Villefranche 0700-1400 April 2012

[Podie]

My husband, daughter, and son-in-law will be in Villefranche 0700-1400 in April. It appears to be a very charming town, and with our limited hours, I don't feel the need to pay for an excursion. Is there enough time for us to do a DIY to Eze or Nice or are we better off staying in Villefranche?

[Hlitner]

ARGH! We still do not understand how the planners at a specific cruise line continue to schedule these ridiculous port stops. It is even a bigger problem in Villefranche (as opposed to similar scheduling in Monte Carlo) since its a tender port which effectively further limits your time ashore. A DIY to Nice (via bus or train) would be no problem and the early port time is really good if you want to visit the Nice Flower Market. As to Eze, given the amount of time this would be a bit more difficult with public transit...but no problem with a rental car or expensive taxi.

 

Hank

[Podie]

Well, my daughter has been living in Italy for almost three years and she's been dying to go to Nice. So I guess we'll check it out. How expensive would a taxi be, can they take 4 people, and where would we tell him to take us in Nice? Not sure what she wants to see but I know for sure it wouldn't be flowers! And how much time should we plan to look around Villefranche?

[Hlitner]

Well, my daughter has been living in Italy for almost three years and she's been dying to go to Nice. So I guess we'll check it out. How expensive would a taxi be, can they take 4 people, and where would we tell him to take us in Nice? Not sure what she wants to see but I know for sure it wouldn't be flowers! And how much time should we plan to look around Villefranche?

 

Getting to Nice from Villefranche is quite easy (they are about 15 min apart). However with taxis you face 2 problems. There are often not many taxis that even bother to come to the port so you might not find one (you could call). And taxis in the South of France are very expensive for other then short local hauls. If you did find a taxi at the port it would probably be about 30 Euros (an educated guess) into Nice. Keep in mind that the local buses run every few minutes and only cost 1 Euro. The train station is also within walking distance of the tender pier (there are quite a few steps up to the station) where trains run about twice an hour to Nice (or Monte Carlo).

 

One reason we prefer using the bus is that the Nice bus station is located only a few blocks North of the edge of Nice's old town (our favorite part of Nice). The famous Nice Flower Market (they do not have this on Mondays) is located on the Southern side of that same old town so we will sometimes just walk from the bus station through the old town area (you should print-out a map since the streets in this old area are confusing) to the Cours Saleya where they have the outdoor market.

 

Hank

[rlse9]

That's crazy to have such short hours in a port like this, especially with tendering.

 

Nice can definitely be done and going by bus is the way to go since they go so often and the bus station in Nice is really close to the area of town worth seeing. The market is worth visiting, just to walk through and see it, or to buy some of the delicious dried tomatoes we got. Back in Villafranche there isn't a whole lot to see but it's a nice town and worth walking around a little. I'd go to Nice first, spend your time there, head back towards Villafranche a little early just to be sure you're back on time, then walk around and explore town until it's time to head back to the ship.

[Capricruiser]

The last time I had a port call at Villefranche I had a very enjoyable visit in the town itself. Lots of climbing but the views are interesting both at the top and down at the port. There are good bars, restaurants and pastry shops and the town is quaint but very nice. There are good beaches on both sides of the tender port but maybe April will be a bit early for swimming.

[miss dee]

we will be tendering into villefranche injuly. does anyone know how to get from villefranche to the rothchild villa and then to monaco using public transportation.

[Hlitner]

we will be tendering into villefranche injuly. does anyone know how to get from villefranche to the rothchild villa and then to monaco using public transportation.

 

Getting to the Rothchild villa from Villefranche can be done by simply catching the #81 bus (in the direction away from Nice). As to gong to Monte Carlo you have several options including using the regional train or taking the bus. From Villefranche you would use the #100 bus. Not sure about the bus options from the Rothchild villa but it might involve changing buses 1 time. The nice thing about using buses is that the fare is still only 1 Euro and they are clean and comfy buses.

 

Hank

[BeachChica]

Hi all - we will be tendering in Villefrache in May and planning to head to Nice. Our ship arrives at 10:00am so with tendering etc its going to be tight getting to the Nice flower market. I still want to try to get there though. Just wondering if the bus or the train will take us to the closest spot to get the to flower market since we will be tight on time and want to get to that first.

 

Thanks! :)

[Hlitner]

Hi all - we will be tendering in Villefrache in May and planning to head to Nice. Our ship arrives at 10:00am so with tendering etc its going to be tight getting to the Nice flower market. I still want to try to get there though. Just wondering if the bus or the train will take us to the closest spot to get the to flower market since we will be tight on time and want to get to that first.

 

Thanks! :)

 

Most of that market seems to function until around 1pm after which some of the vendors seem to start packing-up (theoretically its all open until around 6pm). The # 100 bus will take you from Villefranche to the Nice bus station (make sure you catch this bus going the proper direction since it runs back and forth between Nice and Monte Carlo) which is about a 15 minute walk to the Cours Selaya (the square that has the market). However, in order to get there your walking route will take you all the way through the old town (from the inland side near the bus station to near the water). The old town streets are anything but straight and its easy to get lost so its wise to download (and print) a map of the old town area. If you do get lost in those narrow streets just ask for help and the locals will point you in the right direction :). As to the train, the train station is quite a bit further from old town although you could certainly walk from there in about 25 min. Another advantage of the bus is that they run more often then the train and are cheaper (only 1 Euro).

 

Hank

[BeachChica]

Thanks Hank! That's exactly what I needed! Sounds like the bus (with the map :) ) is my best bet!

[TLCOhio]

My husband, daughter, and son-in-law will be in Villefranche 0700-1400 in April. It appears to be a very charming town, and with our limited hours, I don't feel the need to pay for an excursion. Is there enough time for us to do a DIY to Eze or Nice or are we better off staying in Villefranche?

 

Villefranche is very nice and charming. But, it is fairly small and can easily be explored in just an hour or so. I would encourage "reaching out" and doing more than only walking around on your own. Eze is super spectacular. Love it!! There are nice options to see in Monaco, Nice, St. Paul, etc. Cruise ship tours are not perfect or ideal, but it does help solve your logistics in an easy, worry-free manner.

 

Below are some of my visual samples/suggestions. Lots more are on the live/blog noted and connected below.

 

Villefranche sur Mer is set in one of the world's most beautiful bays. The original Old Town is at the base of a natural amphitheater of mountains and terraced hills. The views are wonderful and it is easy to see why so many people fall in love with Villefranche. The bay itself is very deep and many of the Mediterranean's largest cruise ships stop in the bay. Nearby are Mount Boron, which looks down over the bay from the west; Nice to the west and St. Jean Cap Ferrat, Beaulieu sur Mer, Eze Village and Eze Bord de Mer to the east.

 

The most extreme example of a vaulted passage is the Rue Obscura, a street about a block in from the seafront that's completely covered for about half its length. Lit only by white, wire-gridded lamps in the roof, the "obscure" street reminds you of the days when the town's population sheltered here from bombardments. Founded in the 14th century by Charles d'Anjou a duty-free port, Villefranche's steep narrow streets and stacked up dusty-rose, ochre and apricot houses with trompe l'oeil frescoes redefine the term 'picturesque'. On the tiny cobblestoned port, you might still see old women mending fishing nets.

 

The deep harbor between the headlands of Mont Boron to the west and Cap-Ferrat to the east was used as a U.S. naval base until France withdrew from the military wing of NATO in 1966.

 

The old village of Eze, along the coast between Nice and Monaco, hangs up in the mountains above the water and crowds. It's wonderful to visit. Great, great views! Totally charming! Have lunch or dinner there at one of the two great eating places and feel like you're sitting on the edge of paradise! We ate at the Château Eza. Its website: http://www.chateauezarestaurant.com. At 1,407 feet above the Mediterranean, Eze offers commanding views of cliffs, sea, sprawling estates and off-shore islands. The village's narrow streets or more really paths among the buildings lead to the Jardin Exotique It is a maze of paths flanked by mammoth flowering plants and spiky cactuses. For about $3, you can walk up to the best view on the French Riviera. On a clear day, you can see Corsica! It does not get much better than Eze. Their tourism office:

http://www.eze-riviera.com

 

Reactions, questions??

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 60,214 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

The charming mountain top village of Eze is nearby and offers great views along the southern French coast to the west. Eze has unique charm and character, plus million-dollar, "priceless" vistas.:

 

 

 

From being in Monaco in June, it is clear that there has been building and booming big time. They had just completed the Grand Prix race here and we went by the scenic Casino with the gardens and fountains in front over top of a large parking garage. They were getting ready for the big wedding event with their ruling Prince that just got “done” in July.:

 

 

 

Overlooking the port and tender docking location in Villefranche are a series of various outdoor dining options.:

 

 

 

Hidden among the narrow passages of Villefranche’s Old Town was this artist whose shop produced various etching designs.:

 

 

 

Villefranche’s walled fortress or Saint Elme citadel is the “real thing”. It makes the point of how this town’s history was based on its 1500’s coastal/security setting, etc.:

 

 

 

Here is one of the many unique flowers we saw in Villefranche.:

 

[Podie]

Based on other posts, I'm not sure we'll have time to go to Nice and Eze. We will be first in line for the tender at 0700, but leaving at 1400 for our next port doesn't leave us with a lot of time. I figure we'll have to start thinking about getting on the tender back to the ship no later than 1230. But we'll do Eze if it's possible. Thanks for your info!

[Podie]

By the way, those flowers are Birds of Paradise and we have them all over Florida!

[TLCOhio]

Based on other posts, I'm not sure we'll have time to go to Nice and Eze. We will be first in line for the tender at 0700, but leaving at 1400 for our next port doesn't leave us with a lot of time. I figure we'll have to start thinking about getting on the tender back to the ship no later than 1230. But we'll do Eze if it's possible. Thanks for your info!

 

YES! You've got a serious challenge with such a narrow window of time in this great port with so many different and nearby options. Eze is very special and unique. Nice has its options, but there are other large cities having similar options to do and see. Appreciate the added specific on the "Birds of Paradise" flower name. I will add that specific to my picture description for any future postings.

 

Below are some added visuals from in and around Villefranche.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 60,214 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

We went through the old areas of Villefranche, seeing the narrow steps where pirates and soldiers would have battled/traveled, flowers, etc.:

 

 

 

In the Old Town of Villefranche, this is rue Obscure, a dark and eerie vaulted passageway that has changed little since the Middle Ages. This area provided connection and security in times of attack.:

 

 

 

This is the Baroque, Italian-style tower of Villefranche’s Saint Michael Church. It is in the heart of the old town and originally dates from the first part of the 14th Century.:

 

 

 

This is the interior of this church in Villefranche.:

 

 

 

In Monaco, the Casino might be the most famous building. Here is a closer view.:

 

 

 

Here is one of the parks in Monaco with the scenic mountains in the background:

 

[BeachChica]

TLCOhio - what great pics you are posting! I am adding some notes from your messages to my personal Interary for Villefranche! :) We are planning to head over to Nice since the race will be in Monaco while we are there. I will also check out the thread you have listed in your signature since you did the same ship and itinerary that we will be doing in May. Thanks for the great post!! :)

[TLCOhio]

TLCOhio - what great pics you are posting! I am adding some notes from your messages to my personal Interary for Villefranche! We are planning to head over to Nice since the race will be in Monaco while we are there. I will also check out the thread you have listed in your signature since you did the same ship and itinerary that we will be doing in May. Thanks for the great post!!

 

Appreciate the kind comments on my pictures. Don’t be shy and feel free to comment. The only "dumb question" is the one you don't ask. Just ask any follow-up info needs on my live/blog below. I still check it and am happy to share any info needed on the Solstice, the Med, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 60,214 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[rlse9]

Some great photos there Terry.

 

With the choice of doing either Nice or Eze, I'd definitely go with Eze, it's really unique and while I like Nice, it's not as interesting as Eze in my opinion.

[TLCOhio]

Some great photos there Terry. With the choice of doing either Nice or Eze, I'd definitely go with Eze, it's really unique and while I like Nice, it's not as interesting as Eze in my opinion.

 

THANKS for the nice comments on the pictures! Agree with you that Eze would be a priority for a first-timer in this area over Nice. There are lots of cities somewhat like Nice in the Med and in Europe. BUT, however, Eze is very special and unique.

 

Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 61,624 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[mskaufman]

Looking at other threads there are a lot of cautions against doing Eze on your own because of infrequent buses, especially if you also want to do old town Nice. The ship's excursion is an option but it seems that they only give you 30 minutes of free time in Nice (hardly enough time to walk to old town and back to the beach). Any suggestions?

[Hlitner]

Looking at other threads there are a lot of cautions against doing Eze on your own because of infrequent buses, especially if you also want to do old town Nice. The ship's excursion is an option but it seems that they only give you 30 minutes of free time in Nice (hardly enough time to walk to old town and back to the beach). Any suggestions?

 

We plead guilty to posting several of those bus warnings. If a cruiser is planning on using the public bus to Eze Village it really would be wise for them to carefully check the schedule and plan accordingly. This does not mean you should not consider doing Eze on your own. One option (from Monte Carlo) is to take a taxi. Although taxis are expensive, a group of 4 (or more) sharing a taxi will be less costly then an excursion and allow you to go on your own schedule. When we have long port days in the region we normally rent our own car since its the only way we can efficiently visit St Paul de Vence (our favorite place in the region) Eze and perhaps Nice or Antibes during a port day. A rental car will normally cost us approximately $100 for the day and even if we do not take others our cost per person is better then excursions (plus we avoid the "cattle drive" of most excursions).

 

On the short port days (now done by a few cruise lines) we would probably not bother with Eze Village because of the logistics. Sure, Eze is a cute walled village but from a practical point of view we would probsbly spend a short port day in Nice.

 

Hank

P.S. If cruisers would choose their cruises based on itinerary and time in the ports perhaps a couple of cruise lines would take a hint and stop this nonsensical short port days.

[mskaufman]

So, if I had a choice of Eze or St. Paul, which do you recommend? The ship runs an OK excursion that includes St. Paul, but we would have to pass on Eze.

[TLCOhio]

So, if I had a choice of Eze or St. Paul, which do you recommend? The ship runs an OK excursion that includes St. Paul, but we would have to pass on Eze.

 

We have done Eze, but not yet St. Paul. From what others have told me, the big challenge with St. Paul (or maybe both) will be how many others will be there when you visit. Too many tourists and it loses some of the wonderful and charm. Either way, GO FOR IT!! Lots of great and interesting options with many great views in this area.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 62,025 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[Hlitner]

So, if I had a choice of Eze or St. Paul, which do you recommend? The ship runs an OK excursion that includes St. Paul, but we would have to pass on Eze.

 

Personally we prefer St Paul de Vence because its somewhat larger then Eze Village and has many more decent art galleries and related shops. You would probably find many folks who would think just the opposite :) They are both terrific places to visit.

 

Hank

[Elcruzer]

Personally we prefer St Paul de Vence because its somewhat larger then Eze Village and has many more decent art galleries and related shops. You would probably find many folks who would think just the opposite :) They are both terrific places to visit.

Hank

Would it be possible to visit both places on our own via train or bus? Or has anyone taken taxi to either and if so what is the cost?