Update: Hotel or apt. recs for neighborhoods in Nice, and Aix-en-Provence, please

Price range? Amenities needed or desired? Month? Easter break weeks? Number of people?

April, not near Easter, maybe between $100-150 a night, hoping for less than that if possible. 2 people, probably won’t need parking.

Breakfast not necessary to be included, and hoping to be within walking distance of cafes and train and bus stations.

We will likely stay in each place 4-5 nights, so considering either hotel or apartment depending on price and amenities.

Thanks!
Laurie

Take a look at Hotel Select in Beaulieu sur Mer. It's on a lovely square that overlooks the mountains and is only a 3 minute walk to the train station. I based here for 4 nights last April and it super convenient to Monaco, Villefranche sur Mer and Nice. In fact, you can walk along the coastal pathway to Villefranche sur Mer. Talk about views! You can also walk to the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild. I liked basing here because I planned on doing a lot of day trips by train and loved being so close to the station. I know some areas around train stations can be a bit run-down, but that's not the case in Beaulieu.

Thank you, Dawn! I took a look and the Hotel Select seems like a great fit for our first nights of our stay. I appreciated your detailed review - sounds wonderful to me!

So exciting to see the pieces of the puzzle falling into place! Now for the next parts...

Laurie

Beaulieu is a quieter place with a well located train station, but in April, I'd consider basing in Nice on your first trip because the weather can be highly variable, better connection (at the start of the line), and you have more options for things to do and dining. (Things have gotten better along the train line with an additional train per hour.) In Nice, you can select the neighborhoods of Carre d'Or or Carabacel./Medecin/centre, that are in easy reach of the train station and the two tram lines (the port and old town are options, but further away from the train). Just avoid the area that is too close to the train station and Jean Medecin, unless it is the Doubletree.

Thank you, Gooster - I appreciate your insights. Our trip will start and end in Nice, and I was thinking Beaulieu would be a good place to start for 2-3 nights, get over jet lag, and visit Villefranche and Eze and walk around along the coast. Then our plan is to move west to Provence, and finally return to Nice for several days and more exploring of Nice, St.-Paul-de-Vence, and maybe Ventimiglia. Thanks for suggesting neighborhoods to consider in Nice - that's really helpful.

Can you tell me more about the typical April weather? When you say variable, do you mean potentially really rainy? I've just seen average temps, and read about the number of sunny days/year in the Riviera...hoping we will get a lot of that sunny weather when we are there!

We're thinking of splitting our time between Arles and Aix-en-Provence for the middle of our trip, with day trips to explore the region. No idea yet about where to stay! :-) That's my current challenge.

Thanks,
Laurie

If you are flexible on your dates, I would suggest NOT going to Aix on Friday or Saturday. I was there for 3 nights Fri-Sun last April and the first two days were absolutely jam packed with people. On Sunday, I felt like I could breathe and enjoy the beauty of the town. I stayed at Hotel Cardinal in one of their double rooms. They also have apartments, which are accessed right around the corner. The hotel is less than 10 mnutes from the station. I loved my room - it was on the top floor overlooking the beautiful rooftops. Some reviews said they felt the decor was old fashioned and outdated, but I thought it was utterly charming. The one negative is they only have tubs, so if you want to shower you either sit and shower or stand and get water everywhere! Oh, and the hair dryer pretty much looked like a canister vaccum mounted on the wall, but it did the trick! For me, quirky things like this make a hotel memorable. Happy planning!

And P.S. I'm glad you are considering the Hotel Select!

I only stay in apts as I usually stay 4-30 days. In Aix had a great apt Appartement Confort Aix Centre which I booked on booking.com. Around the corner from the train station, 3 blocks from the bus station, up the steps to the center of town. A great location and wonderful apt.

I was on a month's trip to Provence and my focus was markets so virtually every day went to a different town on their market day. (Stayed in Avignon and Arles and did the same market town excursions).

Hi, We are also visiting NIce and the general area for a week from April 16th till the 23rd. Are there any wonderful Easter celebrations during that week. Where shall we go to church? We don't have a set itinerary yet and would be grateful for help setting up an itinerary, or even if there is a tour that we can buy.
Thank you
Christine

Hello jaddou87 and welcome to the forum

Your question should be posted in its own post with its own Subject not piggybacked on to this thread.
This is Laurie's thread asking for accommodation recommendations.

You will get more eyes on your question and more specific answers if you post it again- in its own post.

Laurie, look at Nice Pebbles and Nestor & Jeeves for rental apartments in Nice. Both are excellent.

Suki, thank you for the Nice recommendations. We will be staying for 5 nights. Do you recommend a particular Nestor and Jeeves apartment? I'm intrigued to see they are a concierge service with many apartments at all price points. I see some of them on Booking.com, but haven't found Nice Pebbles yet on Booking. I like to check there and directly with the hotel/apartment/cross check with Airbnb... :-)

I updated the title of the thread - because I hope to have more help in choosing neighborhoods in Nice. The Nestor and Jeeves company has a lot to choose from, but the ones I thought might work seemed to be a bit away from the center of town, and near main roads. I haven't been to Nice in 40+ years - and want to make a good choice for our last 5 nights in France - either hotel or apartment.

Thanks!
Laurie