Need some port direction!!

[Wendylet]

We have a cruise upcoming in June and we have a number of ports in France that are very close together. Specifically Sete, Nice, Provence and Cannes. My head is spinning trying to figure out what to do/see in these ports. The cruiseline seems to offer crossover tours so, for example, you could visit Monaco from several different ports as well as Nice and such. Also the cruiseline pricing for the excursions is out of this world expensive. This is seriously adding to my confusion and difficulty in prioritizing what to see in each spot. Can anyone offer any insight on what the "must dos" would be overall (we are not beach people) or a go to list of how we could organize a plan for this itinerary? HELP I have a headache....😳

[bennybear]

You can easily reason Monaco by train from Nice,  but IMO Nice is more interesting.   Lots to see right here or visit nearby Ezes or St Paul de Vence. 

 

From Sete I would rent a car and explore some nearby towns. Carcassone is spectacular but a little far.  We really enjoyed Montpelier, perhaps public transport?  

 

In Provence, Aix, Arles, St Remy and les Baux are all interesting.  The calanques as well near Cassis.

Edited March 13, 2019 by bennybear

[marazul]

Provence is a large region.  Which port are you going to - Marseille or Toulon?  Also, you are unlikely to port in Nice, so it is probably Villefranche.

 

To help you plan, the ports and places to visit you mentioned are in the following order from West to East:
Sete, Marseille, Toulon, Cannes, Nice, Villefranche and Monaco.  

 

Sete is further to the West. It is easy to visit and either Montpellier or Beziers could be a good choice for an excursion. If you go to Carcassone, consider an organized excursion because of the distance.

 

Marseille is closer to Aix , Arles, Les Baux and Avignon.  Toulon is ideal to visit beautiful villages like Hyeres and Bormes-les-Mimosas, although Aix and Cassis are also quite doable from there.  Marseille and Toulon are ok, but are not prime destinations, they are more gateways into the Provence region.  So go elsewhere or plan to do your splurge excursions from either Toulon or Marseille.  

 

Cannes is fun and very close to Antibes, St Paul-de-Vence and Nice.  You can also take the very short ferry ride to the Lerins islands. 

 

Villefranche is very close to Nice and closer to Eze and Monaco than Cannes.  You can visit all three (Nice, Eze and Monaco) on a reasonably long port day.

 

Do a little browsing on this board for ideas for the actual ports you will be in.  Come back for any questions you may have.

Edited March 15, 2019 by marazul

[edinburgher]

Most of these ports are easy DIY ports depending on your plans in each.

 

So much asked for you may not get many replies with answers to everything you are asking about so you should probably start by reading easily accessed info.

 

There are (as you have found) many options for each, and personal interests will come into it. This is why you need to read up on each place to help you decide what appeals to you. The more you read the easier the decisions.

Town/city own Tourist Info websites, Frommers, Fodors, Lonely Planet, Rick Steves, Tripadvisor and many more are there to be accessed for "what to do/see, restaurants, hotels etc" to help you decide what appeals to you.

 

Reading and getting info on each individually is easier than looking collectively and getting in a muddle.

 

I start a document, with each port listed individually together with the day of the week, the date, number of other ships etc. What there is at the dock, location of the dock, transport, HoHos  etc are also important. I then add places of interest (to us) opening days and hours etc as I find it. If public transport is needed to get there I add that info too, together with info on whether the tickets can be bought onboard or if  must be bought before boarding. When I am finished, I print off the info for each and we take it with us. Only if we cannot do something ourselves, or if it is too complicated or too far from the port and out of our comfort zone do we book a shorex. Sometimes we have a private tour booked with others on our Roll Call. Have you looked for yours?

 

Plenty of info on the web for cruise passengers giving info on dock location, distance to the town/city itself, transport,  what there is to see and do etc. Try websites such as whatsinport and cruisemapper, but there are others.

 

Also for the same info, go to cruisecritic RESEARCH (at the top of the page) choose DESTINATIONS from the drop down and search each destination.

 

And on this France Ports board, go to the forum search box to find previous threads and posts for each place. You can pick up a lot of info by looking at these Q's and A's.

 

It will finally all make sense but it does help to have it written down!

 

[edinburgher]

Sorry to give you even more info, but I should have recommended you look at the excellent Toms Ports Guides.

 

Info, directions, maps etc taking into account where you will dock. Several of your ports are listed:

https://www.tomsportguides.com/port-guides.html

[ollienbertsmum]

We have been to Cannes a couple of times and there is lots to see on foot.  We have combined walking around Cannes with a morning bus trip to Antibes, that was lovely.  The last time we visited Cannes we didn't go further than the ferry ride off to Ile St Marguerite which gave us a lovely couple of hours wandering through wooded trails.  It was a nice change for us.  It might not be 'iconicly' French enough for you.  

 

I want to go to Nice.  I know that there is lots to see there.  A train trip is an easy way to visit.  

 

I recall Marseille to Aix by train was easy to plan.  We had a day in Marseille and enjoyed it.  We have been on numerous western med cruises though so we are easily pleased!!

 

The other "homework" that might help is to read a few trip reports - to get an idea of the highs and lows of potential days at port.

Edited March 15, 2019 by ollienbertsmum

[Wendylet]

Thanks so much to everyone for the information. I apologize for not coming back to check for your words of wisdom sooner but you know life gets in the way of holidays! I will take all your great advice and do further research on specific ports and the highlights we might choose to see. I think writing things down is a great idea, I will get my pen at the ready. Once again thanks to all for the information!