Villefranche-sur-Mer VS Nice.

I would not train from Amsterdam to Nice.. We took train from Paris to Nice two years ago.. and it was about close to my limit of how much time I would spend on a train.. and yes.. you can bring a picnic and relax etc.. but after about 5 hours I was going a bit nuts... lol The train ride from Paris to Nice is 5 hours and 50 minutes ( so 6 hours ) .. and Amsterdam is in fact 3 hours from Paris.. ( done that ride many times) .. so.. 8 hours in a train.. nope.. fly.

However.. I also think it would be nice to spend time in Paris ( and yes I am biased .. love Paris) and being only 3 hours from Amsterdam makes it pretty easy.. )

I also love Nice.. we spent 5 days there in summer two years ago.. visited Eze and Monaco super easy fast and cheap but buses ( one euro bus fare to Monaco!!) or trains ( 3-4 euros gets you to many places ) however..

If you can swing 7 days extra.. I would think a good compromise is take train to Paris.. spend 3 nights there ( only 2 full days.. which is short ) and then train or fly to Nice.. spend 4 nights there ( that's only three full days..)

Remember the day you move from Paris to Nice.. either by train or flight is a non sightseeing day..

Personally.. maybe make it easier.. spend an extra day or two in Amsterdam,, then fly direct to Nice for last 5 nights.. visiting various places, ( Villefranche, Eze, Monaco, Cannes) are all super easy options.

If you're not renting a car, Nice is by far the easiest base, as it has extensive bus and train links to the whole region. From Villefranche, you still have options, but will sometimes have to backtrack through Nice to get places.

I think you have a typo when you wrote "advice on flight VS train from Nice to this area would be helpful as well" Which area are you talking about getting to from Nice? If you mean Amsterdam to Nice, several airlines have nonstop flights; search Skyscanner for options: http://www.skyscanner.com/

We stayed 5 wonderful nights in Villefranche-sur-Mer without a car. Day trips were fun and easy for us by bus or train to Monaco, Eze-le-Village, Nice and Antibes. We loved returning each day to the pretty village of Villefrance-su-Mer for a nice dinner and a good nights sleep. If we go again, we may try out another base city for a little variety. Probably Antibes or Nice. Rick's Provence and the French Riviera guidebook has great information on this area and may help you with your decision.

Consider Antibes for a few days. Larger and more diverse than Ville. Do not need car in Antibes. There is a bus from Antibes to Nice airport also.