Cannes on May 1

[Subliminal]

Hello,

 

We will be on a cruise over May Day this year. The May Day port is Cannes. Does anyone have any experience being in this region over the holiday? It appears there will be limited bus schedules, but are most other places open? We would like to make it to St. Paul de Vence, but are worried about the holiday transportation/crowds/closures. Any advice will be much appreciated.

 

Mikael

[Hlitner]

It is a national holiday so public transportation is on a Sunday/Holiday schedule. The best way to get to St Paul de Vence (a great place to go on a holiday or Sunday) is via some kind of vehicle. DW and I often rent cars in Europe and this is one time where a rental is very handy. Otherwise, you might want to join an excursion or private tour that gets you to that town. Using public transit is a bit tricky and can take more then 1 1/2 hours each way (depending on connections) whereas a car makes the trip in about 45 min. If you do want to try public transit you need to take the train from Cannes to Cagnes sur Mer where you then cross the street to catch the #400 bus. But since the bus actually starts its run from the Nice Gare Routiere (bus station) it is possible that the bus would be full an bypass the Cagnes sur Mer stop. If that happens then your backup plan would be to find a taxi to finish the journey....and taxis are not inexpensive in the south of France.

 

Another complication is that you might not be able to find any rental car companies open on May 1...which is why I mentioned an excursion :).

 

Hank

[Subliminal]

Hank,

 

Thank you for the information. The only excursion offered by the cruise line makes only a brief stop in St. Paul de Vence. I will try to find a tour operator who is open on the holiday. Thanks.

 

Mikael

[Hlitner]

Hank,

 

Thank you for the information. The only excursion offered by the cruise line makes only a brief stop in St. Paul de Vence. I will try to find a tour operator who is open on the holiday. Thanks.

 

Mikael

 

Consider a rental car if you can find an open agency. There is now an agency located pretty close to the tender pier...but since we are away I do not have their info at hand (perhaps somebody else has the info). There are also agencies like Hertz, Europcar and Budget located on the other side of Cannes (about a 25 min walk from the port). Driving in this part of France is not much different then driving in the USA...and finding your way can be easy if you rent (or own) a GPS. St Paul de Vence has a large paid parking garage located a short walk from the main entrance and there is free parking along the road (if you can find a spot).

 

Hank

[Subliminal]

From looking at previous threads, it looks like this might be the close agency?

 

http://www.mistral-location.com/uk/index.htm

 

Both Avis and Budget show they will be open and allow reservations. We will probably try that and enjoy the walk over there.

 

Thanks again for the advice.

 

Mikael

[frenchrci]

Hi,

 

Very great advice to rent a car !

 

In May, 1st... Do not worry ! It is still a little cold. It will not be very crowded. :)