Would like DIY info for going to St Paul De Vence from Monaco and other charming town

[gam888]

Docking in Monaco in August. Have visited Monte Carlo before so would want to see other place this time. Contacted Alan Dream Tours and their tour sound very interesting but kind of expensive. There are five of us in the family so it adds up. Does anyone know how frequent the bus or train service is from Monaco to St Paul De Vence, and are there other towns around that are interesting? Or are they all scattered and hard to get connection if you have to go from A to B to C on your own? Would like to know some more names of tour operators that I can try to contact for prices. Thanks in advance.

[sippican]

We used Exclusive Riviera for a half-day tour. It was one of the best days of our entire trip. Michel is a wonderful. I'm not sure how the prices will compate to others, but I can highly recommend them. We loved St Paul.

 

http://frenchrivierasightseeing-tourguide.com/services.html

[cberge]

There is all kinds of info posted on this board re getting to St.P from Cannes,nice etc.It is not an easy,but using the bus can be ok.Do a search for a post from Hank on getting to St.P.There are plenty of other places to explore in this area that you can use the bus or train.Depends if you need to see a big town,walled city,more local town etc.Do a Google on this area...lots of info there as well.

[worldly wanderer]

Docking in Monaco in August. Have visited Monte Carlo before so would want to see other place this time. Contacted Alan Dream Tours and their tour sound very interesting but kind of expensive. There are five of us in the family so it adds up. Does anyone know how frequent the bus or train service is from Monaco to St Paul De Vence, and are there other towns around that are interesting? Or are they all scattered and hard to get connection if you have to go from A to B to C on your own? Would like to know some more names of tour operators that I can try to contact for prices. Thanks in advance.

 

My DH and I are considering using a wonderful guide called Catherine Coppex (my sister Trudi and her family used this company last July, and had a guide called Cecilia. She met them at the ship and they visited Nice, Monte Carlo, St. Paul de Vence a quaint artists village, and Eze. If this itinerary doesn't appeal to you she will be happy to tailor make it for you. She gets you back to the ship in good time (always a benefit!) Her e-mail www.traveltourprestive.com. Well worth it if you can get a few couples or group together which will bring down the cost.

 

I a trying to do this on our Grand Princess to the Med on Sun 5th Aug 2012. Know anyone interested?

 

Wishing you luck, I am sure you will have a great time as they come very highly recommended. Enjoy!!!

[pobulus]

:) hello

 

you can take the 100 bus from Monaco it would drive you until Nice

At the final bus stop there ( place Massena ) on the opposite site of the road you will have the 200 or 400 who runs until Vence and St Paul de Vence

but it's going to take you time

[Pamulla]

How feasible is it to rent a car in Monaco? Will be there at end of July and would like revisit Grasse, Biot, Mougins but no ship tours that go there. We have driven on the different corniche and the Autoroute de Soleil.

 

BTW, ST Paul de Vence is a lovely old town.

[Hlitner]

How feasible is it to rent a car in Monaco? Will be there at end of July and would like revisit Grasse, Biot, Mougins but no ship tours that go there. We have driven on the different corniche and the Autoroute de Soleil.

 

BTW, ST Paul de Vence is a lovely old town.

 

We often rent cars in this part of France (Monaco) and it does give you a reasonably priced way to see lots of places in the region. All the major rental car companies have city offices in Monte Carlo and there are also a few small local companies.

 

Hank

[gam888]

Thank you everyone for replying my post. We will continue to investigate all the options.

[Pamulla]

We often rent cars in this part of France (Monaco) and it does give you a reasonably priced way to see lots of places in the region. All the major rental car companies have city offices in Monte Carlo and there are also a few small local companies.

 

Hank

Thanks. Looking to pick your brain on the details:

Car rentals on Sunday from the offices in Monaco possible? Drop off if office closed?

Taxis from the cruise dock to the offices? Are there taxis waiting at the end of the pier?

Is traffic on Sunday in July bad?

[Hlitner]

Thanks. Looking to pick your brain on the details:

Car rentals on Sunday from the offices in Monaco possible? Drop off if office closed?

Taxis from the cruise dock to the offices? Are there taxis waiting at the end of the pier?

Is traffic on Sunday in July bad?

 

Not sure there is much brain left to pick after our 62 day cruise (our bar bill was not pretty). Keep in mind that things are always changing in France (and elsewhere in Europe) so you need to always check on the current situation by contacting the rental car companies. But Hertz, Avis and Europcar do have Sunday hours in Monte Carlo but both also tend to close around 12:30. It is usually possible to arrange for dropping the car after hours (just park it and drop the keys through a slot in the door) but you should confirm this before your trip. Whenever we do drop a car after closing we use our digital camera to take multiple photos of the car so we have a record showing no damage. It is possible to walk to Hertz an Avis (a bit of a hike) but so sure about Europcar. As to taxis at the port, as they say in France "maybe yes and maybe no." But taxis are never happy to take such a short haul fare and might even refuse. Keep in mind that as long as you have no walking limitations...walking out of the port into Monte Carlo is very safe.

 

Hank

[outoftowner]

Docking in Monaco in August. Have visited Monte Carlo before so would want to see other place this time. Contacted Alan Dream Tours and their tour sound very interesting but kind of expensive. There are five of us in the family so it adds up. Does anyone know how frequent the bus or train service is from Monaco to St Paul De Vence, and are there other towns around that are interesting? Or are they all scattered and hard to get connection if you have to go from A to B to C on your own? Would like to know some more names of tour operators that I can try to contact for prices. Thanks in advance.

 

It may seem expensive, but consider it an investment. We had a great time with Frederick who works for Alan and Dream Tours. We saw more than we ever thought to and Fred was a wonderful source of information and stories. Another cruiser on our roll call organized the tour and we had 8 people so that lowered the price per person. Maybe you can get three more to go with you.

[SunDapple]

On 2008 we followed Hank's suggestion and rented a car in Monte Carlo. We chose Hertz because it was nearest where our cruise ship docked. We walked out of the terminal and about 3 blocks over to the rental office. My husband had gotten an international driver's license from AAA before leaving the States, but it was not a requirement for rental. We drove to Eze from there, then on to Nice and finally St Paul de Vance, and back. It was one of the best days of our cruise. I would suggest that you bring your own road maps or get a car with GPS. Hertz did not provide a map other than one of Monte Carlo proper. If you decide to rent a car you won't regret it.