In late September 2019 we did a sunset cruise in the Cinque Terre (out of Monterosso) that was incredible, found it through AirBnB experiences (look for Cinque Terre Sunset Lovers with Maria & Nicola if interested). I would love to do something like that again when we're in Nice in just a few weeks. The only cruises I've found during that time are short 1 hour cruises during the middle of the day or expensive yacht cruises that run upwards of €500/person which is way too much for our budget. I've searched through Viator, TripAdvisor, AirBnB, and Google. Has anyone done anything like this before and have a recommendation? Or am I out of luck because of the time of year? Or maybe if I just walk down to the port when we're there I might find something? (We're staying near the port in Vieux Nice.) This trip is our delayed honeymoon (married last year) and Nice is the last stop on our trip so I thought this would be a nice romantic way to end the trip. TIA for any recommendations!
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
7937 posts
Your Cinque Terra sunset tour sounds delightful. Searching, I can’t quite get details. What was the cost? Somewhere around €200 or more per person? We’ll be there this October - maybe not the right time of year, either. I’ll search some more, but wonder what the fists could be. And was that boat just for the 2 of you in 2019, or were there other passengers?
Sorry, I don’t have any knowledge of a similar sunset boat tour experience in Nice. When you’re in Nice, though, have dinner at Alto Resto.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
We have been in Nice and Villafranche three or four times over the years and do not remember seeing any docks where ships could tie up. You would need that for local cruises. Lot of nice beaches. I know cruises ships that stop at Villafranche have to tender in their guests. You might look on google maps and see if you could find a docking area around Nice somewhere.
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
7937 posts
The Vieux Port of Nice is just beyond the east end of the Promenade des Anglais, on the east side of the Castle Hill. It’s now a parking space for mega yachts, and the big ferry to Corsica departs from there. Le Port neighborhood is where I’ve stayed numerous trips in Nice, and also where my favorite restaurant, Alto, is located (see above).
There is a docking point farther west, down the Promenade des Anglais, from where a 1-hour boat tour departs. It sails into the Villefranche bay and back, but it goes in the mornings and mid-afternoon, and doesn’t have a sunset version, as far as know. It also a quickie 1-hour event. Don’t know if they’d do a custom trip, or if any of the parasailing adventure boats would, either, and at what price.
Posted by
OP
Portland, OR, USA
134 posts
@Cyn - We paid a lot less than that, I had to go back and look at my credit card statements but total cost for both of us after conversion was $254. At that time Maria and Nicola had a max of 6 people per group, there were 2 other couples besides us. The trip included a welcome glass of prosecco and then they anchored off an island where we watched the sunset and while we did that we each had an aperol spritz and a plate of appetizers that was actually quite a lot of food. The experience is up on Airbnb still (https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/206739) but I can see prices have risen which may be because they're taking smaller groups out or only doing private excursions due to COVID. You could always contact Maria through the Airbnb messaging function and see what options they might have for your dates. She speaks good English and is really helpful and friendly. She and her husband Nicola live in Riomaggiore.
Regarding the cruise out of Nice, I saw the 1 hour cruise that leaves from the docks near the old town, I think departure times are 11 and 3. Keeping that in mind but I was looking for something a little more special and to coincide with sunset. I'll keep looking, thank you for responding!