Villefranche taxi stand?

My husband and I will be in Villefranche on May 22 and would like to know if there is a taxi stand at the port. If not at the port, does anyone know where it is? Thank you.

I seem to remember seeing one close by, but here is a map. One is shown by the port exit.

http://www.villefranche-sur-mer.com/pages/plan/planville.html

Bonjour,

there is a taxi stand in Villefranche - but not many taxi drivers live there or wait there. I wouldn't RELY on simply rolling up and finding one as on a normal day there is rarely a taxi there - but I'm not certain if one or two turn up for the ships. The rank only holds a couple of cars and cannot be seen from where the tender docks - but is just a few yards away.

There is a very rare bus service that comes right down into town but if you walk about 20 minutes or so up to the top of town there is the main bus route (100) that will take you to either Monte Carlo one way (with everything in between) or Nice the other. There's a train staition at Villefranche which will take you to the same places but is somewhat unsuitable for Nice as the station in Nice is a long walk from anything interesting.

Jeff

Thank you.

We were thinking of catching a taxi(if possible) to take us to the Rothchild Villa in Cap Ferret. Has anyone been there and if so how did you get there? Thank you again.

This is one of our favorite places in the south of France. We've been there twice and would go again and again and again. The house and gardens overlook the sea on both sides - perhaps the best view of the French coast. The gardens are spectacular, and you could spend a long time in this serene setting. The house is filled with high quality art and furnishings. There is a lovely tea/lunch room not to be missed.

It's not far from Villefranche, but too far to walk. We've always had a rental car. I hope you can find a taxi, it shouldn't be too expensive. Perhaps you can go the the Villefranche web site and find one to prearrange to meet you. There also is plenty to do just walking around town.

FLJudi

Thank you.

We were thinking of catching a taxi(if possible) to take us to the Rothchild Villa in Cap Ferret. Has anyone been there and if so how did you get there? Thank you again.

I agree with Judi that this a part of what many feel the best place in the world! I also agree that it's a longish walk but I'd qualify the previous post by saying if you were spending most of the day doing this then a walk to the Villa if you're reasonably fit is perfectly possible and would be delightful and can be combined with a walk to Kerylos, Cap Ferrat and Beaulieu which is nearby. The time from ship to Villa is around 45 minutes to an hour leisurely walk. It's much further (4 to 5 times the distance) by road which is why some have the impression it's further than it is. The walk is around the bay and past some wonderful Riviera properties.

I just want to emphasise to you that I think it unlikely that you will get a taxi at Villefranche by finding one just as you get off. If you were first off I'd put your chances at not much greater than 50/50. I've rented property often in Villefranche and Cap and know these villages very well.

A couple of other links may be of interest and help to you.

This discusses a bit more about the immediate vacinity and other things to do that you could combine with Ephrussi.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com./showthread.php?t=151878

and this is the ephrussi web page.

http://www.villa-ephrussi.com/ephrussi/home_en.htm

Jeff

Thank you for your help. I agree that finding a taxi will be very difficult especially since we are in port the day of the Grand Prix and the Cannes Festival.I imagine that all the roads will be crowded and no one really wants to walk 45 min. We will have to come up with another option.I appreciate your comments.

Jeff,

I read with interest your comments on walking from the cruise ship to the Rothschild villa. My wife and I will be on the same ship as is Cruising Diva, and we'd very much like to make the walk. Is it as straight-forward as it seems? If we stay at the water's edge, is it obvious how to stay on the correct route? I doubt we'd entertain any idea of going all the way around Cap Ferrat, but looking at some of the maps (couldn't find many that worked), it appears that one arrives at Beaulieu Sur Mer without going onto the Cap. Would a tourist information office be open in Villefranche on a Sunday (especially with a cruise ship in port) and would they have a local map which would show the relationship of the various towns and points of interest?

Thanks for any help,

Bruce

Another simple way to do it is to take the train one stop to Beaulieu and then walk around the waters edge either to Cap Ferrat or to a path that goes up to the Villa before you go all the way to the Cap. You may have to ask someone to point out the path but it is about a 10-15 walk once you begin to walk along the waters edge. It is a lovely walk.Also when we were there there was a petit train that came down fairly close to the port(I think near the taxi stand) and it went to Beaulieu. I have read about taking the bus but did not know where to get it. Thanks for the info that we have to go to the top of the town. Also, for what it is worth we heard from fellow cruisers who took a taxi from Nice to VilleFranche that the driver would not ocme own to the port and made them get out up the hill.

Hi all,

To reply to some of the questions and points made. As the tourist office seems rarely open during the week I doubt it will open at weekends. The french have different ways to us!

I hate to correct other posts but I know this area very well indeed and can say that the distance of the walk from Beaulieu station to the Villa is either pretty much the same or if anything slightly longer than from the ship to the Villa. You have to walk half way round the bay and go up some very steep steps to get to Villefranch station, you then have to wait for a stopping train and go one stop, and the station in Beaulieu is in the middle of the town and is roughly the same distance from "The Point" or beach as pretty much the distance from Villefranche station to "The Point" or beach. The coastal path route which you'll see from the map means walking past the villa and taking meandering paths back that is if you can find them. So taking a train makes absolutely no sense to me.

The buses that link Villefranche to Beaulieu (from where the boat is) use to run half a dozen times a day or so. But now they seem to have stopped completely. The local bus service (use to be called Sun Bus now Ligne dazur) - all short distance buses are shown on this map (pdf format). If you look at the bottom right you'll see Villefranche and there are now no buses that come down into the village by the waters edge. It's a ten minute uphill walk to where the bsues currently appear to stop ie at Octroi.

http://www.lignedazur.com/ftp/FR_plan/Nice%20Centre%20a%2097.pdf

The bad news was that the old service that came right down into Villefranche appears to have been discontinued (This was line 117) and replaced with 81 which stays at the tope of the village alongside the express bus 100 if they want a coastal bus.

http://www.lignedazur.com/ftp/lignes/81.pdf

This means that everyone can basically use the 100 service

There isn't a path from Beaulieu to the Villa that Cadreamer mentions. There is a wonderful coastal path from which you can see the villa above you. From the comment he made about both the distance and a path - there is a path to another attraction called Kerylos and I wonder whether there might be some confusion. There's a path around the Cap - referred to in the other thread I linked to but even though you can see the Villa from the path I predict most people would not find the entrance to the Villa with ease, whereas finding it from Villefranch is easy. If you have a look at the map below you'll see that the paths referred to meander quite a lot and you'd not find your way up from Beaulieu easily unless you take the route I suggest below.

SO ......... take heart and ignore all of the complications. My suggestion is simple and a great walk as long as you can take a walk that includes some steps.

When you get off of the ship you keep the water on your right and walk all aroung the bay. You'll pass restaurants - the last one on the land side (your left) from memory is called Carapacio (good fish and feu de bois for the Pizza). You'll walk past a small beach on your right with the odd bar (both sides). There's a simple bar that serves good coffee on your left here painted white with seats and tables outside. A good place to stop to soak it in and have an early beer or coffee and armagnac.

A few hundred yards further on you'll be at the end of the beach and in a car park area. There's stairs on your left which you take. At the top you don't turn either left or right but carry on walking past some of the most expensive houses which are on the waters edge and are on your right, and on the left is the train track and tennis courts. A few hundred yards further you'll be at an intersection called "The Point". There's a sign saying that Cap Ferrat and the Villa to your right. You follow the road for 15 minutes (sometimes a narrow pavement and the Villa is on your left before your reach Cap village.

A map you can print where if you look carefully you'll see the villa is here:

http://www.restaurantsloop.com/carte_sloop.pdf

http://www.villa-ephrussi.com/ephrussi/informations/uk_informations_1.htm

You carry on walking into Cap and before you get to it the Villa is on your left. This simple map shows the layout and if you want to see some other things to do and make a day of it I suggest you see the other thread. If this is the time of the Grand Prix I suggest you avoid the whole notion of public transport or taxis out of Villefranche which I'd say would be very difficult if not impossible. But a leisurely day walking the area will keep you away from it and will be wonderful.

http://www.villa-ephrussi.com/ephrussi/informations/uk_informations_1.htm

If you want lunch I suggest you read the other thread where I suggested some experiences that I'll promise will stay with you.

Happy to help suggest anything not covered by these threads ie this thread and

http://boards.cruisecritic.com./showthread.php?t=151878

Jeff

Thank you to everyone for the wonderful information. These boards are excellent and helpful. I think we will wander around Villefranche and perhaps take the walk to the villa. Whatever we decide, I know it will be a great day.

Jeff, I stand corrected and hope folks will follow your directions which obviously come from a very informed source. I was referring to the path up from the route along the water but I would agree that we may have been lucky to find somesone who pointed it out to us. It was not marked.

Now I have a question for you. This time our ship is going into Monte Carlo(in the Fall). We are thinking of taking the bus(is it also the #100 )from Monte Carlo to Cap Ferrat. If we do that where do we get off to go to the Ephrussi Villa and what are the directions from the bus stop? Also, do you know where we get the bus in MonteCarlo. It looks like the #100 stops at the Port .Thanks so much.

I suggest you print off and take the following with you:

100 bus map:

http://www.rca.tm.fr/ftp/FR_plan/ligne100.pdf?plan=%2Fftp%2FFR_plan%2Fligne100.pdf

Each of the bus shelters has the name of the stop on the side. You'll need to get off at the Pont do St Jean.

and the map of villefranche:

http://www.restaurantsloop.com/carte_sloop.pdf

The Pont do St Jean is at the top of the map where it has Monaco and an arrow and the "a" on "av Jean is roughly where you get off of the bus. They run every 20 minutes and you just get of the ship and the bus stop is just by a mini roundabout. Make sure you take a bus with Nice rather than Menton on the front.

Enjoy the day.

Jeff

Thanks Jeff.That is really helpful. It looks like - if we get off the bus there we will have to walk along the water and hope to again find the "path" I guess we will need some luck again:>) Do you recommend the train from Monte Carlo or stick with the bus? Thanks again.

The bus - not the train.

If you get off of the bus at the bus stop called 'eglise (just by La Reserve Hotel) at Beaulieu you'll find the sea front and the path you're looking for.

Jeff

Thanks Jeff. We will follow your advice. You have been very helpful.

For anyone who happens to read this thread, we did the walking "tour" just as Jeff described, from the Galaxy on May 30th, and his advice and description were "spot on."

It's a long walk, but very doable, and the Villa and the gardens make a nice do-it-yourself experience.

Bruce