We are rescheduling an Anniversary trip to French Riviera June 2022. We have our accommodations in a home in Eygalières, Provence for a week to make day trips around Provence by car. Many sights and towns recommended by RS. My question is:: where to have 4-5 day stay: Nice or Antibes or somewhere we can take short trips (bus or train). This is rescheduled from June2021 which we had planned fly into Nice, 4-5days without car in city. We had apartment in Old Town Nice that is not available to rebook. So the search is on for other apartment for my husband, 16 yr.old daughter and I. Wanted to stroll City streets, easy access to transportation for trips to VilleFranche,Cap Ferrat, maybe Cannes and Monaco.
Any suggestions you have are appreciated. Thank you!
-Lynn
Posted by
Washington DC
28100 posts
Your train trips to Villefranche, Cap Ferrat and Monaco will be 14 - 26 minutes longer each way if you base in Antibes rather than Nice. On the other hand, you'll gain that same 14-26 minutes on your day-trip to Cannes.
Unless you put a high value on staying in a smaller place, I'd choose Nice. It's the transportation hub for the area with buses to places like St-Paul-de-Vence. To get to SPdV from Antibes you'd have to take a train to Nice and then connect to the bus.
In addition, Nice has enough sights (especially if you like art--there are at least 6 art museums) that you might well need to make two trips there if you were staying in Antibes. You probably won't do more than one day's sightseeing in Antibes.
You'll have a fine time either way.
Posted by
1 posts
My wife and I are in an apartment in Nice for the month of July. We’re a few blocks North of Old Town which is nice because it is sooo calm compared to Old Town and we’re only a few minutes walk just without the bustle. Old Town is just too congested for everyday life.
And yes, while we’re based here, we’re taking day trips to all of the neighboring sites with great ease.
Very happy here so far. Best of luck to you!
Posted by
OP
32 posts
Thank you acraven and Andy for your responses. Good point about the travel times and connections to the sights we intend to see. I appreciate your input about Old Town Nice area. We like the idea of staying in the 'bustle" of the city for few days since the Provence home we rented will allow us to slow down,stroll villages and markets around that area.
-Lynn
Posted by
Washington DC
28100 posts
Another thought: Get Rick's book focusing on the south. It has more-detailed information than the book covering all of France.
https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/provence-guidebook
Posted by
Nice, France & San Francisco
713 posts
Nice will have better transit connections and more to do, and is easily reachable on foot or by tram. Another alternative to the Old Town is the area called the Carre d'Or plus the few blocks around Place Massena. Closer to the main station and bus lines, and more likely to have amenities like elevators and AC. In the Old Town, pay attention to the placement of an apartment as some squares and buildings over the popular bars can get noisy at night.
Antibes will be quieter, and there is access to sandy beaches (although the best are farther from old town and the train station -- Juan Les Pins has better access. JLP is also easy to get to by train from Nice).
Posted by
Hermosa Beach, CA, USA
277 posts
In 2018 we stayed in a tiny B&B in the heart of Antibes. It was a lovely location for the beach, restaurants, etc. but something of a trek to Nice and Monte Carlo. The B&B was in Rick's book. It was a 2-night stop in a 3-week drive around France so it worked nicely for us. I'm not sure it would work as well for 4-5 days. We like to explore more than relax at the beach.