St. Paul du Vence from Monte Carlo

[dalgirl]

We had planned to take an excursion to St. Paul du Vence on our cruise last year, but it was canceled due to lack of interest. We are returning to the area again next year. Is it possible to go on your own from Monte Carlo? thanks!

[Cruise Junky]

definitely possible. You need to take either the train or bus to Nice and then take the bus to St. Paul de Vence from Nice. You can search this site, there's tons of info on the bus system. I'm very excited, we're back in France again in June and I just booked 3 nights in SPDV, absolutely love it!!

[Hambagahle]

It would be really easy to rent a car for the day and drive up there. There is a Hertz office on the blvd Albert 1er, right next to the little port.

[Hlitner]

We would agree with the previous post about renting a car. Using the bus (from Nice) does take quite a lot of time. You first need to get the Nice Routiere bus station which can take nearly an hour (including time waiting for the bus) if you use the bus. You than need to wait for the bus to St Paul de Vence which usually runs about every 45 min. That bus makes a lot of stops as it passes through Nice which adds to the time. If you rent a car in Monte Carlo you can be in St Paul de Vence in less than an hour and there is a very convenient parking garage just past the city entrance. The car also makes it easy to stop at Eze on the return part of the drive, where there is also convenient parking right at the village entrance.

 

Hank

[dalgirl]

The car does sound like the way to go. Any recommendations on where to check out cars, navigation, costs, etc? thanks, you guys are always so helpful.

[Hlitner]

When it comes to renting cars its always wise to reserve in advance from home. You generally have no obligation so you can always change your mind. We tend to stick with the major companies (Europcar, Hertz, Avis and Budget) and you need to carefully check for the downtown location and the hours. Most rental car dealers are closed on Sundays. As a general rule we expect to spend about $120 for a rental car and gas. It is a good idea to rent a GPS (unless you own one with European maps) and always make sure you save the location of the rental car dealer. It can be tricky to get back to the various rental car offices in Monte Carlo (and Cannes) because of one-way streets so the GPS is worth the few dollars. Since we do a lot of driving in Europe we finally bought our own GPS (a Garmin Nuvi) and it probably saved my marriage since my DW is a lousy map reader :)

 

Hank

[Cruise Junky]

. Since we do a lot of driving in Europe we finally bought our own GPS (a Garmin Nuvi) and it probably saved my marriage since my DW is a lousy map reader :)

 

Hank

 

I bought that for DH this year for Christmas, can't wait to try it out in France next year!

[dalgirl]

I realized that we will be in France on All Saints Day next year and sent an email to the the St. Paul du Vence tourism site. this was their response:

"In October, most of the shops and of the restaurants will be open but the “low season” usually starts with November, until Christmas holiday. During that period, a part of the shops and restaurants will be on annual closure. The Local History Museum and the White Penitents Chapel will be also on annual closure on all November."

I thought there may be others searching for this info and wanted to share. I think I will stick to Nice this trip. What a bummer, two cruises to the med in two years and still having to put off St. Paul du Vence:(

[CintiPam]

I realized that we will be in France on All Saints Day next year and sent an email to the the St. Paul du Vence tourism site. this was their response:

 

"In October, most of the shops and of the restaurants will be open but the “low season” usually starts with November, until Christmas holiday. During that period, a part of the shops and restaurants will be on annual closure. The Local History Museum and the White Penitents Chapel will be also on annual closure on all November."

 

I thought there may be others searching for this info and wanted to share. I think I will stick to Nice this trip. What a bummer, two cruises to the med in two years and still having to put off St. Paul du Vence:(

 

As the response indicated, the low season begins in many Med destinations November 1; consider traveling in May or September for your next Med visit, avoiding the mobs and heat of July and August, but still with much available.

 

Enjoy your cruise!