Cannes to St. Paul de Vence

[Mamavineyard]

We will be in Cannes from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm in June. We would like to go to St Paul de Vence by train/bus in the morning, then spend time in  Antibes and Cannes in the afternoon.  Please help to advise best way to St Paul de Vence; train from Cannes to Cagnes sur mer + bus 400, or train to Nice + bus 400.  It probably depends on connection time.  I have difficulty to find the bus schedule.

[marazul]

Train to Cagnes. That is the closest stop to St Paul. Nice is a few stops past Cagnes and you would have to backtrack on the bus.

[Mamavineyard]

Marazul, Thank you very much.  

[Hlitner]

The combination train/bus from Cannes can often be a very lengthy process since    the bus from Nice to St Paul de Vence does not run often enough to assure a good connection.  Since the bus originates at the Nice bus station and makes numerous Nice stops before getting to Cagnes, the bus can sometimes be full which is not a good thing.  When we want to visit St Paul de Vence from Cannes we prefer to rent a car and just make the drive which also makes it easy to plan one or two other stops.  
 

There are simply times when using public transportation can involve hassles and many lost hours.  Trying to get to more remote places like St Paul or Eze are good examples.  While public transport is doable one needs to consider if the wasted hours is the best use of vacation time.

 

Hank

[Hlitner]

Thought we would update this topic since we were in St Paul de Venice about on March 29.  We did use the train/bus connection from Nice where we were spending a few post cruise days.  As I previously advised, this is not a great option from Cannes if you have a normal port day….because of the time element.  The train/bus option works Well from Nice since you change to the #400 bus at its origination point just East of the airport.  Folks m Cannes you would generally make the change at a Cagnes where you might need some help finding the bus stop.

 

St Paul de Vence remains a fun day trip and we really enjoyed browsing many  of the art galleries.  There are currently no COVID restrictions or masking (except on public transport) so we did not have to play the “mask game” while popping in and out of the galleries and shops.

 

 

[Mamavineyard]

Hi Hank, Greatly appreciate your feedback.  I have been thinking a lot about car rental vs public transportation.  We don’t like to rent car because fear of finding parking spot, small road driving, unable to enjoy the scenery while driving.  Anyway, you convinced me. We plan to rent a car while in villefranche to go to St Paul de Vence and Eze Village.  May add Cap Ferrat if we have time. 
Looking for suggestions On best place to rent car from Villefranche port.  We may have to take the bus to Nice center.  Also advice in parking in St Paul de Vence and Eze village. 
We were in Villefrance a few years back, waiting for bus #100 to go to Eze village but the bus never came.  Ended up spending the day in Nice.  This time, I had plan train/bus or Uber options to Eze village. But, now we will try to rent a car. 
Thanks 

[marazul]

Good plan.

There is a mostly underground parking deck in St Paul on your right as you get to the village. 

There is also plenty of parking in Eze either in the road by the entrance to the village or just a few feet away before the Fragonard perfume factory. 

In Cap Ferrat there is parking by the port.

All are clearly marked in google maps.

[Mamavineyard]

Marazul, thank you for the parking info.

we are renting the car from Nice train station.  We need to return the car by 6:00 pm.  How is traffic on Thursday in June to return the car from Cap  Ferrat? What time do we need to leave Cap Ferrat?

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Mamavineyard said:

Marazul, thank you for the parking info.

we are renting the car from Nice train station.  We need to return the car by 6:00 pm.  How is traffic on Thursday in June to return the car from Cap  Ferrat? What time do we need to leave Cap Ferrat?

Not Marazul but we will take a shot (just in Nice a few weeks ago).  Predicting traffic on a Thursday in June is above my pay grade as the answer is going to depend on some intangibles such as the weather, road construction (saw plenty a few weeks ago), etc.  And there is also the possibility that one takes the wrong turn (we all do this from time to time).  Normally we would expect such a drive to take no more than 30 min but figuring on an hour would be much safer.  As one who has been driving in Europe for decades (we just finished a driving trip in the Czech Republic and Poland) we have learned the painful lesson to always allow a very safe margin when one MUST be at a place by a specific time (such as returning a car, getting to a ship, etc).  Keep in mind that when driving between Cap Ferrat and Nice you will be on several  2 lane roads where just about anything can add to delays.

 

To add to your excitement, when we were last in Nice (early May) life was pretty much back to normal with little masking or signs of COVID.  Restaurants were crowded, the Flower Market was normal, and touristy towns like St Paul de Vence felt just like the old days (pre COVID).  The only required masking was on public transportation.   The Concierge (at our hotel) told me he expected a busier than normal summer season as folks tried to make up for the lost time (due to COVID).

 

Hank

[marazul]

What Hank said.

[Schlinger]

I agree with everything Hank said, except for the car rental for an American for a port day. A car gives you freedom to explore,and you need that. However, you don't need the hassle of having to drive and park it, especially in places like Saint-Paul-de-Vence. The roads are narrow, the parking lots (if you find one with availability) tiny to maneuver in. And if you drive, you'll miss a few sights.  Use Uber or hire a driver for the day and enjoy the day rather than wasting hours with car rental "paperwork" or trying to park the damn car. And that's not even mentioning possible situations such as speed traps, paying for public parking, refilling the tank and what not.  I'd definitely recommend renting a car if staying a few days like Hank did, but not for a port day.