Docking in Villefranche and Nice Le Grand Tour

[WinterCruiseLover]

We will be tendering to Villefranche in September.  In looking at options for exploring Nice, I found the Le Grand Tour which is a hop on hop off bus tour.  My question is related to getting from the spot we will be dropped by the tender and reaching the HOHO bus.  It appears walkable to stop #5 which is the Villefranche Citadel, but I'm looking for confirmation. 

 

Does anyone have an experience in doing this or something similar in this port?

[TrinityFL]

How did it go? We were thinking of doing the HOHO bus too.

[Hlitner]

I will incur the wrath of some, but would not even consider a HoHo.  From Villefranche, you can get to Nice by walking to the bus stop or the train station.  In Nice (a city where we have spent our share of time) I find the city best enjoyed by walking.  In fact, the popular old town area (including the famous Flower Market) can only be seen on foot.  And the Promenade d'Anglais is called a "promenade" because it is meant for walking.  One can certainly drive down the street along the Promenade, but that does miss the point (and the charm).  

 

I am not trying to be insensitive to those with mobility challenges, but we find many European cities (including Nice) are best explored on foot.  Many years ago, DW and I were walking along the Rue de Rivoli (Paris) browsing the shops, smelling the food, etc. and we noticed a tour bus stopped in traffic.  There were dozens of noses pressed against the sealed windows, gazing out at this popular part of Paris.  We both had a similar thought (about which we talked) of feeling sorry for the folks sealed inside that bus.  And yes, folks do take HoHo's in Paris and glance at the various places as the bus moves along the street.  Not quite the same as browsing the windows, moving in and out of the shops, stopping at an outdoor cafe, etc.

 

Hank

[GreenFamily]

The hop of hop off bus appears to have four stops in Villefranche, including one by the harbor. I assume if you have tickets you can use any stop? 

[GreenFamily]

Rick Steve’s’ Mediterranean Cruise book is useful for this port. He explains how to catch the train to Nice. It requires a change of trains, but it’s not complicated at all. It’s a better option than sitting in traffic. 

[D&N]

6 hours ago, GreenFamily said:

Rick Steve’s’ Mediterranean Cruise book is useful for this port. He explains how to catch the train to Nice. It requires a change of trains, but it’s not complicated at all. It’s a better option than sitting in traffic. 

I'm a bit puzzled by that.

Nice Ville is two stops west from Villefranche-sur-Mer. There is no possibility of changing trains unless one breaks down. Journey time is usually about 7 minutes.

 

Buses are a bit more complex. Since the current tram network went fully operational about four and a half years ago, buses have not been allowed to travel to Nice city centre. You need to ask for a transfer ticket (correspondence) on the bus that you then use for the few stops on the tram to the centre. Unless you are happy to walk from the Nice Port area to the centre.

 

On the way back you need to buy a Ticket Azur for the tram at a machine at the tram stop (about third or fourth page of options) then hand that to the bus driver at a stop near the Port that you would need to find. The driver exchanges that for a no value paper ticket to Villefranche.

 

We live the other side of Nice and the transport authorities have made a great job of putting us off visiting Nice with what they've done to the bus service.

 

[GreenFamily]

Nice-Ville is about 2.3 km  walk from the old town. If you walk about a block it is possible to catch the tram from Gare Thiers to Opera - Viellle Ville. 

Edited February 24 by GreenFamily

[D&N]

It's 1.8 km walk from the station to HOBO Coffee (the nicest place in the Old Town). We'd never consider taking the tram that distance. We'd miss out on all the shops in Jean Medecin. Besides by the time you buy or recharge "La Carte" at the ticket machine we would be half way there.

 

It will be more difficult for mobility impaired folk.

 

But the bottom line is, it's a change of transport mode rather than a change of trains.

[Hlitner]

One we adjusted to the new tram system, we found it quite useful although DW and I much prefer to walk (even miles) within Nice.

 

Hank

[D&N]

3 hours ago, Hlitner said:

One we adjusted to the new tram system, we found it quite useful although DW and I much prefer to walk (even miles) within Nice.

 

Hank

I'm sure it's fine for much travel within the city of Nice.

In September 2019 they stopped almost all buses from other towns along the coast and some inland from coming into the city centre. They must terminate at a tram stop on the outskirts, where passengers transfer. In practice you get a seat on a bus from outside the area, and instead of just sitting there until you get to the city centre you must alight and then stand for the remaining 20 mins on the tram that is already full when it passes the interchange stop. On the way back you stand on the tram and hope there is not too long to wait for a bus connection at the interchange point.

However it may get worse. They are currently working on an extension of the tram network to a neighbouring town. But they are not extending the existing network. The new line will be self contained from the interchange point westwards to the new terminus.

I fully expect that we will need to take a bus to the next town, change onto the new tramline then change again at the existing interchange.

As a retired public transport professional, I have experience of most aspects of that, but my speciality was in planning. As such I hate so called integrated transport. It's primary purpose is to make life easier for the provider rather than the user.

 

I should note that we are perfectly capable of walking or even running the eight miles each way to Nice, but that seems a bit extreme for a shopping or lunch trip. 🏃‍♂️

 

[marazul]

13 minutes ago, D&N said:

I should note that we are perfectly capable of walking or even running the eight miles each way to Nice, but that seems a bit extreme for a shopping or lunch trip. 🏃‍♂️

 

Mmmmm. From Cros de Cagnes or St Laurent du Var?

[Hlitner]

13 minutes ago, D&N said:

I'm sure it's fine for much travel within the city of Nice.

In September 2019 they stopped almost all buses from other towns along the coast and some inland from coming into the city centre. They must terminate at a tram stop on the outskirts, where passengers transfer. In practice you get a seat on a bus from outside the area, and instead of just sitting there until you get to the city centre you must alight and then stand for the remaining 20 mins on the tram that is already full when it passes the interchange stop. On the way back you stand on the tram and hope there is not too long to wait for a bus connection at the interchange point.

However it may get worse. They are currently working on an extension of the tram network to a neighbouring town. But they are not extending the existing network. The new line will be self contained from the interchange point westwards to the new terminus.

I fully expect that we will need to take a bus to the next town, change onto the new tramline then change again at the existing interchange.

As a retired public transport professional, I have experience of most aspects of that, but my speciality was in planning. As such I hate so called integrated transport. It's primary purpose is to make life easier for the provider rather than the user.

 

I should note that we are perfectly capable of walking or even running the eight miles each way to Nice, but that seems a bit extreme for a shopping or lunch trip. 🏃‍♂️

 

I get it.  We were staying at the Hyatt and had to use the team to getti the transfer place to catch the bus to St Paul

de Vence.  It took us nearly 1 1/2 hours…one way.   That is called progress?

 

 

 

 

 

[D&N]

2 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I get it.  We were staying at the Hyatt and had to use the team to getti the transfer place to catch the bus to St Paul

de Vence.  It took us nearly 1 1/2 hours…one way.   That is called progress?

 

 

 

 

 

You used to get the 400 direct.

[D&N]

16 minutes ago, marazul said:

Mmmmm. From Cros de Cagnes or St Laurent du Var?

Villeneuve Loubet. We normally only run to and from St Laurent, and have only walked as far as T2 and back in that direction but 16 miles in a day wouldn't be an issue. It's all flat pavements. If we can easily ramble 10 miles through the Esterel with several rough climbs to over 400 metres, a walk to Nice and back would be a dawdle. We still managed a picnic at Col Notre Dame though.

Edited February 25 by D&N

[marazul]

33 minutes ago, D&N said:

Villeneuve Loubet. We normally only run to and from St Laurent, and have only walked as far as T2 and back in that direction but 16 miles in a day wouldn't be an issue. It's all flat pavements. If we can easily ramble 10 miles through the Esterel with several rough climbs to over 400 metres, a walk to Nice and back would be a dawdle. We still managed a picnic at Col Notre Dame though.

My old neighborhood. 😁

But a picnic at Col Notre Dame! Yikes!

But nice views, I am sure. 

[Hlitner]

52 minutes ago, D&N said:

You used to get the 400 direct.

A question. We are planning on walking from Villefranche to the Villa Eprussi.  Are there any good short cuts or is it just follow the usual roads?

 

And we do remember the 400 which we would take from the Gare Routiere.

 

Hank

[marazul]

7 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

A question. We are planning on walking from Villefranche to the Villa Eprussi.  Are there any good short cuts or is it just follow the usual roads?

 

And we do remember the 400 which we would take from the Gare Routiere.

 

Hank

Follow the road marked as M25 (the name changes) all the way to Av. Ephrussi de Rotschild.  It is a switchback there up to the villa. There are sidewalks.

[Hlitner]

16 minutes ago, marazul said:

Follow the road marked as M25 (the name changes) all the way to Av. Ephrussi de Rotschild.  It is a switchback there up to the villa. There are sidewalks.

Was afraid you would say that :).  We were hoping for a secret trail along the coast.

 

Hank

[D&N]

We've not been that way yet. We have intentions to do the littoral walk but there were rock falls last summer so we stayed clear. We did do as much as is possible from Nice to Villefranche then up to Fort Alban and back to Nice. We have some nice photos of an empty Rade. QM2 should have visited that day but diverted to Alghero due to forecasts of choppy conditions.

 

Back to the question. I don't see anything better than is shown on Google maps and street view for the walking route (what marazul is saying). There's no obvious pathways or staircases that would get you up to the Villa quicker. Of course sometimes it's easier to go a wee bit further on a more gentle route than a really steep climb. And coming back down is less risky. I prefer going up steep concrete stairs to going down them. Visions of blood pouring out of head wounds or worse!

Depending on time available you might be quicker doing a few stops on 15 or 607 in one or more directions.

 

If there is access all the way round the coast the going will be much tougher than following the road, but until we try it out I'm not sure how far you can get at coastal level.

Edited February 25 by D&N

[marazul]

There is no road that will save you much time and this way you have decent sidewalks. Once you get to Cap Ferrat the shore gets pretty rocky and steep.   The path that goes around Cap Ferrat starts (or ends) further down the road by the plage des Passables. D&N will enjoy that path; it is really beautiful.