze/Bord sur Mer where you can connect to the train. But this still would probably not give you enough time (not sure when you need to be back in Cannes which is about an hour away by train).

 

 

So what to do. The only other public transit option is to take the train (or bus) to the Eze/Bord sur Mer stop (this is on the coast well below Eze Village) and then get up to Eze Village by either the local bus (runs infrequently) or calling a taxi. Personally, when we want to go to Eze Village we do it with a rental car. In fact, a rental car is probably the best solution for you since it would allow you to achieve all your goals. You would get off your ship ASAP (keep in mind its a tender port and this can take a while) and walk (or get a taxi) to one of the rental car offices in Cannes. With a rental car you exit Cannes and take the fast Autostrade (like an interstate highway) directly to Monte Carlo. From MC you later can drive the Middle Corniche Road to Eze Village, then on to Nice. Then you can either drive back to Cannes on the Autostrade, or if you have a lot of time you might enjoy using the slow (and often congested) coastal route which is more interesting but a lot slower.

 

I will offer another opinion with which others may disagree. As much as we like visiting Eze Village, we do not think its worth all the trouble to get to the place. When we are driving in the region we much prefer visiting St Paul de Vence over Eze (although we often do both when we are staying in the region). But like Eze Village, St Paul de Vence is best accessed by a rental car (or tour).

 

Hank

Thanks for the detailed help. We're in port from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. Given the tender, and the train, it's hard to imagine we'd see much of Nice if we went there first and got the 11:00 bus. I guess we could go to Eze on the 11:00 bus, after seeing Eze, take the train, using the taxi to Eze/Bord Sur Mer, and go to Monte Carlo. I imagine after MC we'd take the bus back to Nice so we could see Nice? Then catch the train from Nice back to Cannes? Obviously I don't really understand how flexible the train schedule is. Maybe we should take the train directly to Eze/Bord Sur Mer, see Eze, and then go on to Monte Carlo, finsihing at Nice (train back to Cannes). Easier to get between Monte Carlo and Nice, right? Again, not understanding the train schedule, I would think we could get to Eze around 11 by train, have lunch in Eze (how bad could that be?), and split the afternnoon between MC and Nice. Do you think that works? If taxis between Eze and the Eze train station are available, I think it's worth the expense. Honestly, as far as lunch goes, when the four of us were in Paris, crepes, on the go, were our standard lunch fare, and we were all happy with that.

 

I'm worried about driving in a foreign country on twisty roads. Unfortunately, the other option is simply cutting out Eze and only seeing Monte Carlo and Nice, which are higher on our list. I'd consider St. Paul de Vence over Eze, but it doesn't sound like it resolves our public transportaton issue.

 

Let me just say, thanks again for the advice. You've got me completely convinced that tour is a four letter word (except in Ephesus where we plan to be on the ship's tour :eek: that visits the Terrace Houses).

 

Lydia

[Hlitner]

A couple of things. Regarding renting cars for Canadians, it is no different then renting for Americans. You simply make a reservation online (you can do this with any major rental car company and most local rental car companies) with a few clicks of the mouse.

 

Ok, now regarding Lydia's day I want to draw an accurate picture about the location of Eze. This is a small walled city that sits on the top of a steep hill not too far from the sea and between Monte Carlo and Nice (a bit closer to MC). The nearest train stop to Eze is called Eze/Bord sur Mer which lies on the coast well below the village of Eze. To get between that train and Eze Village you need to use a taxi (not easy to get a taxi) or a local bus line which does not run a coordinated schedule with most of the trains.

 

As to the trains, with all these places from Cannes to Monte Carlo we are talking about a single train line that generally runs about twice an hour, requires no reservations, and takes about 1:06 to go between Cannes and Monte Carlo. Nice is also a stop on this same line as are other places such as Antibes.

 

Eze is a popular place with cruisers but is logistically difficult to visit with public transit. In fact, public transit has many limitations in France once you get outside the major cities. This is why our personal preference, when visiting France (and many other countries) is to rent a car. Once you commit to using public transit you need to be realistic about the time involved (including waiting time) and the location of the various stations to your ultimate goal. But one nice thing about doing this on your own is you have the ability to be flexible in your planning and change things "on the fly." When it comes to Nice, Monte Carlo and Eze we personally would put Nice at the top of our list and probably Eze as our 2nd choice. DW and I are not big fans of Monte Carlo although many others would disagree with us and say they love Monte Carlo. But if you are in Monte Carlo you need to allow more then an hour to get back to Cannes plus an additional half hour to get from the train station over to the tender pier. As to St Paul de Vence you are correct that is does not fit your schedule or work well with public transit.

 

You mention using taxis between Eze and the train station, but keep in mind that you may not see any taxis parked at Eze Village and its very unlikely you will see a taxi at the train station. There used to be a small cafe across the road from the train station (we cannot swear this place still exists) where you could go to ask them to call a taxi. But we do not recommend getting yourself into a situation where you must have a taxi since we have learned to never count on French taxis (many drivers would not think of interupting their long coffee break to get a fare). The bus that runs between Eze Village and the station used to only run about once every 45 min to an hour...and usually stopped for about 1 1/2 hours around lunch time...but our info on this is out of date and things may have improved (we doubt it). The reality of this part of France is that the cruise ship passengers are a small part of their tourist market and very little exists to specifically support cruise passengers. A majority of visitors to the French Riviera come in their cars (or rent a car) and the region (and most of Provence) is geared towards private automobiles (just like most regions in the US). So when you use public transit (which we often do ourselves) you must just accept the limiations and plan your day accordingly.

 

Hank

P.S. We agree that visiting the Terrace Houses in Ephesus is a must.