Hi everyone,
My fiance and I are staying at Chateau Eza in Eze Village (small village in between Nice and Monte Carlo). We are needing suggestions on the best cities to day trip to. I assumed Nice would be one of them but are there any other must visit cities while on the Cote D'Azur?
Thank you!
Katie
We love Antibes. Great Market Hall under a 19th c. canopy. Wonderful Picasso Museum housed in Picasso's former home the Chateau Grimaldi. We followed Rick's walk along the rampart and narrow cobblestone streets to the beach. All perfect for a day trip!
Monaco has another Jardin Exotique, much bigger than the one at Eze. I like them both for different reasons.
Monaco also has one of the top - if not the top - aquarium in the world, at one time run by Jean Cousteau and with some of his equipment. The rooftop views from there out into the Med and back into the Rocher are fab.
Monaco is like a 3-D jigsaw puzzle. It isn't only what you see on the surface, Monaco is linked up and down the hills and cliffs by a whole hidden network of escalators, tunnels, moving people movers, lifts (elevators) and other simplifying devices... It might take you half a day to figure out and explore all the ways out of the Monaco train station.
There's also a changing of the guard, a nice rose garden (near the helipad), an equally nice Japanese Garden (on the roof of the car park for the Grimaldi Arena), a world class football (soccer) team, and so much more packed into quite a small country.
Get over to Cap Ferrat and have a walk around the shore, and then up to ridge of the Cap to the Rothschilds place with the house and the gardens.
Villefranche sur Mer is pretty good too.
Further afield, or how much time do you have?
Hi Katie.
We are also staying in Eze for five nights in July. We are planning a day trip to Monaco, Nice and Saint Paul de Vence. The other cities suggested by others are all great too. Enjoy!
I recommend getting Rick Steves Provence And The French Riviera. He has lots of details on places to see in this area, including transportation advice (both with and without a car). You can then read about the options and decide for yourself what interests you.
I share Nigel's enthusiasm for Monaco, which Rick didn't really seem to like. And I while Rick thought Cannes was snooty, only a small section struck me that way. But Villefranche sur mer, which Rick likes, to me was a snooze. So, you really do have to see places for yourself.
Note that his general France book has MUCH less information about this region - don't rely on it by itself.
Hi Katie
Most have been covered in previous post but here's my top five in order:
Nice
Cannes
Antibes
Monaco
St Tropez
and for a cool change of scene head over the border to St Remo.
Best
Peter
Im not that big on Nice but love Villefranche sur mer, Monaco, and St. Tropez!
