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Small towns Nice/Nimes/Montpellier area

Hello, over on the "general europe" forum I posted a question about ideas for where to spend a day or two with an overnight on the way from Venice to Paris by train, just to stretch out the experience a little bit . travelers are myself and wife (40s) and daughter (13).

One reply suggested 'someplace near Nice or Nimes' and looking at the map I noticed that is near Montpellier which was also recommended to me by a friend here.

I wanted to move the question over here to the France forum to drill it down a little more - where exactly in that part of France would people recommend? Any highly specific recs. like lodging or food or activities are certainly welcomed as well. The rest of our Europe trip is pretty urban so maybe sticking to smaller towns. Maybe something off the beaten path but not too far from a train stop. Does not need to be special/world heritage site type locale, just a place to absorb a little typical local culture in a foreign country.

Yes, I know that this is too short a time to visit this area. I understand this. Am only attempting to make a plan that is one small step better than only seeing it all go by through the train window. Maybe someday we'll be able to afford to come back and stay a while.

Cheers,
Peter

Posted by
2916 posts

I'd recommend Uzes, about 30 minutes from Nimes. A lovely small town, with several places to stay and plenty of restaurants. Also, a great outdoor market, although I forget which day.

Posted by
1014 posts

My wife loved Grasse. Several perfumes are made there. There is a great tour of one of the perfume companies. After the tour, you can buy perfume there or go shopping on the main street and several stores sell perfumes. If you are in Nice, it is a 1 Euro bus trip each way (2 Euro total) for each person.

Posted by
570 posts

You could stay in Nimes and take a local bus to the Pont du Gard.

Posted by
3398 posts

About 30 minutes west of Montpellier is Pezenas. It's a beautiful town; a "village circulade", which was a common building style in the area hundreds of years ago. Gorgeous old village with winding stone streets, shops, and restaurants. Very few Americans but it's popular with European tourists, particularly from Germany and Britain. Lots of expat Brits in that part of France. They give discounted shop space to artists so it makes for some interesting shopping. Saturday morning farmer's market is one of the best in Herault. We spent 5 weeks there one summer and it was wonderful!

Posted by
16895 posts

In today's post on the other thread, I observed that train travel from Venice to Nimes takes 12-13 hours. Travel from Venice to Nice takes only 8 hours and Nice makes a good home base for visiting smaller neighboring towns by bus or train.

Posted by
6 posts

Hi Laura,
I too noticed that those on this thread gave great ideas (I have enjoyed looking into Uzes and Pezannas) but all have been in the western portion of the zone being discussed, which as you mention adds more travel time and less "experience" time perhaps to my route. So . . . what towns might you, or other readers, recommend around Nice, that would be a wonderful day-long/overnight stopover?
Thanks!
Peter

Posted by
2301 posts

Menton or Villefranche-sur-Mer, both handy on the train (which some of the other towns that have been recommended really aren't).

Posted by
4 posts

Nice makes a fantastic base for a stop-over. Guaranteed sunshine, plenty of opportunities for food and many many beautiful towns surrounding it. You can't go wrong!

The train station is also quite a hub, all trains going from France to Paris certainly go through it anyhow, so it would not cause a detour for you.

When I stayed in Nice with my family, I opted for the holiday rental solution. They have many great companies and it turns out cheaper than staying in a hotel overnight.

Hope this helps, happy travelling!

Posted by
6 posts

OP here reporting after trip.
I want to thank everyone for commenting and especially Janet who had the suggestion that we took (after research and contemplation).

We stayed 2 nights/3 days in Villefranche-sur-Mer and had a truly fantastic time there, one of the highlights of the whole 2.5-week trip.
The beautiful beach is 100% public and you could truly jump out a train window and land on it. We stayed in Hotel Provencal which was perfectly comfortable--a great deal for the area-- and a nice change of pace from the apartment rentals that served as home on the rest of our trip.

If one were to stay longer with this lovely little town as their home base, they are always a 10 minute train trip from Nice in one direction and Monte Carlo in the other.

So, thank you Janet and this forum . . . a success.

Posted by
1005 posts

If you want to stay near Nice but want to get away from the tourist crowd, try the village of St.-Jeannet up in the hills above the Mediterranean. It's a short drive between Vence and Nice, and nestled near the coastal mountains. We stated at The Frog's House, a basic but charming B&B with excellent hosts and a view of the sea. The owner is willing to pick you up at the Nice train station if you need a ride. We ate the La Table du Bauos, which serves excellent, locally sourced food. To find a relatively authentic village so close to the Riviera was a revelation.