Hello everyone,
My girlfriend and myself are looking for a home base for a week in cote d'azur and stumbled upon Fayence. Wondering if anyone else has used this for a home base or has any thoughts about staying in that area? We will be arriving from Lyon via the Train and then likely renting a car in Nice. Any thoughts would be great to hear!
Thanks so much!
I haven't been to that immediate area. I think a car would be an absolute must if you stay there, and I'd probably focus most of my time on the hill villages that would require buses (not terribly fast) if you didn't have a car. Take advantage of the car if you have one, in other words. You'll certainly be paying a lot for it this year!
If most of the places on your target list are along the coast, where you can move around quite easily via the regional trains, staying up in the hills is not a good idea. There would be little bus service to get you to other towns, and if you try to drive to a coastal town, you may well face significant parking challenges (and costs).
A bus to Cannes would take about an hour: https://storage.googleapis.com/is-wp-22-prod/uploads-prod/2021/08/ZOU83Ligne3002-SEILLANSFAYENCECANNES-a-compter-du-2-septembre-2021.pdf. The schedule doesn't offer departures throughout the day; buses depart early in the morning, around 2 PM and after 5 PM. They're really not a practical means of transportation for tourists who want to visit a bunch of places during a week-long stay. The bus to Cannes would be just the first leg of the journey to any coastal town other than Cannes. You'd have to add on the time for the train to your ultimate destination.
Bus service to Saint-Raphael would take a bit longer and also isn't frequent enough to be a good solution:
Here's a schematic map for the bus lines in the area: https://storage.googleapis.com/is-wp-22-prod/uploads-prod/2021/08/ZOU83PLANDESLIGNESVAR082021.pdf
And this where you can find the timetables: https://zou.maregionsud.fr/se-deplacer-en-bus/se-deplacer-en-bus-dans-le-var/
I have never been to Fayence itself, but I visited several villages in the area (Bargême, Bargemon, Saint Cézaire come to mind). It is all quite beautiful. You would also be very close to the Gorges du Verdon for a day or two, and places like Cannes and Antibes will not be too far (despite the traffic).
However, it is not particularly convenient if you are interested in Nice itself and towns east of Nice along the coast.
If you do go to Fayence, do not take the train all the way to Nice, but stop much earlier at Aix en Provence TGV and rent the car there. The drive is about 2 hours vs. 1h15min from Nice, and you will save several hours on the train.
Acraven,
Good things to think about! We would love to see some of the smaller villages including Grasse and Saint-Cézaire-sur-Siagne. Seems like having a car may be the best option for this, however we may opt for a few days with a car and a few without.
Its looking like we may consider a place in Antibes, Saint-Cézaire-sur-Siagne, or maybe even Saint Paul de Vence (Antibes is leading the way!). This way we dont have to drive as much when checking out places we want to see on the coast or in the hills.
Of the three places you mention, only Antibes really works if you are spending a few days without a car. For St Paul de Vence & St Cézaire sur S., you will realistically need a car for the whole duration of your stay (especially in St. Cézaire).
Art Youtube about Grasse:
https://www.frick.org/interact/miniseries/travels_curator/grasse
I am in Beaulieu Sur Mer right now. Went to Venice and St. Paul de Vance last week. Took the train to Cagnes-Sur-Mer train stop. Walked to Avenue de-la Gare. Look for Penetrante Ave. There is a bus stop there. Some construction in that area but there are people that speak English. You will want to take bus 400. Believe it goes to St. Paul de Vance one on to Vance. I went a little farther to Vance first because it is also a medieval town and not many tourists and lovely. After touring this town, got back on another bus 400 down the very winding
Road to St. Paul de Vance which is also beautiful with many, many gift shops. From there, I got another bus 400 back to Cagne-sur Mer and took the train back to Nice and on to my stop in Beaulieu. Cost of the bus rides …
1.50 plus 1.50. Trains run pretty frequently. Just be aware of you time schedules. I would suggest Eze villiage which is another hill medieval town.Hope you are prepared for manny, many stone steps. This is probably my 8th time on the Riviera.
Masts must be worn on buses and trains.
Lots of tourists already!!!
Hope this helps.
Faience is a long way from St Paul de Vance. Being in the Nice area allows you to see so much. I have been here many times and am still finding more to see. You didn’t say how many days you have in this area.
If you truly want to spend more time on the coast, as you've found out, Fayence is not a good location. The driving up to these areas is longer than you might expect.
If you have a car, Antibes could work although you'll want to check on the price of parking. There is a bit of traffic getting in and out of the area. If you want to ditch the car, then Antibes and Nice could work. You didn't mention dates but watch for the dates of the Grand Prix and Film Festival. If you want to hold onto your car, you could try a place like St. Paul de Vence (even outside the town are less expensive hotels and B&Bs with free parking) or Vence itself (the old town is less trafficked). Access to the A8 is pretty good. Further inland is Tourettes Sur Loup, an excellent village that is even further inland and off the usual tourist routes but with excellent restaurants and services. Mougins is another option, closer to Cannes and the highway although like SPdV, it can get very popular.
