Port day in cannes

[Mrs Miggins]

Have read all your posts with interest - we are on Century arriving in Cannes on Sunday 25th October - I wonder if anyone can help - it looks like everyone recommends Nice but I was wondering if a train or taxi to Antibes might be a good way to spend the day. Juan les Pins is in my mind from the song 'where do you go to my lovely - from my youth) sounds very ritzy and exotic. We would want a really good place for lunch. Am I being silly and should we just go to Nice as recommended elsewhere.

On a previous cruise on our day in Villefranche we got the train into Bieulieu sur Mer and we thought that was lovely.

[Hlitner]

Have read all your posts with interest - we are on Century arriving in Cannes on Sunday 25th October - I wonder if anyone can help - it looks like everyone recommends Nice but I was wondering if a train or taxi to Antibes might be a good way to spend the day. Juan les Pins is in my mind from the song 'where do you go to my lovely - from my youth) sounds very ritzy and exotic. We would want a really good place for lunch. Am I being silly and should we just go to Nice as recommended elsewhere.

On a previous cruise on our day in Villefranche we got the train into Bieulieu sur Mer and we thought that was lovely.

 

A lady of my heart when you mention getting a nice lunch. We are always amazed at the number of folks who want to run all over Europe like jack rabbits but have no interest in a nice meal. After all, much of the culture of France and Italy is defined by their wonderful cuisine. I cannot speak of Juan les Pins since we have only been there one time and didn't stay long, but Antibes is a wonderful town for lunch and stroll along the marina. Unfortunately, since you will be in the area on a Sunday, most of the shops will be closed. Nice is nice, but again, most shops and boutiques are closed on Sundays although they do have a great flower market if you can get there before noon. Nice also has a wonderful old town (this is the area that hosts the flower market) where there are many excellent cafes and restaurants. As to Sundays, the place we recommend is St Paul de Vence since this is one of the places (Eze would be another) where just about everything is open on Sundays. In fact, Sundays are probably the busiest day of the week in St Paul de Vence.

[gbcruise]

Trying to work out a practical itinerary when we visit Cannes/Nice/Monte Carlo on Independence of the Seas.

We went to the Monte Carlo casino a couple of years ago, but didn't get in as we didn't have our passports. So, would like to go back to the casino. but also see Nice. I've looked at maps of the area, but can't see where the railway stations are in relation to the tender landing (Cannes), or the prom (Nice). Is it practical to get the train from Cannes to Nice, a look around - including a walk along the prom, then get the train from Nice to Monaco for casino, and then get back to Cannes - and the ship.

Ship moors in Cannes at 7.00am and leaves at 7.00pm

 

Would the above itinerary be practical with a port stop of 10am-5pm? If not should we eliminate Monte Carlo or Nice? OR should we stay in Cannes since the flea market will be open? Im assuming it may still be open on Dec 1st or is it seasonal?

[Hlitner]

Would the above itinerary be practical with a port stop of 10am-5pm? If not should we eliminate Monte Carlo or Nice? OR should we stay in Cannes since the flea market will be open? Im assuming it may still be open on Dec 1st or is it seasonal?

 

If you are only in Cannes from 10 to 5 than that itinerary is not very practical. The problem is that Cannes is a tender port which means it can easily take more than an hour to just get ashore. The train from Cannes to Monte Carlo takes about an hour each way, and in Monte Carlo the train station is not very central to the main tourist areas (you could use a local bus or taxi to save some time). We are not sure about the flea market in December, but to be honest we have never been very impressed with the Cannes flea market. Since the trains that run along the coast are basically local commuter trains, you do not need reservations (in fact, you cannot make reservations) or advance tickets. My advice would be to just be flexible and do what feels right at the time. If you are enjoying yourselves in Cannes, just stay there, relax, and have a nice lunch. If you find Cannes boring, take a train to Antibes (although Dec is very much out of season) or Nice....keeping in mind that will be very rushed. With a 5pm departure you would need to be at the tender pier in Cannes before 4:30 and it takes a good 20 -30 min to walk from the Cannes train station to the tender pier (if you can find a taxi it is 10 min).

 

Hank

[gbcruise]

Hank...you have me convinced that a day in Cannes can be very relaxing so that is now our plans. I feel their is so much to see along the French Riveria that a land trip will be in our future when at that time we can truly dedicate the time to it that it deserves.

[sunsetme]

day in cannes

had a lovely day in cannes, had a short day from 7 to 2 and it was very windy, but we

enjoyed it. <it is fun to walk around, there is plenty to see.

[Mrs Miggins]

Hlitner, thanks for advice for our Sunday in October - Have looked at Antibes again and I see that the Musee Picasso is open on Sunday so will visit that - not too worried if the shops are mostly closed just as long as we can get a good lunch !

One of the other travel websites is saying you can get a bus from Cannes to Antibes - would this be a good way instead of the train - wonder if the views might be better ? Have looked at various websites but cannot see where bus would leave from in Cannes ?

All the above assumes the weather is good - last time we tendered from Villefranche and the return to the ship on the tender was fairly hairy !

By the way we visited Cap Ferat and Beaulieu that time and we really enjoyed a visit to the beautiful Villa Kerylos which is a fantastic recreation of an ancient Greek House.

[Hlitner]

I really have no definitive clue as to the bus schedule along the coast (that would connect Cannes to Antibes) on Sundays. The local road that runs along the coast is the N98 (have driven this road quite a few times) and we do know there are regional buses that run along this road from town to town. I did find a French web site (in French of course) which shows that the drive would take about 25 min (it varies) and it looks like there are buses about every 20 minutes during weekdays, but, you can bet that there are fewer buses on Sundays. The good news is that you really do not need to do much planning for this journey. When you get to Cannes just check with the local tourist folks and they will tell you the bus number and where to go for the nearest bus stop. I believe these buses make multiple stops within Cannes so my best guess would be you can probably get the bus on the Croissette somewhere near the Palais des Festivals (this is just an educated guess). One of my major complaints about most cruise lines (and ships) is that they usually do not have any true expert aboard who can give detailed info to independent travelers. We were thrilled, when on our 26 day Noordam cruise this past April, to find that they had a real expert who actually had info like the local bus schedules. Years ago the cruise lines did a lot to help independent travelers, but now they do everything possible to sell their own overpriced tours and discourage any independent travel. We have even heard some port lecturers try to fighten passengers into booking the cruise line tours by telling them "its dangerous to go on your own," "you might miss the ship if you go on your own," etc etc. My answer to all of that is a simply HUMBUG!

 

Hank

[carlc2]

We have posted much on getting to St Paul de Vence. But, to make a long story short, just take the bus from Villefranche to the Nice bus station (Gare Routiere) where you can catch to bus that goes to St Paul de Vence (bus #400).

 

Hank

 

I am a little confused. How do I get from the Cannes port to Villefranche? Everything I see refers to Villefranche - is Villefranche the same thing as the Cannes Port?

[Mrs Miggins]

Cannes is about 40 Kilometres from Villefranche. I am on Century too (Oct 24th) and I understand they tender us into Cannes - Royal Caribbean on the other hand tender into Villefranche which is between Nice and Monaco.

Do you have Google - have a look at the map on the internet ? Very good and you can get in really close to check everything out.

Hope you have a good trip.

[Hlitner]

I am a little confused. How do I get from the Cannes port to Villefranche? Everything I see refers to Villefranche - is Villefranche the same thing as the Cannes Port?

 

EGADS! I fear we have contributed to your confusion. Cannes and Villefranche are two totally different places (about 30 miles apart) and are both used as cruise ports. Villefranche is a tender port a few miles east of Nice. Cannes is also a tender port, but it is about 25 miles west of Nice. There happens to be a regional train line that connects most of the towns along that coast including Cannes and Nice. It would be possible to take that same train line from Cannes to Villefranche (it takes about an hour), although its hard to imagine why you would want to go to Villefranche.

Hank

[carlc2]

EGADS! I fear we have contributed to your confusion. Cannes and Villefranche are two totally different places (about 30 miles apart) and are both used as cruise ports. Villefranche is a tender port a few miles east of Nice. Cannes is also a tender port, but it is about 25 miles west of Nice. There happens to be a regional train line that connects most of the towns along that coast including Cannes and Nice. It would be possible to take that same train line from Cannes to Villefranche (it takes about an hour), although its hard to imagine why you would want to go to Villefranche.

Hank

 

Thank you for clearing up the confusion. The reason I was wondering about villefranche is because all the directions I see to St. Paul de Vence were all from Villafrench, I have seen nothing on how to get to St. Paul De Vence from the Cannes port. We are going to be in Cannes on a Sunday are would really like to get to St. Paul De Vence if possible. What is the best way to get there? I see nothing on the boards and we are leaving in a week. Any help would be MUCH appreciated.

[archchic]

I'm interested in getting to the medieval village of Eze during our day in port. Did I read that correctly in an earlier post that it's possible to take a train from Cannes to Eze? I thought Eze was sort of on a mountain. I'd love to avoid a ship-run excursion if possible. Thanks.:rolleyes:

[Hlitner]

We have gone to St Paul de Vence from Cannes several times (even on a Sunday). We think the easiest way is to simply rent a car (Europcar is open on Sundays) in Cannes and just drive (about 40 min each way). It is also possible to do the journey in a similar manner as from Villefranche (train/bus). Just take the train from Cannes to Cagnes sur Mer (this is the stop right before the Nice Cote d'Azur airport) where you can than catch the local bus (this bus starts at the Gare Routiere in Nice) the last few miles to St Paul de Vence. The only possible problem with this plan is if that bus happens to be full when it gets to Cagnes sur Mer, the driver will probably just drive right on by without stopping. This situation is rare, but it can and does happen.

 

Hank

[Hlitner]

I'm interested in getting to the medieval village of Eze during our day in port. Did I read that correctly in an earlier post that it's possible to take a train from Cannes to Eze? I thought Eze was sort of on a mountain. I'd love to avoid a ship-run excursion if possible. Thanks.:rolleyes:

 

Well, you can take a train from Eze to the Eze/Bord sur Mer stop which along the coast just below the village of Eze (this stop is between Nice and Monte Carlo). From that small train stop, you can than catch the local bus which runs from the train station up to the village. The only issue with this plan is that the bus does not always run on a schedule that is very compatible with the train, in which case you might want to than get a taxi.

 

Hank

[cruisingallover]

thanks will take this info with me on Cannes

[sawsea27]

hank thanks for all the info...

 

we will try and do cannes and nice in one day...

 

will go to nice first..then head back...