Cannes~St Paul~Eze~Monoco/Monte Carlo

[neil5054]

I was in Villafrance in May. We tendered off of Voyager of the Seas; my recommendation is to pick one or two places and limit to that. We did ship tour thru Nice and than up to St. Pauls. St. Pauls was worth the drive. It's about 40 minute drive from Nice. St. Pauls is an artist town. Winding cobblestone streets, cafes, shopping, and lots of art. It overlooks the countryside. We were there during the Cannes Film Festival and some movie stars were staying in some of the bed and breakfasts in St. Pauls. In Villafrance there is a small village right where the tenders come in; u can buy some very nice french silk, and linens for decent prices; also plenty of places to eat and drink right in port.

I will be on the Voyager in October and have considered the tour you took. Did you find sufficient time in St. Paul? from the ship's description it says only an hour of free time in each city. Seems like there should be more...

[CruzinFamilyof5]

I will be on the Voyager in October and have considered the tour you took. Did you find sufficient time in St. Paul? from the ship's description it says only an hour of free time in each city. Seems like there should be more...

 

We had the same concerns and did our own. We planned to take the train, because the taxis near the port were too expensive. We ended up at the train station and found another taxi for the whole day. We had a short time in port and squeezed in Eze, perfume factory, Monaco and St. Paul. We have more details, taxi numbers with our photos. I ran into someone from Nice on the Island of Capri and she said her favorite is Antibes. We'll save that city for the next trip. Have fun :)

[Bosse]

Hi,

 

We have embarkation in Monte Carlo next Sunday Aug 2nd with MSC Sinfonia. I have not been able to find an address to the port in Monte Carlo. I would feel more secure if I have an address to give to the taxi driver. Does anyone know? Or maybe the port in Monte Carlo is so small, so we can't miss where to board?

 

I appreciate any help.

 

Jason

[badgers333]

Hi cruzinfamilyof5, how far is the train station from the port? Also, how much did the taxi cost to go to all the cities you went too? How long did you take the taxi? Thanks for your response

[CruzinFamilyof5]

Hi cruzinfamilyof5, how far is the train station from the port? Also, how much did the taxi cost to go to all the cities you went too? How long did you take the taxi? Thanks for your response

 

Hello Bagders,

The train station is about a 15 minute walk. It can be a little confusing, we kept asking locals. Print out a map. The taxis near the port and police station wanted 400 euros for 4 hours. We found a taxi at the train station. 320 euros approx. for 5-6 hours. It ended up being from 8:30 am to 2pm. His name was Bruno Mange. Send me an email and I'll try to look for his number in the meantime. :)

[11111]

Just visited Villafranche last week. Used Dream-Tour for private tour, a big mistake. Booked the tour 2 months before the trip. At the end, the guide still showed late with an old van and broken air-conditioning. The worst was that the guide didn't speak English because all the English speaking guides were sent to tour bigger group. We managed to enjoy ourselves without the tour.

 

Villafranche itself is a very beautiful place, so are Eze Village and St. Paul de Vance. Bus and train information are available right inside the cruise terminal as soon as you are off the tender boat.

[Mark2]

We are looking for any tips or priorities for visiting from Monaco?

We will be docked in Monaco from 9am to 8pm (back on board by 7:30).

 

We were looking at an offer by a private tour operator for a group of 6 to 8 people that included:

-Monaco,

-Eze- (including a walk to the medieval village) ,

-Nice,

-Cannes,

-Antibes, and

-St. Paul de Vence.

 

Is it viable to get to all of these places in one day - say 9 hours?

Emphasis would be on sightseeing, and less on shopping.

 

The tour would start furthest away and then work back to Monaco.

This would cost more than a train/bus, but having our own vehicle might make it easier to get around to several spots.

Would have to pay in full 21 days in advance.

 

Thanks for any tips based on port visits you may have had.

[Hlitner]

We are looking for any tips or priorities for visiting from Monaco?

We will be docked in Monaco from 9am to 8pm (back on board by 7:30).

 

We were looking at an offer by a private tour operator for a group of 6 to 8 people that included:

-Monaco,

-Eze- (including a walk to the medieval village) ,

-Nice,

-Cannes,

-Antibes, and

-St. Paul de Vence.

 

Is it viable to get to all of these places in one day - say 9 hours?

Emphasis would be on sightseeing, and less on shopping.

 

The tour would start furthest away and then work back to Monaco.

This would cost more than a train/bus, but having our own vehicle might make it easier to get around to several spots.

Would have to pay in full 21 days in advance.

 

Thanks for any tips based on port visits you may have had.

 

Tour companies (and guides) have learned that many Americans want to see as much as possible and do not care about any depth. So, they charge a lot of money and take you to lots of places in a short time. Than, you get to go home and tell your friends about all the places you visited. Or course you really do not have much time to see anything, but at least you were there! And by the way, the only way to see Eze or St Paul de Vence is to walk. Yes, you can indeed see all those places in a day. For us, we love St Paul de Vence and would never go to that village without spending at least 3 hours enjoying the streets, galleries and restaurants. Antibes is also a favorite place where we would spend at least 3 hours walking, browsing the shops, and having something to eat/drink in one of the many outdoor cafes. Eze can be covered in about 2 hours if you do not stop for lunch. As to Nice, we have spent quite a few nights there in hotels (and on cruise stops) and have still to fully explore the city. On our last visit (this past May) we spent more than 3 hours just in the old town area enjoying the Flower Market and having a nice lunch (the fish soup in Nice is very famous). You are talking about visiting four cites (Cannes, Antives, Monte Carlo and Nice) plus two smaller villages (Eze and St Paul de Vence) in a single day. This makes the movie ("If its Tuesday it Must be Belgium") tame by comparison. By the way, you can plan on spending around 3 hours just driving between all these places.

 

 

Hank

[Mark2]

Hank

Your comments and advice are helpful.

Perhaps we will have to look at trying a modified itinerary to do a few things well, rather than a quick visit to many places.

 

Thank You.

[Jenagain]

We are looking for any tips or priorities for visiting from Monaco?

We will be docked in Monaco from 9am to 8pm (back on board by 7:30).

 

We were looking at an offer by a private tour operator for a group of 6 to 8 people that included:

-Monaco,

-Eze- (including a walk to the medieval village) ,

-Nice,

-Cannes,

-Antibes, and

-St. Paul de Vence.

 

Is it viable to get to all of these places in one day - say 9 hours?

Emphasis would be on sightseeing, and less on shopping.

 

The tour would start furthest away and then work back to Monaco.

This would cost more than a train/bus, but having our own vehicle might make it easier to get around to several spots.

Would have to pay in full 21 days in advance.

 

Thanks for any tips based on port visits you may have had.

 

I have a tour booked with Revelation tours - $600E for 8 people. We will be doing Nice, Monaco/Monte Carlo, St. Paul de Vence and Eze. They come highly recommended if you read these boards. Good luck!

[Mark2]

I have a tour booked with Revelation tours - $600E for 8 people. We will be doing Nice, Monaco/Monte Carlo, St. Paul de Vence and Eze. They come highly recommended if you read these boards. Good luck!

 

Jen:

Thanks for the recommendation.

I have sent an inquiry to that company.

When is your tour, and what port are you arriving at, in case you have any tips afterwards?

[Jenagain]

Jen:

Thanks for the recommendation.

I have sent an inquiry to that company.

When is your tour, and what port are you arriving at, in case you have any tips afterwards?

 

My tour is the first full day of our cruise - Oct 26th. Our port is Villefranche, and we dock at 10am, so we are being met around 11 and then taking a 7.5 to 8 hour tour - our ship departs at 8pm.

[DaDead]

You will tender into Cannes at a pier that is located right on the old port. As you exit the pier area, just walk across the large parking lot and keep the water on your left. If you keep walking in this direction (water on your left) you will come to a beach as soon as your clear the parking lot area, and this beach is called the Plage du Midi. This particular beach has real sand (many beaches in the region are full of rocks) and also happens to be free! There are quite a few cafes within a couple of blocks of the beach. The more famous Place du la Croisette (this is opposite the very pricy hotels) is actually a lousy beach full of pebbles and rocks....and people pay a lot of money to be on this beach. Go figure!

 

Hank

 

You have to pay to go on some beaches? :confused: Why?

[Mark2]

My tour is the first full day of our cruise - Oct 26th. Our port is Villefranche, and we dock at 10am, so we are being met around 11 and then taking a 7.5 to 8 hour tour - our ship departs at 8pm.

 

Jen:

When I did a quick search I believe you will be on Brilliance. Looks like a great itinerary.

We were on Brilliance to the Canaries in Feb and really enjoyed the ship. We were on the sister ship (Jewel) to the Baltic - it is also a great ship.

 

Thanks again for your tip. We are also booking with Revelation. We will be in Monaco on 1 Oct from 9am to 8pm. We will do an 8 hour tour.

[Hlitner]

You have to pay to go on some beaches? :confused: Why?

 

Not all beaches in Europe are truly free. There are some private beaches only open to those who are staying at certain hotels or who pay a fee. In Cannes, the main beach along the Croisette is technically free, but since the beach is full of rocks (for some reason Europeans think rocky beaches are nice) there is no place to sit unless you rent a chair which are all controlled by hotels and some restaurants. For someone who has spent a lot of time on the east coast USA beaches and in the Caribbean, we are always amazed at the quality (awful) of many famous European beaches not to mention the poor quality of the sea water.

 

Hank

[DaDead]

Not all beaches in Europe are truly free. There are some private beaches only open to those who are staying at certain hotels or who pay a fee. In Cannes, the main beach along the Croisette is technically free, but since the beach is full of rocks (for some reason Europeans think rocky beaches are nice) there is no place to sit unless you rent a chair which are all controlled by hotels and some restaurants. For someone who has spent a lot of time on the east coast USA beaches and in the Caribbean, we are always amazed at the quality (awful) of many famous European beaches not to mention the poor quality of the sea water.

 

Hank

 

Well, then I guess it's a good thing I don't like to go to beaches on my port days - besides it will be too cold in November anyway!:D

[alcman]

Tour companies (and guides) have learned that many Americans want to see as much as possible and do not care about any depth. So, they charge a lot of money and take you to lots of places in a short time. Than, you get to go home and tell your friends about all the places you visited. Or course you really do not have much time to see anything, but at least you were there! And by the way, the only way to see Eze or St Paul de Vence is to walk. Yes, you can indeed see all those places in a day. For us, we love St Paul de Vence and would never go to that village without spending at least 3 hours enjoying the streets, galleries and restaurants. Antibes is also a favorite place where we would spend at least 3 hours walking, browsing the shops, and having something to eat/drink in one of the many outdoor cafes. Eze can be covered in about 2 hours if you do not stop for lunch. As to Nice, we have spent quite a few nights there in hotels (and on cruise stops) and have still to fully explore the city. On our last visit (this past May) we spent more than 3 hours just in the old town area enjoying the Flower Market and having a nice lunch (the fish soup in Nice is very famous). You are talking about visiting four cites (Cannes, Antives, Monte Carlo and Nice) plus two smaller villages (Eze and St Paul de Vence) in a single day. This makes the movie ("If its Tuesday it Must be Belgium") tame by comparison. By the way, you can plan on spending around 3 hours just driving between all these places.

 

 

Hank

 

Hank,

We are planning to take the train/bus option to St. Paul de Vence on December 1 (Solstice trans). What are your thoughts on the bus train mix on that date and what about Nice afterward on that date?

thanks

Jerry

[Hlitner]

If you are lucky the temperature in early Dec will be in the 50s which, for us, is preferable to the hot temperatures of the summer. Since it is not the high tourist season you should not have to worry about the bus being full when it stops at Cagnes sur Mer (this can be a problem in the busy summer months). I know the Flower Market in Nice runs on Tuesdays, but I am not sure about their schedule in the winter. But, if you get to Nice you should certainly spend some time walking the streets of the old town. Many of the cafes serve the fish soup which is a real specialty in Nice. It comes with croutons, aioli, and cheese (these 3 things are always on the side) and its fun trying to figure the best combination to use with the soup. If you are art museum fans Nice does have the Chagal Museum which is popular with many visitors. We also enjoy walking along the Promanade Anglais where we once had one of the best meals of our lives (Chanteclar Restaurant in the Negresco Hotel). At that time they had a Chef named Le Stanc who eventually got his Michelin stars and than quit to open a tiny place in old town. Its still a great restaurant but not affordable with the weak dollar :)

 

Hank

[alcman]

If you are lucky the temperature in early Dec will be in the 50s which, for us, is preferable to the hot temperatures of the summer. Since it is not the high tourist season you should not have to worry about the bus being full when it stops at Cagnes sur Mer (this can be a problem in the busy summer months). I know the Flower Market in Nice runs on Tuesdays, but I am not sure about their schedule in the winter. But, if you get to Nice you should certainly spend some time walking the streets of the old town. Many of the cafes serve the fish soup which is a real specialty in Nice. It comes with croutons, aioli, and cheese (these 3 things are always on the side) and its fun trying to figure the best combination to use with the soup. If you are art museum fans Nice does have the Chagal Museum which is popular with many visitors. We also enjoy walking along the Promanade Anglais where we once had one of the best meals of our lives (Chanteclar Restaurant in the Negresco Hotel). At that time they had a Chef named Le Stanc who eventually got his Michelin stars and than quit to open a tiny place in old town. Its still a great restaurant but not affordable with the weak dollar :)

 

Hank

 

Thank you very much. This is most helpfull.

Jerry

[CorgiGuy]

If you are lucky the temperature in early Dec will be in the 50s which, for us, is preferable to the hot temperatures of the summer. Since it is not the high tourist season you should not have to worry about the bus being full when it stops at Cagnes sur Mer (this can be a problem in the busy summer months). I know the Flower Market in Nice runs on Tuesdays, but I am not sure about their schedule in the winter. But, if you get to Nice you should certainly spend some time walking the streets of the old town. Many of the cafes serve the fish soup which is a real specialty in Nice. It comes with croutons, aioli, and cheese (these 3 things are always on the side) and its fun trying to figure the best combination to use with the soup. If you are art museum fans Nice does have the Chagal Museum which is popular with many visitors. We also enjoy walking along the Promanade Anglais where we once had one of the best meals of our lives (Chanteclar Restaurant in the Negresco Hotel). At that time they had a Chef named Le Stanc who eventually got his Michelin stars and than quit to open a tiny place in old town. Its still a great restaurant but not affordable with the weak dollar :)

 

Hank

 

Hi Hiltner(Hank),

 

Just as a side not to your post, this past September, we ate at Dominique Le Stanc's restaurant he opened in "Old Town", its' called La Merenda. It is small, cozy and you have to like being seated very close to the table next to you. The food was wonderful, it was a great example of dining on Nicoise specialties. Should we get back to Nice in the near future, will make sure to dine there again. Restaurant is located on 4 rue Terrasse.

 

Only problem with restaurant is that it has no phone.:eek: You have to go there mid-afternoon and make a reservation for that evening, then come back later to enjoy a wonderful meal & memory of Nice. It was worth having to make the addition stop to place your reservation. When you go to make a reservation, if there is a bike parked outside the restaurant, then you know he is there to take reservations.

 

Stay well,

 

Anthony

[Mark2]

Following up on a recommendation on this board (Jen) we organized a private tour of Monaco, Monte Carlo, Eze, Nice and St Paul de Vence with Revelation tours.

The driver met us at the pier. He drove us around and provided an informative narrative throughout. It was about 8 hours and we had time to walk around Eze, Nice, St Paul and Monte Carlo with some very picturesque views and photo stops along the way. We went to a number of small scenic lookouts where buses would not have stopped. We chose not to stop for a long lunch meal, but just had a quick meal along the way in Nice. We were in a van than can hold up to 8 people. You can tailor your tour based on your time available and what you want to see. Very professional and we recommend then highly. - http://www.revelation-tours.com

[Hlitner]

Hi Hiltner(Hank),

 

Just as a side not to your post, this past September, we ate at Dominique Le Stanc's restaurant he opened in "Old Town", its' called La Merenda. It is small, cozy and you have to like being seated very close to the table next to you. The food was wonderful, it was a great example of dining on Nicoise specialties. Should we get back to Nice in the near future, will make sure to dine there again. Restaurant is located on 4 rue Terrasse.

 

Only problem with restaurant is that it has no phone.:eek: You have to go there mid-afternoon and make a reservation for that evening, then come back later to enjoy a wonderful meal & memory of Nice. It was worth having to make the addition stop to place your reservation. When you go to make a reservation, if there is a bike parked outside the restaurant, then you know he is there to take reservations.

 

Stay well,

 

Anthony

 

Ahhh Anthony, now you have brought back a wonderful memory,

 

We envy you having eaten at Chef Le Stanc's restaurant. Of all the meals we have eaten throughout the world, our favorite meal of all time was at Chantecler (the Negresco Hotel) when Chef Le Stanc was the head chef. He worked hard to get that restaurant its 2nd star and we were the beneficiaries of his skill. At the time we knew he was an up and coming chef so we ordered the degustation (tasting menu) where Chef Le Stanc chose all of our courses. It was a memorable evening. A couple of years later Chef Le Stanc got tired of all the pressure of running a world-class restaurant and quit his job to open that small place in old town. On that note its time to go light the grill for our cheeseburgers :)

 

Hank

[Jenagain]

Following up on a recommendation on this board (Jen) we organized a private tour of Monaco, Monte Carlo, Eze, Nice and St Paul de Vence with Revelation tours.

The driver met us at the pier. He drove us around and provided an informative narrative throughout. It was about 8 hours and we had time to walk around Eze, Nice, St Paul and Monte Carlo with some very picturesque views and photo stops along the way. We went to a number of small scenic lookouts where buses would not have stopped. We chose not to stop for a long lunch meal, but just had a quick meal along the way in Nice. We were in a van than can hold up to 8 people. You can tailor your tour based on your time available and what you want to see. Very professional and we recommend then highly. - www.revelation-tours.com

 

Thanks for the follow up Mark - my tour is in about 3 weeks so I'm glad yours went well.