Monaco around May 22

[ehogan]

We'll be in Villefranche on May 18 and the Grand Prix is in Monaco on May 22.

 

Has anyone been to Monaco at just before the Grand Prix. How crazy busy is it? We are wondering if it is better to head in the other direction (Nice).

[dbh62ark]

We were there just a week before the Grand Prix last year and had no problems. The city was preparing, so it was fun to see all the signs and preparations. We had a private guide (Dream Tours, and they were wonderful!) and went to Eze, St. Paul de Vence, etc. because we had been to Monte Carlo on previous trips. I love Monte Carlo and Villefranche, but St. Paul de Vence was the BEST in the area. One lady from my group said that if she never went anywhere else, she would die happy. It is that good! So that's just info for your consideration. Villefranche was a nice surprise (we had not heard a lot of comments about it) and very lovely. No problem in Monte Carlo before the Grand Prix though.

 

Hope you have a great trip,

Donna

[ehogan]

Thanks so much Donna, I was trying to decide between Eze and St Paul de Vence - now we'll definately try St. Paul.

[dbh62ark]

Oh, now I wish I were going with you! :)

 

Hope you have a very wonderful trip!

 

Donna

[dbh62ark]

I don't know if you saw it, but I just read on another thread that the race program actually starts on the 18th this year. We were there exactly a week ahead of time in 2004 and saw the banners, bleachers, etc. set up, but being there on the day of the program may be a different matter entirely and may change your plans. Our driver did tell us the high prices of various rooms and indicated that the crowds are definitely an issue during the race. Hopefully the outlying areas such as Villefranche and St. Paul de Vence won't be affected very much. There are so many small villages that I think you should be able to plan a very nice day regardless of the race. I recommend that you contact Dream Tour to ask for advice. They provided us with a great tour and should be able to tell you whether or not you should have issues getting around on the 18th on your own or with a private driver.

 

Hope you have a great trip,

Donna

[Classynfun1]

Donna, please help me decide!

 

I'm currently booked on my ship's tour to Eze and Nice. I was planning to do that and then walk around Monte Carlo. However, I notice that they also offer a full day St. Paul de Vence, Cannes, and Grasse tour. Should I switch? If I miss out on Monaco, will I feel sad?? Please help me decide on this one. Thanks a million!

[dbh62ark]

That is a CUTE board name! :)

 

Hmmm, this is a tough call, and you will find a lot of difference of opinion because these are both good options. My first preference would be to get a private driver (I love Dream Tours, as noted above and you can probably easily form a group on your roll call board to reduce the cost lower than a ship's excursion would be) so that you can see Monte Carlo, Eze, and St. Paul de Vence and some nice scenic overviews above Nice and Monte Carlo, but I'll post assuming that you are set on taking a ship's shore excursion. Maybe the following pros and cons will help in your decision process.

 

I found Monte Carlo to be small and very charming. The views from the castle of the harbor and surrounding area are awesome. It's a very pretty place, but some passengers are suprised that the outside of the royal palace is not more magnificent and large, and they are surprised at the cathedral where Princess Grace is buried. The elegance is a bit more understated in some ways in Monte Carlo. The cathedral is very nice but is not as overwhelming as the cathedrals in major European cities (St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, St. Paul's Cathedral in London, Notre Dame in Paris, etc.). We enjoyed walking around Monte Carlo and did the Frommers walking tour that takes you through some gardens and around the compact area. I think you can get a good overview of Monte Carlo and stop at the casino if you don't stay to gamble in about 2-3 hours. So it's nice and lovely but I've heard many comments from passengers that there wasn't as much to see there as they had expected.

 

Eze is very similar architecturally to St. Paul de Vence; both are small villages, but Eze is much smaller. I think there's a little more to see in Nice (flower market, old town) than there is in Cannes. In Grasse, it's not that nice, and you'll basically just tour the perfume factory. I thought that was a good addition when we were there a few years ago, but some passengers don't care for the perfume factory tour (especially the men). I think you'll see more of the wonderful scenery on the roads to and between Grasse, Cannes, and St. Paul than you will on the Nice and Eze tour, so that would be another point in favor of Grasse/Cannes/St. Paul for me.

 

I think that you might feel sad about missing out on Monte Carlo if you are a big Grace Kelly fan or if it is a place that you've always wanted to see. But the determining factor for me would be St. Paul de Vence. In my opinion, it absolutely everything else in that area if you have to make tough choices, and it sounds like you do. I always hear raves about St. Paul de Vence, and it is wonderful. So yes, if it were me and I had to choose one of the ship's tours you listed, I would switch to the tour that includes St. Paul.

 

This may be what we call TMI (too much information), but here are some web sites that I had bookmarked that you can check out for an overview of these villages.

 

http://members.virtualtourist.com/vt/s/?m=6&l.q=1604c

http://www.smackfu.com/photos/france/stpaul/

http://www.francemonthly.com/n/0503/index.php

http://vrm.vrway.com/issue12/PERFUME_FROM_GRASSE_FRANCE.html

http://www.provenceweb.fr/e/alpmarit/eze/eze.htm

http://larve.net/people/hugo/pictures/2001/06/19/eze

http://www.provenceweb.fr/e/alpmarit/nice/nice.htm

http://www.intprog.umd.edu/ies/StudyAbroad/.sahome/programs/semyearprg/nice/nicepix/nice.html

http://www.danheller.com/nice.html

http://www.cannes.fr/images/panoramas/panoramas.html

http://www.danheller.com/cannes.html

 

I hope you have a great time,

Donna

[Classynfun1]

Thank you a million times over Donna! I'm only set on a ship's tour because I'm traveling on my own. I want to make sure I get back to the ship and that I don't get too lost this time around! ;)

 

 

I sincerely appreciate your help!