Villefrance

[jsh]

I would appreciate some opinions. Which ship tour would you suggest, one that includes Nice, Eze and Monaco or one that includes St. Paul

de Vence and Cannes (both 8 1/2 hours). This is our 1st time at this port.

[Mike Andrews]

I would personally go for St Paul de Vence & Cannes

[MVPinBoynton]

Trying to make that decision is the reason I did a private tour. I wanted to do Nice, Eze, Monaco and St. Paul de Vence. We ended up passing on Eze since we decided to spend some time in the Cape Ferrat area that we hadn't planned on.

 

Mike

 

 

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[cberge]

I would go for the one that includes St.Paul and Cannes too.

 

Karen

Ü

[Bruin Steve]

It was a tough decision for us when we went in August...I wanted to do St. Paul de Vence, my wife wanted to do Nice, Eze and Monte Carlo...

 

Of course, my wife always wins these debates...I'm only here to make her happy...

 

Here are some thoughts...

We've traveled extensively throughout the region on prior trips and Monte Carlo has ceased to thrill me...But, if one has never been before, there is something magical and "storybook" about the place...But, once you've taken your pictures in front of the casino (gambling inside for anything more than the slots requires a dress code we weren't willing to put up with), there's not much else to do on the Monte Carlo side...In Monaco, they give you "free time" and you can pay additionally to tour the palace...Eze is a charming and picturesque Medeival City but St. Paul is as well and is several times the size...Cannes and Nice are sort of a "wash"...Cannes has the glamour of the film festival and is a smaller town than Nice...but, in Nice, you stroll the shops and the outdoor market...

 

The temptation is to hire a guide and visit Eze and St. Paul...of course, those are in opposite directions--which is why the shore excursions do one or the other...

 

Summit, July 3, 2004: Alaska: 13 night cruisetour

 

[Chick's pal]

Monaco has more to offer than just the casino (in fact, we skipped that.) It has the palace and the cathedral as well. The palace has a short tour with audioguide. If you were a fan of Grace Kelly, the cathedral is a worthwhile stop to see her grave (it's inside). To get there, walk down the stairs on the ocean side of the palace grounds and you will see the church in the near distance.

 

If you're into Napoleon or European History, there is a Napoleon museum next door to the palace.

 

Family & friends may find it fun to receive a postcard from Monaco (you can get stamps in the gift shops)...the second smallest country after Vatican City.

 

I cannot offer an opinion on Cannes or St. Paul de Vence...we did Monaco and Eze and enjoyed our day immensely without being rushed. We like to take photos and the opportunities at both of these places are prolific!

 

HAVE A FAB TIME!

[Bruin Steve]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chick's pal:

Monaco has more to offer than just the casino

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

I wasn't saying that...

I said that the Casino was, basically, the only attraction in Monte Carlo...Monte Carlo is the city on the Eastern side of Monaco...I did mention the Palace in Monaco--which is in Monaco, the town on the hill across the harbor from Monte Carlo, both in the Principality of Monaco...

I was mentioning both in the context of the Ship's Shore Excursion--which is what the original poster was asking about...

The Nice, Eze and Monte Carlo shore excursion brings you first to Nice with some time on your own to stroll the open market...Then you head to Eze for a short walking tour of the medeival walled city, then lunch at a local restaurant...Then they take you to Monaco...You walk by the nautical museum, through the church and Grace's tomb...then there is "free time" in which you can do...and pay additionally for...the Palace tour on your own...Then you go up to Monte Carlo where you have time on your own again after being dropped in front of the Casino...You can enter the Casino--for a charge and provided you are dressed in accordance with the dress code...You may, however, play the slots in the anteroom without an entrance charge or proper dress...Past that, there is nothing much to do in the short time allotted in MONTE CARLO other than window shop, stroll the park or take photos...then the drive back to Villefranche...

 

I have stayed in Monte Carlo on two prior trips...the town is quite expensive...I do agree it's worth visiting at least once in your life as a curiousity, if little more...It impresses your friends and relatives back home...

 

But I PREFER medeival and historical cities, so I find St. Paul de Vence the greater attraction...

 

Summit, July 3, 2004: Alaska: 13 night cruisetour

 

[Emerald22]

Hi, I am Cindy and I have just discovered this fantastic site. Is there enough time to take the train to Cannes on our own, then come back to catch the Celebrity tour to visit Nice & Eze, at 1:15 pm?

[ewong]

Hi,

We will be visiting the port of Monte Carlo and are thinking of doing this port on our own. Does anyone know if Princess offers a shuttle to old Monoco (Palace & museum)and/or to the Casino? If not, is it easy to get to these places on our own (bus or cab?). We are planning to spend half day there and half day in another neighbouring town (Nice or St Paul de Vence). Can someone please give me directions to get from the city to the train station? I have read that there is a tourist tram in Nice that takes you around the city. Does anyone know if this tram is close to the train station in Nice?

 

Thanks,

Evelyn

[drwong]

You can catch a city bus (red or blue line) for a handful of Euros at the head of the cruise line pier that takes you to the top of the hill (take the buses to Monaco Ville). Otherwise, it's about a 15-20 minute walk up a hillside. Cabs were hard to find - they tended to congregate around the hotels and the casino.

 

If you buy an all-day bus pass, you can take the red line from Monacoville to the Grand Casino, and the red or blue bus back to the pier. (We ended walking back from the casino, since the night was so pleasant and I wanted to get a closer look at some of the yachts I could never afford.) I posted a trip report here that gives greater details.

 

From the Insignia's Inaugural sailing (4/3/2004)

[ewong]

drwong,

 

Thanks for the information. I feel more confident now exploring Monte Carlo on our own. It doesn't seem too difficult (or far) to get from the pier to sites.

BTW, have you visited Athens, Barcelona, Naples, Rome, Livorno, Kusadasi and Venice? Did you hire private tours or go on your own? Have you written reports on any of these places? Your Monte Carlo report is really helpful. Thanks again.

 

Evelyn

[Chick's pal]

DRWong and Ewong:

If you prefer the train to a bus, jump off the tender at Villefranche and walk RIGHT, along the waterfront. You should see the train station within a couple of minutes. Train and bus are pretty equally frequent in timetable and fare.

[Chick's pal]

Bruin Steve:

 

No offense intended at all in my previous post about Monaco! Just offering some other thoughts...

[Bruin Steve]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by ewong:

We will be visiting the port of Monte Carlo and are thinking of doing this port on our own. Does anyone know if Princess offers a shuttle to old Monoco (Palace & museum)and/or to the Casino? If not, is it easy to get to these places on our own (bus or cab?). <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

It's actually far easier than anyone thinks...

If your ship is actually docking IN Monte Carlo, you won't need a shuttle to get you to the Casino...There are public elevators which take you right up the hill from the harbor to the street between the Casino and the Hotel...and another public Elevator that goes from the beach to just East of the Casino...

 

On the Monaco side, there is a parking structure buried under the Oceanographic Museum with elevators/escalators to the top of the hill...

 

Summit, July 3, 2004: Alaska: 13 night cruisetour

 

[ewong]

Bruin Steve,

 

Thanks for the information. Monte Carlo and Monaco seem to be easy to do on our own.

I really appreciate the time all of you spent on answering my questions. You guys are awesome!!

[drwong]

Evelyn:

 

Most of the cities you can do on your own, as the ships moor pretty close to public transportation (sounds like you don't mind walking to the nearest train or bus station and finding your way around town). We used guides in Rome because we wanted to see the entire city in 7 hours and didn't want to waste time walking or waiting for public transport. Instead, we had a guide/driver wait for us at every photo stop. We also used a driver in Livorno because we wanted to see Pisa, Lucca, Florence, and follow the Puccini Trail. Here are my tips for the cities you mentioned:

 

Athens - on your own - Green Line from Piraeus to downtown, or the Express Bus.

 

Barcelona - on your own - Blue "Cruisers" bus to the Colon Monument, and then the Bus Turistic (two routes) covers all the highlights.

 

Naples - on your own - Tren Italia serves the region (Pompeii, Capri, Sorrento, etc).

 

Rome - guide (because time was precious), but you can also take the Tren Italia into town from the port.

 

Livorno - guide (we wanted to visit multiple cities and didn't have time to wait for the trains).

 

Kusadasi - don't know, but we'll be there next year.

 

Venice - on your own - walk or take a water taxi or vaporetto.

 

Monaco - Steve's right - everything is walkable, but Monacoville (the Oceanographic museum, the Royal Palace, the Cathedral, the Napoleonic Museum) is perched on a bluff above the city and a healthy vertical climb if anyone in your party isn't in the best of health. It's a great place for a fort, but an inconvenient place to put tourist attractions.

 

Note that there's a 10E entrance fee for the Casino and it has a dress code. But you can go into the Opera House adjacent to the Casino and use the restrooms to get a glimpse of the interior, however.

 

Richard

 

From the Insignia's Inaugural sailing (4/3/2004)

 

[ewong]

Richard,

 

Thanks for the info. I enjoyed reading your trip report in Monte Carlo. Have you written for the other ports you visited?

 

In terms of bus fares, did you pay the driver while on board or did you have to buy a ticket somewhere else before boarding?

 

Last question: Can we board a bus from the Monacoville to Nice? Which bus to take and how long it takes?

 

Thanks,

Evelyn

[uk1]

If you post some inof about your interests then some locals may be ablt to help. Much of the info you've been provided with so far is well meaning but incomplete. For example the bus from the village of Villefranche up to the main routes east and west are only every three or so hours. So you might wait some time! Also I personally wouldn't go out of my way to go to Monaco. - but it depends on what you want. The day ticket doesn't cover the routes between Nice (via Villefrance) to Monaco and on into Menton (Italy). But a ticket from Villefrance to Nice is 2.10 euros return and you'll need to say that in frnech to the driver! Deux at nice sil vous plait will do fine!

 

If you're a "crammer" and want as much in the smallest amount of time and don't mind the coach trips then fine. If you are an art buff - or a foodie - then say exactly what you're passions are and then I'd be happy to offer some other alternatives. You'd see less and it'd be more independent but it may be what you want.

[Cruise Junky]

If one were so inclined to take Ship's tours. Could you not do both Monaco and Monte Carlo - 4 hours and Nice and St Paul de Vence - 4 hours. One in the Morning and one in the Afternoon? Anyone have a copy of the ships tour times? Would that be doable? I'd love to see all.

 

 

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[Emerald22]

Hi Cruise Junky

 

The Celebrity's Millennium will do the Monaco & Monte Carlo (4 hrs) at 7:30 am, and Nice & St Paul de Vence (4 hrs) at 1:15 pm, based on June 14 sailing. However you'll still be missing Cannes.

 

We have booked a private tour to visit Nice, Cannes, St. Paul de Vence & Eze, on June 24, 2004. If you are visiting Villefranche on the same date and interested in joining us, let me know.

[grabbit97]

When we were in Monta Carlo 3 years ago, we found it quite easy to catch the TRAIN to CANNES, and riding with the "locals" was fun. We found someone who spoke english and was very nice hand helped us figure out which train to take there and back. Cost next to nothing, and we enjoyed walking along the water and beach in Cannes.. bought a sandwich on the beach, waterfront.. and sat on the benches and watched the tourists go by!! Looked in some of the shops, and then headed back to the pier using the train again. The ride was about an hour.<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by ewong:

Bruin Steve,

 

Thanks for the information. Monte Carlo and Monaco seem to be easy to do on our own.

I really appreciate the time all of you spent on answering my questions. You guys are awesome!!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[Mike Andrews]

Eze ( WWW.eze-riviera.com) and St.Paul de Vence (WWW.saintpaulweb.net) are the two most popular towns to visit

[bec2629]

Help!! We are trying to decide between 2 tours... Cannes, Antibes, St.Paul, and Nice...or...Monaco,Monte Carlo, Eze, Nice. Gambling in the casino is not on our list of things to do..the tour company said they can do either one as a half day tour, 4-5 hrs, is that too rushed?? I 'm thinking we'll end the tour in Nice and spend some time there then instead of during the tour. What do you think if we do the "Cannes" tour in the morning, end the tour by getting dropped off in Nice spend some time shopping, then take the train to Monte Carlo, just to take some pictures, then take the train back to Villefranche?? Am I nuts?? Would we really be missing something if we skipped Monaco? BTW, we're docking in Villefranche 10-10.

Thanks for your experienced advice,

 

Becky

 

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[dbh62ark]

Hi Becky,

 

Yes, it's hard to see all the sights in this port in one day. This is why we hired a private driver for a full-day tour when we were there last month (Dream Tours, and they were great) to get around to several of the stops quickly and easily in one day. We did basically the itinerary that is outlined by Emerald22 above and were able to spend some time in Monte Carlo prior to our 11:00 p.m. sailing. We're not crammers, although this is a port that is great for crammers who want an overview of a lot of different places, so we had enough time to see the sights in those locations without a crazy run through the villages.

 

Out of those you listed, St. Paul de Vence was also our favorite. It's really fabulous and very special. Eze is very similar and is a smaller version of St. Paul. Nice is nice--hee hee--but I wouldn't advise missing St. Paul de Vence to see Nice. Monte Carlo is small and easy to see in a short time if you don't go in a spend a couple of hours at the casino. Frommers has a great walking tour, and you'll see the highlights if you follow that.

 

To add to your dilemna, Villefranche is also very charming.

 

Hope you have a great time,

Donna

[sunflowr15]

Hello,

 

I saw a few of you mentioned trips to Pompeii. We want to travel from Naples to Pompeii and then also to Hurculaneum. Does anyone know if this is possible with public transport because we would rather do that than hire a driver or take the ship tour. Thanks! Jess