Nice to Monte Carlo and what to see

[CPT Trips]

We’ll be in Nice for a couple of days and want to visit Monte Carlo. I’m looking for confirmation that getting there and back is as easy as it seems. Also looking for advice on sites to visit, public transit, and possibly guides in Monte Carlo.

[marazul]

Nice-MC is a short ride on the very frequent commuter trains.  In Monaco, go visit the old Town, Prince's Palace and Oceanographic museum. Take a taxi to Montecarlo (or buses or walk) and wander around the Place du Casino.  You could actually ask the taxi driver to drive you around that area and take you back to the station.

[CPT Trips]

Thank you for the advice

 

[Hlitner]

You have a few choices with somewhat different results.  If you take the train (between Nice and MC) you will spend a lot of the short trip in tunnels!  Driving in a taxi (or rental car) is fine and it does give you the option of choosing the route (whether to drive along the coast or perhaps the Moyenne Corniche (middle road) which gives you some higher views and also goes past Eze Village (a great place to explore for a couple of hours).  A third and inexpensive option is to simply take the public bus (#100) which runs along the lower road (near the coast).  When we have the time we love to take the bus since it is less costly then the train and offers some very nice views.  The public buses are in excellent condition, safe, and being slightly higher with large windows really suits watching the scenery.

 

Hank 

[CPT Trips]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

You have a few choices with somewhat different results.  If you take the train (between Nice and MC) you will spend a lot of the short trip in tunnels!  Driving in a taxi (or rental car) is fine and it does give you the option of choosing the route (whether to drive along the coast or perhaps the Moyenne Corniche (middle road) which gives you some higher views and also goes past Eze Village (a great place to explore for a couple of hours).  A third and inexpensive option is to simply take the public bus (#100) which runs along the lower road (near the coast).  When we have the time we love to take the bus since it is less costly then the train and offers some very nice views.  The public buses are in excellent condition, safe, and being slightly higher with large windows really suits watching the scenery.

 

Hank 

Thank you.

We planned to take the train from Nice as “you can’t be too early.” The bus back sounds like a good idea. Are there times when either of these modes particularly crowded? Is the bus back to Nice easy to find?

 

Edited November 5, 2021 by CPT Trips

[Hlitner]

17 minutes ago, CPT Trips said:

Thank you.

We planned to take the train from Nice as “you can’t be too early.” The bus back sounds like a good idea. Are there times when either of these modes particularly crowded? Is the bus back to Nice easy to find?

 

Not always and it depends where you are in town.  When I get some time I will look for a link to the bus schedules which also have a list (they might also have a map) of the bus stops.   The #100 bus does have multiple stops in both Nice and Monte Carlo but this ole memory does not recall the actual streets.  Perhaps one of the other posters (Marazul.....where are you?) could post the detailed info and save me a few minutes :).

 

Hank

[marazul]

19 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Not always and it depends where you are in town.  When I get some time I will look for a link to the bus schedules which also have a list (they might also have a map) of the bus stops.   The #100 bus does have multiple stops in both Nice and Monte Carlo but this ole memory does not recall the actual streets.  Perhaps one of the other posters (Marazul.....where are you?) could post the detailed info and save me a few minutes :).

 

Hank

Sorry, Marazul doesn't take the bus.  😉  We used to take the train back when we lived there and now we only rent a car.

 

I really recommend visiting Eze before or after MC and that only works well by car. The trains run along the Lower Corniche and can't stop at the village which is higher up the mountain.  There is a hiking track if you are into mountain climbing.

 

In general, the trains are fuller at rush hours, but you can always get a seat.

Edited November 6, 2021 by marazul

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, marazul said:

Sorry, Marazul doesn't take the bus.  😉  We used to take the train back when we lived there and now we only rent a car.

 

I really recommend visiting Eze before or after MC and that only works well by car. The trains run along the Lower Corniche and can't stop at the village which is higher up the mountain.  There is a hiking track if you are into mountain climbing.

 

In general, the trains are fuller at rush hours, but you can always get a seat.

Ahhh, so now we no a secret (you don't take the bus)  :).  I completely agree with you about going to Eze  and simply renting a car but many here on CC (and on cruises) refuse to rent a car in a foreign country.  For those folks the bus is an option.  Sometimes I feel like the lone voice suggesting that renting cars in many European ports is a terrific option (and less expensive then excursions).

 

And I will share a secret (shhhhhh).  Over the years we have sometimes used buses around the Nice-MC area including the previously mentioned #100  (we have also used the #400 from Nice to St Paul de Vence).  There have been a few times when we did not want to stop at Eze (a favorite place of ours along with St Paul de Vence) and simply wanted to spend a day in Nice to visit the Flower Market and adjacent Old Town area.  Taking the train from MC made no sense since the Nice train station is a long distance from the Flower Market.  But the bus has a stop that is a lot closer so that #100 bus made a lot of sense.   I would add that when we do go to Eze we try to get there are lunch time since there are a few cute cafes/restaurants in town.

 

Hank

 

 

[marazul]

3 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Ahhh, so now we no a secret (you don't take the bus)  :).  I completely agree with you about going to Eze  and simply renting a car but many here on CC (and on cruises) refuse to rent a car in a foreign country.  For those folks the bus is an option.  Sometimes I feel like the lone voice suggesting that renting cars in many European ports is a terrific option (and less expensive then excursions).

 

And I will share a secret (shhhhhh).  Over the years we have sometimes used buses around the Nice-MC area including the previously mentioned #100  (we have also used the #400 from Nice to St Paul de Vence).  There have been a few times when we did not want to stop at Eze (a favorite place of ours along with St Paul de Vence) and simply wanted to spend a day in Nice to visit the Flower Market and adjacent Old Town area.  Taking the train from MC made no sense since the Nice train station is a long distance from the Flower Market.  But the bus has a stop that is a lot closer so that #100 bus made a lot of sense.   I would add that when we do go to Eze we try to get there are lunch time since there are a few cute cafes/restaurants in town.

 

Hank

 

 

Well, Hank, this is turning into To Tell the Truth.  😁

 

Actually, the distance to the station depends on which hotel you are staying in.  Going to the station also lets people see a part of Nice that many neglect because they just stay around the Flower Market.

https://www.google.com/maps/search/Gare+de+Nice,+France/@43.699617,7.2694376,16z?hl=en

 

The direct route to the station would take you up the pedestrian street Ave. Jean Médecin (a former mayor of Nice), which is the main shopping street of Nice. The tram also runs up the Avenue, so you could take it to near the station. 

 

The very first store you see in the Ave. Jean Médecin is the beautiful building of the Galeries Lafayette and it continues all the way past the Basilica of Notre Dame.  Right by the Galeries Lafayette is the beautiful Place Masséna with its Jaume Pensa sculptures on top of lampposts.  The Place Masséna is adjacent to the Promenade du Paillon, the wide, long park that goes up from the sea towards the mountains, and which has the Modern Art Museum and the Congress Palace, and my favorite modern building, the Tête Carrée (Square Head), which is the headquarters of the Nice Public Library.  The Paillon is the name of a river that now runs underground under the Promenade.  

 

From the Place Masséna, you can go across the Promenade and into the back streets of Old Nice, which people seldom see and which has great bistros.  From there you can go visit the Cathedral or the Palais Lascaris, or simply wind your way to the Opera House and the Flower Market.

 

Edited November 6, 2021 by marazul

[Hawaiidan]

On 10/31/2021 at 9:43 AM, CPT Trips said:

We’ll be in Nice for a couple of days and want to visit Monte Carlo. I’m looking for confirmation that getting there and back is as easy as it seems. Also looking for advice on sites to visit, public transit, and possibly guides in Monte Carlo.

Rent a car....  take the D6202      up to see Gorges Verdon, Cilans, Darlius... fantastic fremch mountains, gorges, ledge roads  the works and easy day of 9-10 hours    see attached photos

[mort&fran]

If you go to Monte Carlo, I concur with everyone who has recommended the 100 bus. (Don’t take to the #110 express. And sit on the right side heading East from Nice, and on the left returning.)

[marazul]

On 1/3/2022 at 2:38 PM, Hawaiidan said:

Rent a car....  take the D6202      up to see Gorges Verdon, Cilans, Darlius... fantastic fremch mountains, gorges, ledge roads  the works and easy day of 9-10 hours    see attached photos

This is a great suggestion for people staying in the area for a few days.  The gorges are spectacular and well worth visiting. The route ends in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, a beautiful mountain village with wonderful potteries. 

 

This is a FULL DAY drive.  To drive from Nice to the Gorges de Cians, to the Gorges de Daluis, then to Castellane, the Gorges du Verdon and on to Moustiers takes 5 hours ONE WAY.  One can simplify the trip by only driving to Castellane, the Gorges du Verdon and Moustiers in 3 hours ONE WAY.  The return from Moustiers to Nice would add over 2 hours.  All these roads are "D" roads: winding, 2-lane mountain roads, but all in excellent condition as seen in your pictures. 

 

If you have the time, you could stay in Moustiers overnight and return to Nice by way of Frejus, Saint-Raphael and the shore drive along the Esterel.  That would take about 4 hours.  

[John Bull]

On 11/5/2021 at 1:22 PM, Hlitner said:

When we have the time we love to take the bus since it is less costly .......................

 

Hank 

 Hah - I always knew you were a cheapskate, Hank 😜 

Pennies different, my old mucker - especially for someone who insists on drinking the expensive black stuff from Ireland. 😉

 

CPT - You'll actualy be tendered in to Villefranche-sur-mer. The train station is at the other end of the waterfront in this pleasant & attractive little town.

I know as much about the buses as marazul - which is not-a-lot.

In Monte Carlo, the Oceanography centre & Royal Palace are at the top of a long & steep hill - probably best, if you're as lazy as me, to take a taxi from the station. Great views over the town & bay from up there. The walk down is a lot easier than the walk up.

The rest of the town is pretty compact & easily walkable. We've driven the Grand Prix course (within the limitations of the one-way system), and when we visited by cruise ship it was during the week leading up to the GP so we walked the course - it's only about 2 miles & passes by the important places like the casino & the waterfront gin-palaces.

If it's still running, there's a little land-train which starts & finishes at the Oceanography centre & tours the town - but it's not a hop-on/off service. 

Next time we visit by cruise ship we'll rent a car for a more scenic route from Villefranche-sur-mer as described by others on this thread

 

JB 🙂

[Hlitner]

JB.

I resemble that remark :).  Good to see you are still lurking here.  Perhaps the day is not too far away when BJ will allow you to venture further from your lair.   This evening I will toast you with a glass of that wonderful black brew.

 

Hank

[CPT Trips]

Wow! It’s been a while since I stopped by and I see a lot of new information and a lot to consider. Thanks all.

We fall into the cheapskate category. 
I anticipate docking in Nice. We’ll be on a 50 pax ship, Length: 193 feet, Beam: 35 feet, Draft: 10 feet and only about 1,200 ton. https://www.gct.com/about/leader-in-river-cruising/our-fleet/mv-athena.

DW doesn’t enjoy being a passenger/navigator in a scenic area. She asserts that I spend too much time looking at the scenery and not enough at the road. 🤷🏻‍♂️🙄