What about Cannes, France?

[daring]

This is our last port before returning to Barcelona on the Norwegian Gem, June 14th. Suggestions anyone?

[Hlitner]

In Cannes you will be tendered into a small dock located near the old port. This is within the city and you can explore most of the touristy part of Cannes (near the water) on foot. You also can go to the local train station (about a 20 min walk from the tender pier or a short taxi ride or bus ride) and take the train to almost anyplace along the riviera coast from St Tropez all the way to Menton. If you rent a car there are numerous other places you can visit such as St Paul de Vence and Grasse. So many choices,,,,so little time. Its why many of us love to spend many days or weeks in this part of France.

 

Hank

[daring]

With so much to see, what is the "must see"?

[teacherman]

We were on a B2B for a total of 18 days. One of our stops was Cannes. We had planned to take the train "somewhere" but, as we were "trained-toured out" from so many stops, we decided to take it "easy". From the dock, we strolled up the hill to a beautiful old church with a small park and gorgeous views of the shore and bay. We then trolled down the hill, throught the touristy areas, and ended up at the Charlton Hotel (listed in Places to See Before You Die). We had a glass of wine on their pation, watching all of the "beautiful" people of the world pass by. It was one of the nicest days on our entire cruise. Whatever you do, enjoy.

[Yvie]

One of the walled villages, Eze or St Paul de Vence. We visited both on our cruise and really enjoyed them. Eze - seaside, great views; St Paul de Vence - inland, more artsy. If you go to St Paul, just inside the gates on the left is a stand selling gelato. The lemon meringue flavor was the best gelato I had on the cruise, including what we had in Italy. The south of France is so lovely, I'm sure you will have a great day whatever you choose to do.

[Hlitner]

With so much to see, what is the "must see"?

 

After traveling extensively throughout Europe for a very long time, I cannot answer your question. The reason is that personal tastes differ so darn much that one person's great site is another persons "blah." As an example, my DW and I do not like Monte Carlo at all, do not waste anytime in the place, and have no desire to ever return other than as a place to rent a car to drive elsewere. But, many tourists do like the place.

 

Regarding Cannes, our person "do not miss site" would be having a romantic dinner in one of the little cafes on the hilly Rue d'Antoine...with drying laundry flapping in the breeze over our heads. You will find that many first time visitors to Cannes are just content to walk along the Croisette and enjoy the atmosphere. There is a little shop we know where they sell baby shoes for over $700 per pair and we always get a laugh out of looking in their window. Others could care less. One easy and interesting day (if you are a city person) would be to take the train to Nice, spend some time walking around the city...have lunch in Nice's old town, than take an early afternoon train back to Cannes and explore that city as you walk back to the tender pier. Our personal fun day would be to rent a car in Cannes, drive to St Paul de Vence for part of the day, and than down to Antibes for a snack and some more walking.

 

My point is that there are so many choices and your best bet would be to read-up on the area and make your own choices.

 

Hank

[daring]

Taking a stroll, enjoying a glass of wine while watching beautiful people pass by sounds very relaxing. I also look forward to having a meal at a local cafe with drying laundry in the breeze. A church, a park, and a view of the bay, Oh my! And I guess I'll need to add the Charlton Hotel and a lemon gelato to my bucket list.

[TLCOhio]

This is our last port before returning to Barcelona on the Norwegian Gem, June 14th. Suggestions anyone?

 

Lots and lots of great options. You have to come when you have more time to see more and more fully enjoy so much that is there in Provence.

 

My quick vote would be for the old village of Eze, along the coast between Nice and Monaco! It hangs up in the mountains above the water and crowds. It's wonderful to visit. Great, great views! Totally charming! Have lunch or dinner there at one of the two great eating places and feel like you're sitting on the edge of paradise! At 1,407 feet above the Mediterranean, Eze offers commanding views of cliffs, sea, sprawling estates and off-shore islands. The village's narrow streets or more really paths among the buildings lead to the Jardin Exotique It is a maze of paths flanked by mammoth flowering plants and spiky cactuses. For about $3, you can walk up to the best view on the French Riviera. On a clear day, you can see Corsica! It does not get much better than Eze.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[sailaway5]

Lots and lots of great options. You have to come when you have more time to see more and more fully enjoy so much that is there in Provence.

 

My quick vote would be for the old village of Eze, along the coast between Nice and Monaco! It hangs up in the mountains above the water and crowds. It's wonderful to visit. Great, great views! Totally charming! Have lunch or dinner there at one of the two great eating places and feel like you're sitting on the edge of paradise! At 1,407 feet above the Mediterranean, Eze offers commanding views of cliffs, sea, sprawling estates and off-shore islands. The village's narrow streets or more really paths among the buildings lead to the Jardin Exotique It is a maze of paths flanked by mammoth flowering plants and spiky cactuses. For about $3, you can walk up to the best view on the French Riviera. On a clear day, you can see Corsica! It does not get much better than Eze.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Ditto Terry in Ohio for the vote for Eze. We were there for lunch (crepes) on our private tour last October. Our private tour guide, Sylvie, drove the French Riviera (fabulous views) to this wonderful medieval village. It is here where we had lunch ---- what views. We had time to wander thru this cobblestone maze of shops, visit the perfume factory (had to buy something here)--- then on to Monoco, Monte Carlo for the rest of our tour before heading back to our ship in Cannes. We had a wonderful guided trip, along the coast and maximized our time with an unforgetable day. There were only 8 of us in a van, so we were able to drive places tour buses were unable to drive thru.

[bossy_01]

We are stopping in Cannes on our sept cruise. We have been to the South of France before and seen all of Cannes that we wished. We would quite happily walk around the front etc as it is very nice there. However we would really like to head up to Monaco for a few hours. Was just wonderign the best way to get there?

[SOOKIENY]

Thinking of a private tour to Eze and St Paul. I know it is hard to judge, but how much time should we plan on spending in each town? I know we can't see it all, but wondering if both places are do able in one day without missing a lot.

[DrFUN]

Ditto Terry in Ohio for the vote for Eze. We were there for lunch (crepes) on our private tour last October. Our private tour guide, Sylvie, drove the French Riviera (fabulous views) to this wonderful medieval village. It is here where we had lunch ---- what views. We had time to wander thru this cobblestone maze of shops, visit the perfume factory (had to buy something here)--- then on to Monoco, Monte Carlo for the rest of our tour before heading back to our ship in Cannes. We had a wonderful guided trip, along the coast and maximized our time with an unforgetable day. There were only 8 of us in a van, so we were able to drive places tour buses were unable to drive thru.

 

Dear Sailaway:

 

I'd be grateful for any info you can share about Sylvie -- how to find her, if you were pleased, etc.

 

Thanks,

Mary-Lou

[Hlitner]

Thinking of a private tour to Eze and St Paul. I know it is hard to judge, but how much time should we plan on spending in each town? I know we can't see it all, but wondering if both places are do able in one day without missing a lot.

 

St Paul de Vence is significantly larger and you should alot more time for this village. However, a major factor will be where you decide to have lunch (you can do that in either location) since that will add time to your visit. Personally, we would recommend at least 2 1/2 hours in St Paul de Vence (we often spend a half day) while Eze can be seen in no more than 2 hours.

 

Hank

[sailaway5]

Dear Sailaway:

 

I'd be grateful for any info you can share about Sylvie -- how to find her, if you were pleased, etc.

 

Thanks,

Mary-Lou

 

Our private tour guide, Sylvie DiCristo, was a real gem. Reach her at www.azur-guides.net She books up quick. She tours all of the French Riviera. She met us in Cannes and we went to Nice, Eze, Monte Carlo. We ate lunch at the Medieval village of Eze. It was a wonderful tour and we would reserve a tour with her again. I saw your other post and will email you directly.

[seapenarth]

Taking a stroll, enjoying a glass of wine while watching beautiful people pass by sounds very relaxing. I also look forward to having a meal at a local cafe with drying laundry in the breeze. A church, a park, and a view of the bay, Oh my! And I guess I'll need to add the Charlton Hotel and a lemon gelato to my bucket list.

 

I should make it the Carlton in Cannes.:cool:

[olechka]

You're in port until 3pm like us? We decided not to plan anything for Cannes and hang out in town, it sounds like everything is a train or a bus ride that will make it close on getting back.

[DrFUN]

Our private tour guide, Sylvie DiCristo, was a real gem. Reach her at www.azur-guides.net She books up quick. She tours all of the French Riviera. She met us in Cannes and we went to Nice, Eze, Monte Carlo. We ate lunch at the Medieval village of Eze. It was a wonderful tour and we would reserve a tour with her again. I saw your other post and will email you directly.

 

Thanks for your speedy and gracious reply here and via email, dear Sailaway! So kind of you. Glad to know that Cannes is also possible from Monte Carlo (our port) in addition to Nice and Eze. I've written to Sylvie and await her reply.

 

Many thanks,

Mary-Lou

[jag33437]

Any other guides besides Syvie for Cannes area. She is already booked on our day.

 

jag33437@comcast.net

[gatorgirl59]

Any other guides besides Syvie for Cannes area. She is already booked on our day.

 

jag33437@comcast.net

 

We will be in Cannes on the Solstice in a couple of weeks and have booked a private tour to Nice and Monte Carlo/Monaco with Riviera Premium Tours. We have not used them before but have heard very good things about them, and Jerome has been very quick and efficient in answering all questions and emails. They offer suggested tours on the website, but will also completely customize a tour for whatever you would like to see and wherever you would like to go. Have a great trip!

[Poppet1964]

I'm going to be in Cannes this coming week as well. I'm looking at the short ride to Antibes for a morning. Anyone have additional information, restaurant recommendations, beach recommendation, whatever you know...

 

One question I can't figure out is how far the train station or bus station is from the center of town (particularly the market)?

 

Thanks!

[Hlitner]

I cannot answer the bus stop question but can tell you that its about 1/3 of a mile from the train station to the market. Just head towards the water/marina and ask somebody to point you in the right direction (hard to miss but directions help save some walking). The market is under roof and is in the heart of the best part of town (near the water).

 

Hank

[MizLizzie]

Any other guides besides Syvie for Cannes area. She is already booked on our day.

 

jag33437@comcast.net

 

I just posted on another thread about our wonderful tour last week with Ingrid of Kultours (http://www.kultours.fr) so I won't go over it again, but feel free to contact me. Ingrid picked up our party of seven in Cannes, and gave us an amazing day. I tour a lot for work and pleasure, and of the hundreds of guides I've hired over the years, she is in the top four, and there is none better, IMHO, for any part of France. Regardless, it is a beautiful area and you would be hard pressed not to enjoy it.

 

Lizzie

[miss dee]

hi lizzie,

 

we just booked ingrid, would you kindly email me your itinerary. thank you.bdouglas5333@yahoo.com

[richfromhaw]

We were on Thomson Dream four weeks ago which docked in Cannes we then went to Antibes for the day.

We used the #200 bus to/from Antibes. In Cannes the bus stop is between the town hall and a small park right next to the port. There's a bus kiosk with #200 bus signs posted on it. Bus runs every 15 minutes to Antibes.

Just tell the driver where you're going and he'll make sure you get off at the bus stop in Antibes. As you exit the bus walk behind where the bus came and look left, you'll see a park/plaza.

The Tourist Office is in the storefront on your left before you cross the street. We went in and got a local map of Antibes which was very helpful.

There's a main street to the far left right behind the park that is the central thoroghfare of the town (also where the mini train ride originates). Just keep walking down the main street and to your right is the main outdoor market. Try the locally made spreads, they're terrific.

The main street if I recall correctly also takes you to the waterfront where the fort is, beach was to the left. To the right you can walk on the top of stone wall/fort along the water, just breathtaking.

We had an "al freso" lunch in the main outdoor plaza in the town (can't remember which specific one we ate it, there were 4 or 5 with outdoor seating). Very relaxing, good local food and great people watching.

To get the #200 bus back to Cannes just get back to where the bus brought you but cross the street and along the street on the left is the bus stop ( with kiosk). The #200 bus should aloso display direction Cannes ( not Nice). It's one Euro each way per person just pay the driver but keep the receipt. They were checking on our way back and unfortunately they pulled a young man off the bus who didn't have his receipt, apparently like a 200 euro fine.

Enjoy Antibes it's a great place to spend a day, think you'll like it.

[Hlitner]

We think that what often gets unsaid on many CC threads is the cost associated with tours (both cruise line and private) vs DIY. For example, a private tour from Cannes to Antibes will cost hundreds of Euros. The same trip via the #200 bus will cost 2 Euros (total round trip cost). As to Antibes, its a sea resort town that is best explored by simply walking around, looking at the various views, visiting the local market, etc. We should also mention that Cannes is also a place that is best explored on foot (this is free) although some folks enjoy the inexpensive little train (not a real train but one of those silly looking open tourmobiles) that departs from right in front of the huge convention/exposition center which is within easy walking distance from the tender pier. For those hesitant to use buses, we would assure folks that the regional buses in the south of France are very clean, modern and safe and most of the time they are a lot less crowded then a full tour bus :). Unless prices have recently changed most of the local and regional buses in the south of France cost 1 Euro (paid to the driver) each way. We think this 1 Euro price is one of the best bargains in all of Europe. We have also found that when we use the buses we often get into chats with some of the locals (on the bus) who often give us great advice (as to restaurants, places to see, etc).

 

Hank