St Raphael or Nice with kids (from Cannes)

[JMHDisney]

We dock in Cannes (via tender) from 8am-6pm this July. My friend and I will have our two boys (both age 8). I am debating going in to Nice and taking the boys to Promenade du Paillon to play, followed by beach time in Cannes. Alternatively, I am considering St Raphael, where it appears they have a nice playground by the beach so we could do everything there and it is closer to Cannes.

 

 

Which would you do? I am concerned that the travel time to Nice is too much and the boys may not enjoy walking around the city.

 

 

I will admit a favorite childhood memory of mine is getting crepes from vendors by the sea in the south of France and I would love to recreate that for my son - are they everywhere? Can we do that in either place, or even in Cannes before getting back on the boat?

 

 

The boys mostly just want to hunt Pokémon and play at the beach so a lot of walking may not be ideal. This is the first stop on our cruise so they will probably be excited to get to the beach but those water fountains at Promenade du Paillon look like a lot of fun.

 

 

Any input appreciated!

[marazul]

For Nice: The water fountains are lots of fun, but that can only hold them for an hour or so. After that, take them to walk the Flower Market, ice cream by the Cathedral and, maybe take the little train. Then go down to one of the beaches. By then you can rent the chairs for half a day. Nice is 40-45 minutes by train.

 

For Frejus-St Raphael: You can take the boys to see the Roman arena and the old town in Frejus. Then go to St-R It does have sandy beaches by the old port. Frejus-St-R is about 35-40 minutes by train.

 

Alternative - take an excursion to the Lerins Islands from Cannes. In Ste. Marguerite, you can visit a fortress where the "Man with the Iron Mask" was imprisoned. Also aquariums and three small beaches. Round trip is 13.5 euros for adults and 9.5 euros for kids. It is a 15-20 minute boat ride from Cannes. Take a look:

http://www.trans-cote-azur.co.uk/cannes-ile-sainte-marguerite.php

 

After the islands, if you haven't tired them out yet, you can climb to the old fort in Le Suquet (old Cannes).

[JMHDisney]

Thank you! I think if we go to Nice, we will go to the beach in Cannes since it's sandy. Which led me to wondering whether the long train ride made sense just for the fountains and play area at Promenade du Paillon, but it seems we can also maybe have lunch and Fennochios at Place Rosseti, or perhaps go to Promenade du Anglais before heading back to Cannes for an afternoon at the beach.

 

I had thought St Raphael was closer - I read somewhere it was only 25 minutes and I was thinking if it had a good playground, places for lunch, and a nice beach on a smaller scale than Nice, it might be more manageable for the day.

 

Are any of the beaches near the center of Nice, St Raphael or Cannes good for snorkeling? One of the boys loves to snorkel but the other does not so we would not do an excursion but might pick a beach if it offered that. Thank you!

[marazul]

There is really good diving and snorkeling near St-R, but not by the old port beach. Some ok snorkeling in Nice because of the pebble beaches. Less in Cannes. But little boys love snorkels and getting their faces in the water, so they would have a good time anywhere.

 

Before you go to the train station in Cannes take a look at the beaches. Then, IMO, you would be better off going to Nice first to the fountains, etc. Then decide whether you want to stay there or go back tom Cannes to the beach. The water fountains in Nice are close to the Promenade des Anglais where the beach restaurant/concessions are. Check them out and then decide.

[JMHDisney]

That sounds like a good idea. Thank you for all your advice!