We are taking a river cruise end of May from Lyon-Lyon. We are planning a post cruise adventure and are thinking the south of France basing out of Nice. We would welcome any suggestions or ideas We are a group of 6 people) so will need to start planning soon as accommodation will be an issue. The Riviera area and best place to base out of for day trips etc. Welcome all suggestions.
Posted by
OP
Saskatchewan
329 posts
Bumping this up.
Posted by
Darmouth, MA, USA
424 posts
My only response is I hope you have given some time to Lyon. We are returning for our second isit.
Posted by
Reston VA
456 posts
Nice is certainly a good option as a base - as are several spots along the coast there.
Are you looking for HOTEL suggestions, things TO DO suggestions, or both?
And how many days are you looking at, and will you have a car(s) or planning get around other ways?
Posted by
OP
Saskatchewan
329 posts
We would likely keep Nice as our base so yes, any Nice hotel suggestions would be welcome along with ideas for visiting some of the Riveira towns. No car, thanks.
Posted by
Reston VA
456 posts
If you're staying in Nice - with no car - you're still in a great spot. Nice generally has some of the better public transportation options as well as its own great things to see and do.
Accommodations-wise, I have no good ideas for a group of 10, but even if just booking a bunch of rooms at one hotel, you are correct to get working on that ASAP - and by "ASAP", some options may not open their booking calendars that far out yet, but hopefully most will.
Certainly I would recommend spending a big chunk of time in Nice itself. The Promenade and the beach are a "must" as well as free, and can be visited any time of the day for a different "vibe". Wandering old Nice and also just a city walk with stops in churches & squares is fun (a RS walking tour from his guidebook is likely an option). Also museums if you are into art. Nice and the nearby cities have an assortment of art museums that can be great. Chagall in Nice is commonly recommended. We like the Picasso in Antibes, and there are others that may match your tastes. Of course, with 10 folks, it does become a herding cats situation.
There are other "Nice and French Riviera" threads here. We've wandered on various trips from Cannes up to Sanremo, via both car and train, and I think all the well known stops in between are worthy of a visit. With Monaco nearby, you can do the three-countries-in-few days tour, too.
For me, with 10 folks, though, I would think pacing is huge. Just corralling folks onto a train adds more time than we would normally budget for just the two of us, and I think that will play out with museums, restaurants, or even just a city wander. Make sure you account for that with lots of padding. Maybe two smaller groups would work out depending upon the natural splits in your bigger group.
As a side note, Lyon is awfully near the Alps and depending upon your other time in France (or Switzerland), Chamonix and the area around it are always (to me) worth a visit. Not too far from Lyon, you have Geneva, Mont Blanc, Lake Geneva (Leman) and more, but maybe those are best explored by car rather than rail. I'm always torn between beach vs mountains.
Posted by
Reston VA
456 posts
I'd also, if still possible. change your title to include "Nice" and/or "French Riviera". That catches folks eye when scrolling topics.
Posted by
Alsenborn, Germany
2147 posts
Your cruise is Lyon to Lyon? I'm not sure how that works. There's just so much to see based out of that city, and it's worth 4-5 days on it's own. What do you want to see? Alps, wine, food, forests, museums, historical sites, famous cities? I've spent weeks in the areas surrounding Lyon and haven't touched on half of my list.