Villefranche / Monte Carlo / Nice

[Mombak]

My family (myself, wife, daughter, mother, father) will have a port day in Villefranche, but have a couple of questions for the experts out there...

 

But before the questions, here's my preamble:

 

My father is a HUGE F1 fan and has always dreamed of seeing the course in Monte Carlo. Although seeing the palace/casino would be nice, we're prepared to forgo Monte Carlo because we're not sure if both Monte Carlo and Nice are possible.

 

My wife and I were in Nice for our honeymoon in 2002. Unfortunately, it wasn't by choice. We were the victims of one of the infamous Italian train strikes while on our way to Venice. We spent one night in Nice, but spent most of our time trying to find some way to Venice. Some, but most likely not enough, sightseeing was done.

 

This is the first cruise my wife and I are taking, but we're old hats at traveling the train/bus systems in Europe, so no fear with traveling on our own from place to place. On the other hand, this is my parents' first sortie into Europe.

 

Our ship arrives at 7am and leaves at 6pm.

 

Now the questions:

 

1. Is the routing of Villefranche - Monte Carlo - Nice reasonable? Would this give us enough time to see the exteriors of the palace and casino, and the F1 "course" in Monte Carlo before visiting Nice? What's an adequate time period to (quickly) see the sights of Monte Carlo?

 

2. Is there anywhere else you would suggest? (My wife and I were in Avignon before attempting to travel to Venice)

 

3. Should we just do Nice by itself?

 

Thanks for any comments and/or suggestions...

[sddsddean]

First off, I would say you have got to do one or the other as they are in opposite directions. We went to Monaco last May (the week before the GP). Plan was to train there and bus back, but the French train drivers decided to have a strike that day(!), so plan B, up to the bus stop to catch the bus to Monaco. I think it cost €1.50 (or less) for the 40 minute trip to Monaco. We had time to walk up to the palace, walk down past the cathedral and gardens by the oceanagraphic museum and walk round a fair bit of the GP course. As I said, we went the week before the GP and there were barriers and chain link fences everywhere. We talked to a lady who lives ther and she said it takes them 12 weeks to put everything up and 6 weeks to take it all down again, so bear this in mind. GP is usually the 2nd Sunday in May. We got the bus back to the ship and started queueing at the bus stop by the information kiosk about 2pm, but due to the train strike and the imminent GP, the buses were packed; so we walked back up the bus route to catch it at an earlier stop and we still had to wait until about 3.30 to get a bus (in fact a US couple and us almost got a taxi back to the ship...would have done if a bus hadn't come along). We passed loads of 'cruisers' trying to get back and I think the ship delayed departure for 90 mins or so as so many were late getting back. I'm just saying all this as a heads up to be aware of local conditions and allow for them.

 

Simon

[Mombak]

Thanks for the reply.

 

One thing I failed to mention: We won't be going FOR the Grand Prix (or any time close to it: early December) -- my dad just wants to see the streets they race on. He's seen them so many times on TV, he wants to be able to say he was "there" (he also uses his computer to race his virtual F1 speedster along a pseudo Monte Carlo course). Yes, he's obsessed. :)

 

The fact that the two cities are in opposite directions is one of the reasons I was concerned whether it was possible.

 

Any place in the Monte Carlo direction you'd visit? Eze? Given the choice between Monte Carlo and Eze or Nice alone, which would you choose?

 

I'm completely undecided. :( We've seen a bit of Nice, and it was nice, but if we could do Monte Carlo plus someplace just as good as Nice, I think my parents and wife would be just as happy....

 

Comments?

[sddsddean]

Lots of people go to Eze as well, but we didn't, so I can't comment on it. Personally, I would pick Monte Carlo over Nice as I think there is more to 'see'. If its a plus point, we found the public loos in Monaco were the cleanest we've ever seen. You could eat your dinner off the floor...well, almost!!

 

Simon

[CintiPam]

If you do decide to go to Nice, be sure to visit the Flower Market in Old Nice and the excellent Chagall Museum, small, but designed by the artist himself and truly lovely.

 

We docked in Monaco last month, and decided to spend most of our day in France, after a quick drive around the Formula One circuit, seeing the exteriors of the Palace, Casino and cathedral, probably 30 minutes max. That was more than enough for us; we simply had no interest in the glitz of Monaco.

 

We enjoyed spending most of our day in the older, to us more charming towns in France, such as St. Paul du Vence.

 

It really is a matter of personal taste.

[Roma Belle]

We docked in Monaco last Sept. and spent half of the day there and took the train (about 10 minutes) to Eze and took a bus to the village. We did have some time before the bus came and headed down to the beach for a little while. We ended up with more than enough time to get back to the ship, had a very late lunch, and played mini golf before we sailed.

 

I thought Eze was very charming.

[RenieRaider]

I'm just saying all this as a heads up to be aware of local conditions and allow for them.

 

Simon

 

Good Tip!

[texancruzer]

We tendered in Villefranche on our first cruise to Europe.

 

We did all of the places.......Nice, Eze, Monte Carlo/Monaco with the ships tour...... I know I know..... we don't usually take them either. But decided to take this one as it gave us all the places on our list...... First to Nice (free time to wander there - but not alot as we were there the day the French Prez was and we had streets blocked off etc....we did get to see him up close and personal tho....about 2 feet away :eek:) then to Eze and free time there to wander, shop etc. Had lunch there at the White Horse Restaurant (included in tour price) which was very good ! Then to Monte Carlo where we went to the "rock" first and had plenty of free time there. Saw the Palace, the Cathedral (buriel place of Princess Grace etc) then a short visit to the Jacques Cousteau Oceanagraphic Museum (which we loved) before joining the tour again. Then to the city area and some went to the casino while we chose to do a small amt of shopping and then coffee and crepes at the Cafe de Paris right outside the casino and people watched ! So very full day but very easy too as we did not have to worry about train schedules etc..... and lots of free time to do as we wished in all the locations. We do not "do" tours where we have to stay with the group and do stuff we don't care to. But those with "free time" work great. Not sure if your parents have any mobility issues etc... but our bus took us almost right to the areas with elevators/escalators in Monte Carlo (it is hilly!) so minimal walking. Not no walking - minimal.

 

Just an option you might want to consider......

[ILoveScotland]

A few years ago a group of us on our Roll Call booked a private tour that included a bit of Nice, a visit to a winery near St. Paul de Vence, a visit and lunch in St. Paul and then a drive over to and around Monte Carlo. Our driver/guide was Sylvia. I was the one who booked with her, and together we all determined what we wanted to see.

 

Having a private guide meant we covered more territory than we could have on our own, and since there were only 8 (actually 7 as DH couldn't go at the last minute) of us we got lots of good information about the area as well.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

The last poster suggested a private guide, and I am going to suggest that too, if you can find the right one. I'm betting that a private guide, who knows about the GP course, could *drive* you around the course. I'm sure your father would be thrilled with that.

 

With a guide, you could do Monaco and Eze, not sure about Nice. I much prefer Nice myself to MC, but given your father's addiction, I say, give him what he wants! With four of you, it might be a decent deal.

[CintiPam]

The last poster suggested a private guide, and I am going to suggest that too, if you can find the right one. I'm betting that a private guide, who knows about the GP course, could *drive* you around the course. I'm sure your father would be thrilled with that.

 

With a guide, you could do Monaco and Eze, not sure about Nice. I much prefer Nice myself to MC, but given your father's addiction, I say, give him what he wants! With four of you, it might be a decent deal.

 

Our guide last month on our port day in Monaco did exactly that: first thing after she picked us (and our other six fellow roll call participants) up, she suggested that we drive around the course and a few other of the famous spots in Monaco before we set off for France (visiting the Chagall Museum in Nice, St. Paul du Vence, etc.)

[canucks4]

I like Texancruzer's idea - do it all! I look at the cruiseline's tours and if it suits me, i.e. what I want to do, where I want to go, and to my convenience then I'll book it. I have no problem booking ship tours nor booking private, sometimes the ship is able to provide me with a more suitable choice. In this case, I'm with Texas!!

 

That's one port down, only seven more to go!

[texancruzer]

I like Texancruzer's idea - do it all! I look at the cruiseline's tours and if it suits me, i.e. what I want to do, where I want to go, and to my convenience then I'll book it. I have no problem booking ship tours nor booking private, sometimes the ship is able to provide me with a more suitable choice. In this case, I'm with Texas!!

 

That's one port down, only seven more to go!

 

Yep.....thats our philosophy ! In Europe many of the ports are a l-o-n-g way from the cities (ie: Livorno-Florence) and while we normally like to do our own thing (mostly rent cars) on our first trip we just wanted an easy option. Many of our ports were that way on that itinerary. We did not want to bother about train schedules, or maps to drive etc etc....so we used the ships tours in quite a few of our ports. Mostly the ones that were "on your own" which was a bus ride to where we wanted to go with a bit of history and background thrown in on the ride by a guide. Then when we got there you had X amount of free time to whatever. We did go very late in the season so there was no traffic, no crowds or lines and we most of the buses were not full which made them even nicer.

 

Now....our last cruise (2 months ago) we did most ports DIY. Most of our ports were "right there" ports docking or tendering right into town.

 

You do see sooooo many posts about not taking ships tours....but sometimes it just works.

[Danish]

We were tendering in Villefrance July 10th. We had decided only to go to Monaco (has earliere been in both Nice, Cannes and Monaco, and I would prefer Monaco). We were a little late from ship (about 10.00), and took the train from Villefrance to Monaco. BUT the trains at the French Riveria are terrible. They are totally overcrowed, and not all trains stopped at Villefrance. We arrived to Monaco about 11.30. Walked to the Casino, eat lunch by the habour, and when went up to the Castle. We were supposed to leave Monaco about 3 o'clock, but the trains were totally overcrowed. And only 1 train per hour went to Villefrance. After beeing at the station for more than 1 hour, we took a taxi back to Villefrance (EUR 60).

If you would like to do both Nice and Monaco, I would suggest, that you take a tour - by public transport it is possible in theori, but not in pracsis.

 

But if you shall choose btw. the 2 places, when take Monaco. It is easy to walk around in the town. It is really clean, and the atmosphere is nice and relaxed with a nice touch of luxury.

 

Have a nice trip

[bbyost]

Last year we did a private tour with Alain of Dream Tours. We met him at the port at about 10:30am. We went to the market in Nice, took in some views, then he dropped us off at the base of St. Paul De Vence for lunch, then we wondered the streets of the town with him, we then went to Monaco and he drove us on the race route (the bleachers were still in place from the race the weekend before). We did some more sightseeing and we were back to the ship in plenty of time. It was a wonderful day and tour and not hurried at all. Hope this helps!

[baljaffray]

Just back from cruise.We tendered at Cannes,and took train to Monaco 12 e return took 1 hour.Apart from Rome,my family voted Monaco as our next favourite port (beating Florence).looking at the boats and cars was my sons dream.The palace area,changing of guard at 11.55am,and the views from there are lovely,we did not get enough time there only 4 hrs before heading back.

[sonia1309]

Last year we did a private tour with Alain of Dream Tours. We met him at the port at about 10:30am. We went to the market in Nice, took in some views, then he dropped us off at the base of St. Paul De Vence for lunch, then we wondered the streets of the town with him, we then went to Monaco and he drove us on the race route (the bleachers were still in place from the race the weekend before). We did some more sightseeing and we were back to the ship in plenty of time. It was a wonderful day and tour and not hurried at all. Hope this helps!

How much did this cost?

[Got2Cruise]

The VOS offered a Nice and Monte Carlo on your own excursion and we found it to be just what we wanted. You first drive to Nice where they drop you off very close to the Flower Market in Old Nice. You have two hours on your own their. We very much wanted to swim in the Med. Sea, and we simply walked to the public beach.

 

After that you take the high road to Monaco. Unfortunately, the day we went it was foggy, but most days you can see the Alps. There is a huge parking garage in Monaco right next to the Aquarium. That is where they drop you off. From here it is a lovely stroll to the Palace and the Cathedral. If you wish you may walk to Monte Carlo which is a 30 minute walk. Note that the casino opens at 2:00 p.m., so this might not be an option. You have three hours to explore Monaco, which is sufficient for such a tiny place.:) We had lunch at one of the sidewalk cafes in Monaco near the palace.

[browneyes7]

My family (myself, wife, daughter, mother, father) will have a port day in Villefranche, but have a couple of questions for the experts out there...

 

But before the questions, here's my preamble:

 

My father is a HUGE F1 fan and has always dreamed of seeing the course in Monte Carlo. Although seeing the palace/casino would be nice, we're prepared to forgo Monte Carlo because we're not sure if both Monte Carlo and Nice are possible.

 

My wife and I were in Nice for our honeymoon in 2002. Unfortunately, it wasn't by choice. We were the victims of one of the infamous Italian train strikes while on our way to Venice. We spent one night in Nice, but spent most of our time trying to find some way to Venice. Some, but most likely not enough, sightseeing was done.

 

This is the first cruise my wife and I are taking, but we're old hats at traveling the train/bus systems in Europe, so no fear with traveling on our own from place to place. On the other hand, this is my parents' first sortie into Europe.

 

Our ship arrives at 7am and leaves at 6pm.

 

Now the questions:

 

1. Is the routing of Villefranche - Monte Carlo - Nice reasonable? Would this give us enough time to see the exteriors of the palace and casino, and the F1 "course" in Monte Carlo before visiting Nice? What's an adequate time period to (quickly) see the sights of Monte Carlo?

 

2. Is there anywhere else you would suggest? (My wife and I were in Avignon before attempting to travel to Venice)

 

3. Should we just do Nice by itself?

 

Thanks for any comments and/or suggestions...

 

You can do all three. We docked at Villefranche, took the bus to Monte Carlo, stayed there a couple of hours, took the bus to Nice, stayed there several hours, and then took the bus back to Villefranche. If you budget your time well, you can definitely do it. Have fun!:)

[browneyes7]

On our first time to Monte Carlo we attempted to take the train to Nice. We were told that we could take the train to Nice, but that there would probably be a strike that same day and we wouldn't be able to ride the train back to Monte Carlo. A very nice young French girl helped us by showing us how to get to the bus stop, which was right outside of the train station. We were so happy we took the bus because the views were beautiful. The bus takes the road right by the ocean. We wouldn't have seen all of this on the train. I think we paid 1.30 euros for the bus ride each way. We had a great time!:)

[seayacruisin]

We are going back to the Med on Summit 10/31/09 for 14 nights. On a previous trip, we got the train that you can virtually see from where one docks in Villefrance. We went to MonteCarlo. We walked up the long hill to Monteco. This walk is along the coast where the beautiful yachts are docked. Once we got to Monteco, we viewed the outside of the palace. We went inside to the gambling area (small place outfront.) One of the guys could not get in because he had a tank top on. We did walk inside to go to the rest room. If you really want to gamble at the big stakes, you have to be well dressed. Nothing is really going on in the daytime anyway. After our visit, we took the bus to Eze. Worth the trip. A small walking village uphill. No cars. Views from the top shows scenery all the way to Nice. Next, we hailed a cab that took us to Nice. We walked all over there. When it was getting closer to leave time on our ship, we started looking for a cab. None to be found. We waited for a bus for a really long time. Finally got one back to Villefrance. Suggest going into a hotel and getting the consierge to call a cab, if you want to do all of this. Of course, the trains must be running.

This time, we would like to do something different. Would like to go to St. Pauls, Cannes, St. Tropez. May try to get that Alain from Dream Tours, if I can find his website and cost.

 

We try to do as much as possible on our own. Any suggestions on DIY for Amalfi. Saw where most tours go to Pompeii along with Amalfi. Been to Pompeii three other times. Was thinking of going to Sorrento on the train from Nice then getting public bus, if possible. Anyone know?

 

Thanks and happy cruisin'.

 

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

One thing I failed to mention: We won't be going FOR the Grand Prix (or any time close to it: early December) -- my dad just wants to see the streets they race on. He's seen them so many times on TV, he wants to be able to say he was "there" (he also uses his computer to race his virtual F1 speedster along a pseudo Monte Carlo course). Yes, he's obsessed. :)

 

The fact that the two cities are in opposite directions is one of the reasons I was concerned whether it was possible.

 

Any place in the Monte Carlo direction you'd visit? Eze? Given the choice between Monte Carlo and Eze or Nice alone, which would you choose?

 

I'm completely undecided. :( We've seen a bit of Nice, and it was nice, but if we could do Monte Carlo plus someplace just as good as Nice, I think my parents and wife would be just as happy....

 

Comments?

[patrickmoran]

Where is the bus station located in Monaco? Thanks

[BiggiB]

Bonjour, Mombak

 

I have just seen your request, and you have gotten already some good advice from other posts – and maybe you have seen also other messages, too, concerning your questions about Monaco, Villefranche and Nice.

 

However, I want to point out some more details in regards to your father’s love for the Formula 1.

First, you might check the website of the Automobile Club of Monaco (http://www.acm.mc) with a lot of valuable information around the Grand Prix event, the history, the drivers, the teams – and in English language, too. Print out the map of the city race track, which is easy to follow once you are in town.

They also have a boutique with a lot of automobile related souvenirs, located in Rue Grimaldi just around the corner from the port. Also in Rue Grimaldi, a little further up the street, there is a F1-Ferrari-shop with a wide selection of authentic, race sport related souvenirs.

 

As a first sightseeing stop in Monaco I would recommend the Automobile Museum, officially called “ The Private Collection of Antique Cars of H.S.H. Prince Rainier III “. There, you not only find over 100 oldtimer cars and coaches, but also the original F1-Ferrari race car of Gerhard Berger, a signed helmet of Ayrton Senna, and more memorabilia for car affecionados.

You can reach the museum easily when you arrive from Villefranche by bus in town. It is the first stop in Monaco, just below the “Rocher” or castle hill. Track back a few yards until you reach a beautiful garden (one of the many miniature size parks in town). Cross the gardens, known for its fountains and modern art sculptures as well as the nice view over the second yacht port, take the stairs down one floor and you stand almost directly in front of the Museum. You find further information on the Palace’s official website (http://www.palais.mc) under the chapter “museums and culture” – again of course in the English language.

 

From the museum, you may either take bus # 6 (cross the bridge and take the bus on the opposite site of Centre Commercial) to the port, or you walk back towards the bus stop, continue across Place d’Armes, our daily colorful market, and down Rue Princesse Caroline with a lot of nice little shops, bars and restaurants, in direction of the port.

The main street, Boulevard Albert 1er, is also the start and finish point of the races. On the right hand side of the port promenade, the pit lane will be installed for the races, and on the street you can see the starting grid clearly marked, as well as the start/finish line. Follow the road a little further, and you will find the Automobile Club at the left hand side of the street. To go up the hill, take bus # 2 opposite the ACM and leave at Square Beaumarchais (close to Casino gardens).

One more tip: If you arrive early December, there will be a traditional christmas market on the promenade (instead of the pit lane in May), with hand crafts, childrens’ entertainment, gourmet snacks and spiced wine. Our young people go ice scating right there in the port, because the public pool will be converted into an ice-rink until March.

On that square, next to luxury Hotel Hermitage, is the main post office. Monaco got its own stamps, used only in the Principality, and a nice selection of Grand Prix-stamps. Why not sending a Formula-1- post card back home with a matching stamp on it? The post office is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., but the special stamp counter is closed during lunch break and from 5 p.m. on.

From there it is only steps to the Casino square. The F1-cars race down the hill next to the Cafe de Paris and you may take your time to see the beautiful gardens, terraces, the Casino/Opera building and have a drink on the terrace of the Café de Paris, just as Winston Churchill or Marlene Dietrich did in their times.

If you walk up through the African Gardens to the Office du Tourisme, you find a good selection of printed material there. Take bus # 6 from here down to the sea front (direction Larvotto). The bus drives along the curvy race track, passes the Fairmont Hotel and reaches the sea in front of the Japanese Garden (worth a visit, too). Walking from the gardens along the beach front towards the Fairmont, you reach the famous tunnel, where race cars reach their highest speed with almost 270 km/h. And guess how noisy that will be, if you walk through the tunnel and the normal traffic noise is already disturbing.

Continue to the yacht port, walk alongside the pier watching the mega yachts docked in port, until you reach Boulevard Albert 1er again. From the bus stop in front of Sainte Devote church, you may take buses #1 or #2 up to the Palais and Old Town for some further sightseeing on the more cultural track.

 

From the right side of the Palace, a staircase leads down to Monaco via the ramparts, which are very sought after during the races. Thousands of people watch the races from there, standing all day long on the steep hill side, but do it for the almost perfect bird’s eye view of 80% of the course – and pay only a fraction of what people pay on the Grand Stands.

 

At the foot of the ramparts, exactly opposite the Place d’Armes market, there is the bus stop back to Villefranche. If you still have time for Eze Village, you may use RCA line 112 to Eze Village, leaving from Pont Sainte Devote (see above).

To use the Monaco city bus lines with multiple people or for multiple trips, use a 10-voyages-ticket for € 6, giving you not only a slight advantage in price, but also speeds up procedures of getting into the bus, for you don’t have to wait in line to pay each trip with the driver. Just purchase the ticket the first time you enter the bus, validate it at the meter in the bus and continue.

 

To see Monaco in all its splendour, all the cozy corners, parks or at least some of the major tourist sights, you need a day at least – despite that most people think everything is glitzy in Monaco. The Prince’s government provides for ample cultural events and very good museums with a lot of different topics. People, who work in Monaco (and there are almost 40.000 work places, for only 35.000 inhabitants), don’t have much time for a celebrity-like life style, even though we have more opportunities in that regard, as anywhere else in Europe.

For futher information about the Principality, see http://www.visitmonaco.com.

 

I hope, you and your family will have a wonderful day in Monaco – it is certainly worth a longer visit.

Kind regards, Biggi B

(one of the 35.000 residents)

[Varalycka]

Biggi B

I hope you are still checking this thread. We just found out that the Grand Prix will be the Sunday we are in port (May 16, 2010). I imagine getting around the area will be complicated due to the event and some normal tourist sights may not be open. Do you have any suggestions on what would be the best approach to for us to take to enjoy your principality. I have heard we may be tendered into Fontvieille Harbor since the main harbor would be closed. Any insight you can offer would be warmly appreciated.

 

Thank-you in advance!!

[Mombak]

It's been awhile since I first posted my question, but I'd just like to thank everyone for their input. It's much appreciated.

 

As for our final decision, we're going to go to Monte Carlo for the morning for a couple of hours, then head to Nice for lunch and try to squeeze in some sightseeing in Old Nice.

 

It's not perfect, but I think my father (and the rest of us) will appreciate the time in Monte Carlo, and we'll all enjoy a visit to Vieux Nice.

 

Thanks again!

 

(And a special merci to BiggiB! We will certainly try to see as much of your city as we can in the time we have. Thank you for all of your excellent tips and suggestions. I'm sure that it won't be the last time we visit Monte Carlo!)