We are planning a trip for next year and will be starting in Paris for a few days and then we'll be doing the RS Eastern France tour...which ends in Provence. We then plan to stay three nights somewhere along the French Riviera before heading home. We plan to travel by train from Provence so we will not have a car. We know we'll be tired from the busy pace of the tour and are looking to relax, walk, shop, take in the beauty, enjoy cafes and food and sort of see what we see with not much of an agenda. We don't want to be go-go-go but more wind down from a busy few weeks and really soak up the experience we've had. Would you stay in Nice? It seems like it might feel too big but it could be great too. We plan to fly home from Nice but it seems like we could stay in a variety to places along the coast and make it to the airport fairly easily. Also to note...this is a 25th Anniversary trip so something romantic and a bit dreamy is good. We can't do 5-star places but could splurge a little for a great view and atmosphere. Suggestions welcome!
Posted by
Portland, Oregon
5687 posts
I didn't fall in love with Nice, but I liked it more than expected. It's a bit touristy, but the old town has some charm, and the place has a very relaxing vibe. I can think of worse places to be.
The nearby smaller towns of Villefranche-sur-Mer and Antibes may be more to your liking, if you want somewhere smaller. You can easily day trip into Nice by bus or train from there from either town if you like.
Posted by
Washington DC
28107 posts
Most of the coastal towns work nicely as a base because of the excellent rail service. I think Nice works especially well since there are interesting places to both east and west, with none of the train trips being excessively long. It also has buses going to a number of the popular hill towns. If you can put together a list of places you might like to see, that will help you choose a logistically convenient base.
Nice is a big city, so you might reasonably opt for one of the other coastal spots. I'd urge Nice, however, if you are really big art fans, because the city has six or so good art museums.
What time of year will be on the Riviera?
Posted by
OP
30 posts
We will be there in later September...21-24.
Posted by
Portland, OR
1124 posts
I didn’t love Nice either, and I certainly don’t think of it as a place to relax and unwind. Villefranche sur mer would be my choice if you wanted to stay that close to Nice. At the end of our Eatern France tour, we actually decided to rent a car and we stayed in Eze at this gorgeous place http://www.domainepinspaul.fr/?lang=en
We stayed for five nights and could have stayed a month. It was so relaxing by the pool, soaking in the view and then poking around the adjacent little towns each day. We felt very local and would go back in a heartbeat.
Posted by
Washington DC
28107 posts
Oh, that should be a really good time of year. The weather shouldn't be extremely hot, and the crowds will have dropped back a bit from their peak.
I'm not sure where I'd suggest as a small-town base. If it weren't so touristy, maybe Menton. But it is so touristy. Villefranche-sur-Mer is pretty, and I also liked Antibes.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32355 posts
I found that I really liked Nice and would like to return there someday. It's a very convenient base for exploring that area, and has lots of good restaurants and hotels. If you're planning to book a flight out of Nice, it would seem to make sense to stay there.