We will be flying into Nice, arriving before 8:15am on Sat May 23. Plan on taking the tram into the city and then walk to Hotel West End (2 nights) and check luggage. (Hubby and I are usually pretty good with sleeping on the flight over, and we power through the day and get to sleep a bit early the first night.)
So after checking the luggage,we hope to go out to explore Nice and get some food. A walking tour would be available around 11am; I like that idea to give us an overall view of the city. The markets and museums are open on Sat and Sundays, and we are hoping to also do a short cruise in the late afternoon either on Sat or Sun. Sunday would be another day exploring and walking around Nice. Perhaps the Nice Food and Wine Tour as recommended in the RS book? Does anyone have personal experience with this tour?
Monday early morning I am planning on renting a car and driving to Eze, hoping to get there before 9:30am. Spend the morning there. Then drive down to St Jean Cap Ferrat and go to the Villa Ephrussi. Plan on lunch at the Villa and touring the gardens.
We do not have any interest in seeing Monte Carlo or Monaco.
Then drive about 60 miles to St Endriol, where we will stay 2 nights (we are golfers). After that we drive to Aix en Provence where we will return the rental car. We are signed up for an AHI tour of Provence that is based in Aix.
Here are some questions:
-Does this seem like a reasonable plan to see Eze and tour the gardens at the Villa in about 6-7 hours on a Monday?
-Should I rent the car in the city of Nice, or from the airport area? I have my International Permit.
-If I rent from Sixt, I can return the car in Aix about a 15 min walk from my hotel there. If I use Avis or Budget, I have to return it to the train station in Aix, then somehow get back to my hotel. Taxi? Have never used Uber, but can do that if this is the best option. What do you recommend?
-Many of the forum recommended restaurants in Nice aren’t open on Saturdays or Sundays; does anyone have any other suggestions? We like local cuisine, but are not into Michelin star “what is it?” food. I like to make dinner reservations if possible.
Posted by
Nice, France & San Francisco
811 posts
To answer your questions:
a. six to seven hours should be enough to see both Eze and the Villa Ephrussi. The restaurant in the villa has a good view but the food is just OK. There may be other destinations you may wish to choose. I recall parking can be a bit limited there.
b/c. If you choose Sixt, there is a convenient office near le Meridian hotel. The cars are stored still I think in Parking Ruhl, which joins the road with a dedicated light to turn left onto the Prom. From there you can take the express Tunnel Liautaud (verify if open, on the far left side as you turn onto Blvd Jean Jaures) to the A8 highway or you can can take the slow, but perhaps scenic coastal route to the Moyenne Corniche (on the prom, around to the Port, right on Barla and up the hill) or bas Corniche (just follow the coast -- but the slowest option). There is an Avis a bit further away. You could also rent at the train station but if you are not headed immediately west it can be inconvenient. The downside is if you require an automatic, the inventory at the in-city ones may be low.
d. I can make suggestions, Sunday is more limited. There are a few that are closed on Saturday but they are somewhat overhyped. Not far from your hotel is Le Sejour (bistrot), la Cantine de Meme (modern French), l'Alchimie (modern French, but Michelin Bib Gourmand), Franchin (French, a little pricier), le Canon (French), Chez Davia (Nicois). Further afield, in the old town, are Bistrot d'Antoine (Bistrot), Bar des Oiseuax (Med), Olive et Artichaut (Med/Modern French), Fine Guele (French), Spark (Continental with global influences),
Posted by
256 posts
I can't help you that much in terms of the rental car stuff. I did Eze by taking a bus from Nice and then hiking down to the train at Eze sur Mer. I don't think you need a ton of time to see the town itself. Some of the experience is just driving down the Corniche and see the beautiful ocean/cliff views etc.
I do have an amazing restaurant that's a bit outside the tourist zone, Restaurant La Gauloise. Seafood linguine and grilled squid salad were both standout dishes. Also, in the old town, La carpe koï has great sushi but they're closed Sunday.
Also, this is a bit time consuming but I always tell people visiting Nice to do the Train des Merveilles into the Maritime Alps for a day trip. I went all the way to Tende and it was pretty spectacular.
Posted by
OP
34 posts
Thank you both for your insight!
I have a reservation with Sixt at that location in Nice near the Meridian Hotel. Nice to know there is a light there to get onto the road. I reserved an automatic but can drive a manual, the cost difference was less than $50.
Hubby and I looked over all the restaurant suggestions and their menus, and have noted a few favorites on my Google Doc; will make some reservations in the coming months.
Posted by
Washington, DC USA
779 posts
Two Nice restaurants that I enjoyed and are open on Saturdays and Sundays are La Maison de Marie on Rue Massena near Place Massena and L'escalinada in Vieux Nice. Although both are very much in tourist areas, they seemed to have a good number of locals eating there. Gooster's recommendations sound great.
The RS guidebook has two relatively short self-guided walking tours for Nice; one focuses on Vieux Nice and one on Promenade des Englais.
Note that Aix has two train stations. The TGV station is 12 km outside the city center. There is a bus, taxi, or probably Uber.