Nice vs. Monte Carlo predeparture?

[milepig]

we flying into Nice 2 days before departure from Monte Carlo (United flies direct from EWR, yippee) and are debating staying in Nice or Monte Carlo, hotels seem a bit cheaper in Nice.  Nice seems to have more variety of things to do, and transport the day of the embarcation seems easy.  Thoughts? Plusses and minuses?

[UKCruiseJeff]

Hi,

 

What day of the week and times etc are you arriving? Is it two days or two nights?  Have you been to either before?  Also if you give some passions ie food or art or history … happy to give an opinion.  I have spent a lot of time and lived in the area and feel I know pretty much every inch and would be happy to help you optimise your visit.

 

 

Jeff

Edited August 5 by UKCruiseJeff

[milepig]

7 minutes ago, UKCruiseJeff said:

Hi,

 

What day of the week and times etc are you arriving? Is it two days or two nights?

 

Jeff

Arrival is 10am on a Tuesday staying Tuesday and Wednesday night. Embarking on Thursday at the usual time. We will plan one great dinner, art/culture and just walking around.

Edited August 5 by milepig

[UKCruiseJeff]

Hi  … good start, I added some further info suggestions that will help me to help.  

 

A burning question that will be an instant decided is do you have a burnin desire to stay in MC as a bucket list thing.  If so answering would be rendered pointless.  🙂

 

Jeff

[milepig]

7 minutes ago, UKCruiseJeff said:

Hi  … good start, I added some further info suggestions that will help me to help.  

 

A burning question that will be an instant decided is do you have a burnin desire to stay in MC as a bucket list thing.  If so answering would be rendered pointless.  🙂

 

Jeff

We're agnostic on that part.  Lots of travel websites say that one day in MC is plenty.  we are seasoned travelers looking for opinions.

Edited August 5 by milepig

[UKCruiseJeff]

Hi,

 

As a basic game plan  I’d suggest that you base yourself in Nice and travel to MC the earliest you can on Thursday having researched how early you can store your luggage with SS.  

 

In very simple terms and just accept I’ll get heat for being direct but you are travelled enough to make your own rational decisions based on my bias and your research.

 

MC is a soulless Disneyesque place where people go to gawp at the rich people and gawping at lots of  other people hoping to gawp at rich people. You might have gathered I don’t rate it much and will not argue with any others who offer a different view.   There is some things to see but I will not add any more value than what you can get from making rational choices via search on Google.  So my suggestion is that you make it just Thursday morning and pack in what you choose to see.

 

I’m not going to suggest lots of specific hotels in Nice other than to say spend as much of your budget as you can basing yourself in a really decent feedback rated hotel as close to the Old Town as you can.  

 

Does “milepig” imply hotel affiliations and status.  If so use that.

 

The only one I’d mention is if you convert your MC hotel spend to the best you can do at The Palais on Les Anglais with a front sea-view room then the world would be your oyster or perhaps even The Meridian.  If you are not going to get a front sea-view room then you are probably needlessly overspending and could go elsewhere. Hotels in Nice as a bad generalisation are not of the same international plush quality as MC but they are much much cheaper and have more character.  If you want to save a lot to forgo seaview then I’ve spent a lot of time at The Holiday Inn on Victor Hugo.  It’s a 10 minute walk to the old town and you will save a lot. But it  isn’t luxury but perfectly acceptable.  The have two mini suites on the top floor to smugle some booze back and perhaps a baguette and some crisps to - and enjoy a late night feed overlooking the roofs. If you contact the hotel and schmooze you might get a mini-suite for a good price.  We always used them because we were always telling the hotel manager how great his staff were and they caught on I was doing this and they rewarded us for every visit. 

 

I’d spend most of your Tuesday and Wednesday in the Old Town wandering around and eating and drinking there.  I wouldn’t plan. Just wander. There are museums and art stuff but to be honest … relaxing and soaking it all in is better.  You can really spend your day’ish in the old town and you will not be wasting your time.  Cours Saleya is the center of the old town and sadly the flea market is Mondays hence my arrival day question.

 

If you want an afternoon out on Wednesday - perhaps for lunch and a bit of lurching around - then a short low cost bus ride away is Bealiue sur Mer and Villefranche.  We use to have a whole winter rental in  Villefranch and it might be a place to head for Wednesday lunch overlooking the sea.  We’ve also  spent time In  St Jean Cap ferrat but it is really only good for a lunch visit whereas Villefranche has an old town. There’s a nice leafy market in Beaulieu.  If you have ever watche Dirty Rotten Scoundrels it’s almost all filmed in Villefranche to ape MC which doesn’t allow filming. 

 

Many American’s visit for a day or so and take their advice from other Americans and head for Eze.  Fine if you want to “Rick Steves” your visit  but you’ll be mixing mostly with tourists rather than the french. 

 

Anyway a braindump unspell checked starting point.  

 

Take you questions from there. 

 

Jeff

 

 

Edited August 5 by UKCruiseJeff

[milepig]

10 minutes ago, UKCruiseJeff said:

Hi,

 

As a basic game plan  I’d suggest that you base yourself in Nice and travel to MC the earliest you can on Thursday having researched how early you can store your luggage with SS.  

 

In very simple terms and just accept I’ll get heat for being direct but you are travelled enough to make your own rational decisions based on my bias and your research.

 

MC is a soulless Disneyesque place where people go to gawp at the rich people.  There is some things to see but I will not add any more value than what you can get from making rational choices via search on Google.  So my suggestion is that you make it just Thursday morning and pack in what you choose to see.

 

I’m not going to suggest lots of specific hotels other than to say spend as much of your budget as you can basing yourself in a really decent feedback rated hotel as close to the Old Town as you can.  The only one I’d mention is if you convert your MC hotel spend to the best you can do at The Palais on Les Anglais with a front sea-view room then the world would be your oyster or perhaps even The Meridian.  Hotels in Nice as a bad generalisation are not of the same international plush quality as MC but they are much much cheaper and have more character.  If you want to save a lot to forgo seaview then I’ve spent a lot of time at The Holiday Inn on Victor Hugo.  It’s a 10 minute walk to the old town and you will save a lot. But it  isn’t luxury but perfectly acceptable.  The have two mini suites on the top floor to smugle some booze back and perhaps a baguette and some crisps to - and enjoy a late night feed overlooking the roofs. If you contact the hotel and schmooze you might get a mini-suite for a good price.  We always used them because we were always telling the hotel manager how great his staff were and they caught on I was doing this and they rewarded us for every visit. 

 

I’d spend most of your Tuesday and Wednesday in the Old Town wandering around and eating and drinking there.  I wouldn’t plan. Just wander. There are museums and art stuff but to be honest … relaxing and soaking it all in is better.  You can really spend your day’ish in the old town and you will not be wasting your time.  Cours Saleya is the center of the old town and sadly the flea market is Mondays hence my arrival day question.

 

If you want an afternoon out on Wednesday - perhaps for lunch and a bit of lurching around - then a short low cost bus ride away is Bealiue sur Mer and Villefranche.  We use to have a whole winter rental in  Villefranch and it might be a place to head for Wednesday lunch overlooking the sea.  We’ve also  spent time In  St Jean Cap ferrat but it is really only good for a lunch visit whereas Villefranche has an old town. There’s a nice leafy market in Beaulieu.  If you have ever watche Dirty Rotten Scoundrels it’s almost all filmed in Villefranche to ape MC which doesn’t allow filming. 

 

Many American’s visit for a day or so and take their advice from other Americans and head for Eze.  Fine if you want to “Rick Steves” your visit  but you’ll be mixing mostly with tourists rather than the french. 

 

Anyway a braindump unspell checked starting point.  

 

Take you questions from there. 

 

Jeff

 

Many thanks for taking the time for a great response, going into MC the morning of and dropping bags is a good plan.  as to Rick Steves, his books burn well.

 

 

 

[UKCruiseJeff]

I think your morse code key malfunctioned.  

 

Jeff

[CookingChick2020]

I concur with UKCruiseJeff's take on Nice vs. MC.  My husband and I spent four glorious days in Nice...not really doing anything specific other than a tour to MC with requisite stops in Eze, etc. and we loved Nice so much I would happily spend a month just kicking around there.  We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Palais and had a lovely little balcony with a view of the sea...well worth the splurge!  We've been back to MC on a Regent cruise and just find it to be overwhelmingly meh.

[UKCruiseJeff]

24 minutes ago, CookingChick2020 said:

I concur with UKCruiseJeff's take on Nice vs. MC.  My husband and I spent four glorious days in Nice...not really doing anything specific other than a tour to MC with requisite stops in Eze, etc. and we loved Nice so much I would happily spend a month just kicking around there.  We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Palais and had a lovely little balcony with a view of the sea...well worth the splurge!  We've been back to MC on a Regent cruise and just find it to be overwhelmingly meh.

 

May I ask you to check your medication.  I’m not use to people agreeing with me on these controversial things and I have taken Ibuprofen in preparation for the fallout. 😀

 

Nice is a glorious place.  The key thing you need to understand is that in Cannes and Monte Carlo, you are a tourist and everyone will see that and know it.  Everyone around you are tourists. And you are a crop to be harvested.  In Nice, it’s an industrial working town and the locals shrug and almost don’t see you.  You are simply an irritant.  Until you say a few words of badly broken French.  And then they might smile.  It is a bit of France within an otherwise over run tourist area. In Nice you will still need to count your dozen oysters or gamba but that is sadly true of many places. 

 

I fear that the excitement I may have generated for milepig may have deceased him as he has disapeared.. 😱

 

Anyway … I am meandering. 😀

 

Jeff 

 

 

Edited August 5 by UKCruiseJeff

[milepig]

not dead yet, doing research

[UKCruiseJeff]

18 minutes ago, milepig said:

not dead yet, doing research

 

Great!

 

Your #7 post didn’t show up and  thought it might simply be an acknowledgement/thanks and further questions etc.

 

Good luck with the research and your trip.

 

Jeff

[lincslady]

Just a quick one - two quirky hotels in Nice, at very different price points, the Negresco and the Arts hotel.  The first very belle epoque, the second very French bohemian.  Both characterful.

[UKCruiseJeff]

13 minutes ago, lincslady said:

Just a quick one - two quirky hotels in Nice, at very different price points, the Negresco and the Arts hotel.  The first very belle epoque, the second very French bohemian.  Both characterful.

 

The Negresco has extremely thin walls. 😉

 

Jeff

[CookingChick2020]

2 hours ago, UKCruiseJeff said:

 

May I ask you to check your medication.  I’m not use to people agreeing with me on these controversial things and I have taken Ibuprofen in preparation for the fallout. 😀

 

Nice is a glorious place.  The key thing you need to understand is that in Cannes and Monte Carlo, you are a tourist and everyone will see that and know it.  Everyone around you are tourists. And you are a crop to be harvested.  In Nice, it’s an industrial working town and the locals shrug and almost don’t see you.  You are simply an irritant.  Until you say a few words of badly broken French.  And then they might smile.  It is a bit of France within an otherwise over run tourist area. In Nice you will still need to count your dozen oysters or gamba but that is sadly true of many places. 

 

I fear that the excitement I may have generated for milepig may have deceased him as he has disapeared.. 😱

 

Anyway … I am meandering. 😀

 

Jeff 

 

 

My meds are always in question!  🤭  I feel the same way about Marseille that I do about Nice although I think most don’t share my affinity for that city.  😀

[UKCruiseJeff]

27 minutes ago, CookingChick2020 said:

My meds are always in question!  🤭  I feel the same way about Marseille that I do about Nice although I think most don’t share my affinity for that city.  😀

 

Marseille is great.  Although a touch more edgy than Nice.

 

And if you get authentic  bouillabaisse …..

 

Or self cater and buy fish. 

 

🙂

 

Jeff

 

 

Edited August 5 by UKCruiseJeff

[Will Work for Tiramisu]

I'm not the authority on Nice or S France that others here are, but after a lot of research into options, we've stayed two times at Hotel La Perouse, in Nice, at the east end of the Promenade des Anglais, on the promontory that separates old town from the harbor.  We found it to be while not high end luxury, still very friendly, with a nice shady garden for dining or sipping with a small pool just beyond.  The location is great, literally a few steps into old town, or go up and visit the incredible graveyard other side of the promontory, or follow the broad oceanside path to the view over the harbor.  Each time we got a room over looking the Med - that part is mandatory.  While MC is more of a freak-show (although interesting to look at the super yachts), one could easily spend a week in Nice, wandering back streets, eating all manner of wonderful food, and of course the broad seaside promenade is a pleasure to take a long stroll on (except when terrorists are driving trucks down it).  And it is a short hop to Villefranche, which is a charming little enclave to the east, near the point with the houses of the uber rich scattered about.  Below is the view over the terrace from our room last time.  

[gnome12]

2 hours ago, UKCruiseJeff said:

 

Great!

 

Your #7 post didn’t show up and  thought it might simply be an acknowledgement/thanks and further questions etc.

 

Good luck with the research and your trip.

 

Jeff

It did show up, unfortunately not in the proper place. @milepig put the response in the box, rather than below it.

Edited August 5 by gnome12

[UKCruiseJeff]

11 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

It did show up, unfortunately not in the proper place. @milepig put the response in the box, rather than below it.

 

Thanks,

 

Jeff

Edited August 5 by UKCruiseJeff

[Sololux]

On 8/5/2024 at 11:31 PM, Will Work for Tiramisu said:

I'm not the authority on Nice or S France that others here are, but after a lot of research into options, we've stayed two times at Hotel La Perouse, in Nice, at the east end of the Promenade des Anglais, on the promontory that separates old town from the harbor.  We found it to be while not high end luxury, still very friendly, with a nice shady garden for dining or sipping with a small pool just beyond.  The location is great, literally a few steps into old town, or go up and visit the incredible graveyard other side of the promontory, or follow the broad oceanside path to the view over the harbor.  Each time we got a room over looking the Med - that part is mandatory.  While MC is more of a freak-show (although interesting to look at the super yachts), one could easily spend a week in Nice, wandering back streets, eating all manner of wonderful food, and of course the broad seaside promenade is a pleasure to take a long stroll on (except when terrorists are driving trucks down it).  And it is a short hop to Villefranche, which is a charming little enclave to the east, near the point with the houses of the uber rich scattered about.  Below is the view over the terrace from our room last time.  

I think we stayed in the same hotel.  If I remember correctly the lift was minuscule with space for just me and one suitcase so I had to send it back down for OH and his suitcase.  Location and views were perfect.  We rounded the corner, turning left away from promenade des anglais and found some lovely little un touristy restaurants serving freshly caught fish.  Turn right and you have the market square in the old town. Actually I’ve just reread the post and I don’t think there was a pool but it was over 15 years ago.  Quirky hotels in Nice are nicer than MC.  We visited MC several times.  It’s unique but I’d struggle to say it has charm.

[Sololux]

I’ve looked at the map and I think we had a suite on the top floor at hotel Suisse.

[Luv2Cruise1016]

We stayed at the Hotel Boscolo Nice for 8 nights several years ago.  Lovely hotel that we used as our base to take day trips driving around the South of France.  Would def recommend.

[frankhi]

I would optimize the short time I have. Chance are you won't be able to check in to your hotel on Tuesday morning. Spend that time traveling to MC instead of using up time traveling there on Thursday. Doing it that way will give you 2 full days in MC.

[milepig]

It seems like there's not much to do there

except gawk at the rich people 

Edited August 9 by milepig

[lincslady]

1 minute ago, milepig said:

It seems like there's not much today there' except gawk at the rich people 

Mostly it would be gawking at their Ferraris, Lambos, etc.  Nice is so much more interesting.