Day trips from Nice, France - a few questions

To find bus information for Nice and buses in that network, go to Lignes d'Azur

https://www.lignesdazur.com/en

They also have an app for your smartphone that gives geo-sensitive stop information and up to date schedule status.

You should be able to find a taxi in Monaco. Finding one in Eze can be challenging. Take the bus 112/82 back to Nice or walk down the path and take the return train. Do not try Eze and Grasse together, except by car. They are in opposite directions.

You can also take the train to Grasse. What time of year are you going? There is no lavender in Grasse, per se. However, there is wild lavender in the plateau (e.g. plateau de Calern) and hills north of Grasse (and Gourdon). This requires a car or private guide, and only in season, and is wild patches in clumps, not the ordered rows of western Provence. If that is your reason for going to Grasse, I'd skip it in your limited time budget, and hit the perfurme "factory" (really a store with make your own scents) in Eze. .

There is a little field of lavender on St. Honorat island (at least, the enterprising monks at the island used to have a field), reachable by ferry from Cannes (take a train from Nice). There is a large monastery, a winery/wine tasting, restaurant, a restored tower and gardens..

Thank you so much, Gooster!

Monaco is connected to Nice by train as well as by bus, so that gives you some additional scheduling flexibility. I haven't been to Monaco and don't know whether it's more convenient to arrive there by train or by bus. I gather there are several escalators or elevators to help you deal with the major elevation changes, so perhaps the arrival point isn't terribly critical.

The link between Monaco and Eze-le-Village will be the trickier part. I'd be inclined to head to Eze as the first stop of the day if the bus schedule makes that workable. That would leave just the onward trip to Monaco figure out on the spot. It is often a challenge to time ones sightseeing in smaller places so it aligns with the departure times of returning buses. There's no need to subject yourselves to that stress by starting in Monaco and watching the clock the whole time you're there.

I'll add that the "walk" between Eze village and Eze station on the Nietzsche path is more of a short hike than a walk, since the path is unpaved and the difference in elevation is about 200 metres. There is an infrequent bus between the two as well.

The train is easy (about 30 minutes) from Nice to Monaco. Depending on what you want to see in Monaco there is a lot of hills and walking. The aquarium is beautiful with lovely views. It is a good walk to get there. Try to arrive early to beat the crowds. There is a sandwich kiosk outside and a good place to grab a bite as well. The casino is beautiful to see as well. The walk from the aquarium to the casino as long as they are on opposite ends of the city. To cut time and have a great memory, take the water taxi (bateau bus) across the marina. It'll get you on the water past the amazing yachts and drop you off near the casino.

I think it'd be a lot to try to do both Monaco and Eze on the same day. As others stated, unless you have your own car, getting to Eze is not easy. It's a lovely town, but there some equally beautiful places to visit that would be much easier to see. (Villefranche-sur-Mer, Menton, Roqubrune Cap Martin). You could do something a little easier, but just as spectacular. You could stop at Balieu-sur-mer and do some of the coastal walk around Cap Ferret and it's an easy walk to the Villa Ephrussi which has stunning gardens and some of the best views on the cote d'azur.

It's trying to balance seeing everything you want to, while also not spending your whole day in transit. Just an idea.

Either way, have an amazing time. I'll be there in a few weeks and can't wait to see it all again:)

Thank you so much, everyone, for these very helpful replies.

In Monaco, our tentative plan is to take bus #100 from Nice to the Monte-Carlo Casino stop and arrive by 9am to tour the casino. We would also like to get our passports stamped at the TI - is that close to the casino? Then we want to be sure to get to the palace in time to get a good spot to see the changing of the guard at 11:55 - what would be the best way to get from the casino to the palace? Use the bateau bus? Does anyone know how often they run? Or would it be better to walk?

You can take a direct bus from Place du Casino to Place d'Armes and walk slightly uphill to the Palace. There is a beautiful view on the short walk up to the Palace. I think bus Line #6 leaves every 20 minutes and is about a 9 minute bus ride.