Bonjour,
We are taking the train from Avignon to Nice for 6 nights.
We are 70’s, good physical condition and want to spend a couple days in Nice and day trips via public transportation to:
Mention, Antibes, and St-Paul-de-Venice.
We have already visited Monaco and St Jean-Cap-Ferrat and Villa Ephrussi.
We would like to hear your suggestions on what to do and see (and eat!)
Merci,
Phil & Casey
Menton and Antibes are easily accessible from Nice by train. Aside from its picturesque medieval center (which usually is packed with tourists during busy months), Menton town has at least two good gardens, both on hillsides. One is reasonably walkable from the town's second (easternmost) train station; the other can be reached by bus or taxi. Antibes has a good Picasso Museum as well as an atmospheric historic district.
For St-Paul-de-Vence you'd take a bus from Nice. I like the Galerie Maeght (modern art) just outside the village. It's walkable from the nearest bus stop. St-Paul-de-Vence tends to be mobbed during day-tripping hours, unfortunately. It's not large, and I was ready to leave very soon but was very happy to have had the opportunity to see Galerie Maeght. Beyond St-Paul-de-Vence, and reachable on the same bus, is the larger and comparatively ignored town of Vence. I liked it much more. However, if you're there during the after-lunch siesta period, you may find it not exactly lively. I've been told Tourrettes-sur-Loup, which is further beyond Vence, is mostly ignored by tourists and very nice.
Nice itself has enough sights to fill more than a day, starting with at least six art museums. Other possibilities in the area are Eze Village (bus from Nice) and Villefranche-sur-Mer (train) to the east, which could probably be seen on the same day. To the west of Nice you have Biot (Leger Museum and glass museum; train then bus from Nice), Cannes (train) and Grasse (way up in the hills but accessible by train). Of those last three I've only been to Biot; I've read that Grasse is nothing special unless you have a real interest in perfume.
One other possibility I enjoyed was the trip on the tourist-oriented Tren des Pignes, which runs from a dedicated train station in Nice (not Nice Ville) to medieval Entrevaux and the spa town of Digne-les-Bains. I took that trip on an extraordinarily rainy day when no one else cared to be out and about, so I cannot comment on how tourist-filled Entrevaux and Digne would typically be. The train doesn't run often, so it's not particularly easy to schedule the trip so that you have time to walk around both Entrevaux and Digne. I think it's safe to say most visitors would be more interested in extremely atmospheric Entrevaux, but that may mean it's usually overrun. When you get to Digne there's a bit of a walk from the train station to the village.
A final possibility would be to take the train east beyond Menton to one of the Italian coastal towns like San Remo. I haven't done that.
To add to the potential:
* Take a ferry to Sainte Marguerite (from Nice or Cannes) or St. Honorat (Cannes). There is a monastery, tower, winery and gardens.
* Train des Merveilles (weekends only in April) runs up to the border mountain towns like Saorge and Tende. Tende only become French after WWII. You can also take the regular train on the other days, it is the same route but sans commentary. There are other towns and villages along the way.
* Tourettes-sur-Loup is a great village, as is Gourdon beyond. However, gettting there via public transport is more challenging.
* The direct bus to St. Paul de Vence has been essentially eliminated. You now have to transfer at least once, either from the train, tram or another bus.
* You can take a bus most of the ways up Mont Boron in Nice and then walk in the parklands all the way to Fort Alban (passing Elton John's estate on the way). You can catch a bus down or walk all the way down.
* You can take the train to Ventimiglia for the Friday market or continue down to San Remo or Bordighera.
If you need any restaurant recommendations, just ask.
