We are ending a 3 week trip, Paris to Nice, in Nice and after watching RS’ Monday nite Travels last night, we want to spend 1 of our 5 days in driving driving through the Hill Towns of the Riviera.
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/travel-classes/monday-night-travel
I am struggling with planning a reasonable route starting at Nice early in the day. Stopping often to enjoy the towns sights and views.
Looking for advice on the route and the stops along the way.
Nice to Monaco is set for another day.
Posted by
OP
Seattle suburbs
81 posts
FYI just picked up the “new” Provence & The French Riviera book at B&N and found the specified Route. Definitely worth the cost.
Problem solved. Would have loved to do the Canyon but not willing to give up another day in order to do it
Posted by
3 posts
okay so after spending sometime mapping a 1 day drive I am wondering about the size of the rental car over these narrow roads. SUV? Full size sedan? or smaller car. On a recent trip in Sicily we had a small economy car to navigating and parking and were thankful. Has anyone experienced this drive.
Here is a map link if you are curious: https://maps.app.goo.gl/FQSEVS18uvc6rwki9
Posted by
Nice, France & San Francisco
735 posts
To the OP, I'm glad you bought the latest edition of the book. I don't have it handy but if the Google map link is right, i have a few suggestions. In the route to St. Paul and Vence, I prefer the village of Tourettes sur Loup and then Gourdon. These are two of the most beautiful villages in that area. Nearby Gourdon is a free garden, La Source de Parfumerie Galimard, with views over the gorge and the various flowers. The route in map linked takes you higher in the plateau -- there are sections above Gourdon and Grasse where you can see wild lavender in season. Unless you are really into perfume, Grasse may be skippable. I instead like the town of Mougins, although some might find it too polished..
Going this route also misses Eze and La Turbie. There is a loop that goes to Eze, then La Turbie (trophee des alpes, shown in the video) and then cuts around to Peille and Peillon before returning to Nice. There are other wonderful hilltowns to the east, including St Agnes, and then the line of hill towns that line the border (normally reachable by the Train des Merveilles, but reaches are now shutdown for works along the line).
The roads can get pretty narrow the higher you go and they will be twisty. Many of the villages you simply won't drive in, you will park on the outskirts and walk into the old centre. Still I would not get a large vehicle, a compact SUV generally is a good choice, with high roof lines for comfort but not a size that becomes cumbersome. .
Posted by
OP
Seattle suburbs
81 posts
Gooster I like your suggestions. We really wanted to do the whole canyon drive but it makes it to long of a day. We have set aside a day to go east from Nice, so those suggestions are perfect too. I have always wanted visit the Monaco GP course and Prince Rainers Collection but RS suggest not driving into Monaco. Is it reasonable to do Monaco, La Turbie, Eze and the coastal roads in a day and avoid the A8.
Thanks for your help
Posted by
Nice, France & San Francisco
735 posts
You can drive the lower Corniche into Monaco just fine, and there is a road that will take you up to Eze and La Turbie. It is also possible to drive all the way up to the Tete du Chien, above La Turbie, for even higher views. The downsides of Monaco are the expensive parking and congestion. Note the smallest lots are the most expensive and the ones at the entrances are the cheapest. One of the most convenient at the standard price is the one at the end of pier at le Rocher, the main rock where the old town and palace sits. From this parking lot are elevators and escalators that take you to the top, with the Oceanographic Museum, old Town and Palace on top. There are also some on the other side of the rock (Place d'Armes). One thing to know about Monaco is that there are public elevators and escalators hidden in unexpected places.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10803 posts
I've been a passenger for years driving the Corniches and A8 between Nice and Menton, and I've driven the middle Corniche, high corniche, and A8 several times. The middle corniche passes the parking lot for Eze ville on your way to Monaco. I haven’t driven into a garage in Monaco for years, so no info. I prefer the moyenne corniche to the lower corniche which goes through more congested areas.
You can also take the haute (high) Corniche or the A8. IMO the bridges and tunnels of the A8 are an engineering spectacle, while the haute corniche has spectacular views...for the passenger It's very easy to get onto the Haute Corniche road in Nice and you end in La Turbie next to the Trophée des alpes.
Car size has come up: my family on the Riviera has a tiny subcompact that's used for local driving. But for a trip on the A8 to Cannes, Nice, or into the mountains as Gooster has described, we take the BMW SUV. Once in a while it takes longer to park but we use parking garages a lot. I have a compact car that I drive on those roads. I get teased because I find the twisty roads on the mountainsides scary.