Hello, we will be traveling to Monte Carlo this September. This is a work sponsored trip so our major expenses will be covered. We are trying to make the most of our trip by going to see other places in Europe but not sure about best tranportation methods and what is feasible to get to. Our ticket gives us the flexibility of extending our return date. We were thinking of a cruise from Monte Carlo to other major ports so we wouldn't have to worry about lodging and it would give us the ability to see a bit of everything, but an initial search of cruises did not provide much info. Any suggestions? We've also been to Greece in the last 2 years so we wouldn't want to include that this time around. We would love to see Italy or Spain and other parts of France. We're open to seeing both the countryside and larger cities. We just want to make the most of this trip. In terms of budget, nothing extravagant but we're not looking to stay at hostels or similar either. Thanks for your help!
Posted by
Tilburg, Netherlands
2829 posts
Your question is too vague. There is a medium-sized airport in Nice from where you can fly with connections pretty much elsewhere, thus the location of Monte Carlo is irrelevant. Nice is not an usual departing port for cruises, you'd have to look for cruises departing from Genova instead.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
As Andre said, cruises stop at Monte Carlo, but very few (if any) originate there. Other cruise ports on the French Riveria include Cannes, Nice, and Villefranche-sur-mer. Again, I don't think any cruises originate at any of these places. Cruises do start in Barcelona, Civitavecchia (the port for Rome), and Venice; these cruises usually cover the western Mediterranean, including Italy, Spain, and France. If you want to fly somewhere (either to start a cruise or for other reasons), Nice (NCE) is a major airport and you can get to all kinds of places nonstop from there. By land, you can take local trains from Monte Carlo to Nice and then change for expresses to other parts of France, or take local trains to Italy and then expresses to get deeper into Italy. However, be aware that connections to places in Italy that most visitors want to see, like Venice, Florence, the Cinque Terre, or Rome, are time consuming and involve several changes. For Spain, you can take the train if you insist, but most here would advise flying. In short, between trains and planes, you can get anywhere you want pretty easily (maybe not cheaply, unless you book far in advance). So, you'll have to narrow it down - what do you want to do most?
Posted by
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2779 posts
You've got excellent train connections right from Monte Carlo to anywhere along the coast. E.g. a trip to Cinque Terre would make sense, then on to Florence, Pisa... down to Rome... or up into Switzerland. All is beautiful in September! What is your flight itinerary? Can you fly back from e.g. Paris instead of Nice?
Posted by
Dallas
1021 posts
Rent a car and tour Provence. That's what I would do. Get Michelin Green Guide to Provence and other guide books to the area to plan your trip.