Cinque Terre or Nice

I like Villefrance sur Mer (small beach) which is east of Nice. We don't enjoy Nice. You can daytrip to Antibes for the beach, and charming towns such as St Paul de Vence and Eze. Monte Carlo is an easy visit. If you're coming from Paris, Provence is lovely with Arles, Avignon and Aix before you reach the French Riviera. In Italy we love Santa Margherita finding it a nice size. We walk to Portofino and ferry back and we've taken the train to CT for the day

Having spent 6 weeks last June in both the French Riviera and Italy, I would consider this..

The Cinque Terre is not so much as a beach resort as it is an italian experience. The towns are much more picturesqe and beautiful than Nice. If you are at all into hiking then you should make sure the Cinque Terre is on your intinerary. We loved it and wouldn't have sacrificed it for any of the French riviera. That being said, I've been to France many times and the Italian beaches are rocky and far between comparitevly. We spent time in both Nice and Antibes, and I would go with Antibes. Nice is not nice, as Rick Steves might like to tell you. Nice is a dive and full of pick pockets and grungy. It's so overated I can't understand why RS still espouses it's greatness. I would steer clear 100%. Mexico beaches are far more enticing. Antibes is almost as crowded, but was more fun, and cleaner.

Best of luck.

G

In the case of choosing between those two beaches, it would greatly help you decide if you focus on seeing pics and getting visuals of both the Nice and Cinque Terre beaches--this is important because these two areas offer beaches that are very different from each other, not at all similar. Seeing the pics, you can make it more likely that the facts on the ground match up with any expectations or preferences you have regarding what kind of experience you're looking for.

In particular, you'll probably find it helpful to understand what the beaches of Cinque Terre are, and are not. Pics will communicate that more effectively than descriptions in words by others.

You can find many pics of both areas on the internet. Both Google Map and the separate software Google Earth (a free download) have a feature called Panoramio that allows you to click on pics that are displayed on the aerial maps that both sites offer. Using these, you can get a pretty good idea of what you'll see on the ground.

Thank you so much! I will do this right now. I have been searching online for comparisons between the two areas and it is very difficult to find. Thanks for the tip :)

Click here for Google Map

input Nice, France in the top box.When the map comes up, click Satellite, then click More, then check Photos.

Same procedure will work for the Cinque Terre, input the name of one of the towns, start with Monterosso Al Mare, it's the CT town with the biggest beach; and make sure you input Monterosso Al Mare, not just Monterosso (or you'll go to Sicily instead of the CT).

The way Google Map works, you want to click or enable all of these:SatelliteMorecheck Photos

Have fun checking these areas out.

Wow! This is a GREAT tip! I just looked up Monterosso al mare and Nice. You are right, very different. I didnt know Nice was so big. I think I prefer the CT towns better. More intimate and quaint.

Yes, Nice is a large city, and way different from the Cinque Terre villages.

4 of the 5 Cinque Terre towns are more aptly described as villages, with Monterosso Al Mare maybe being big enough to be in the "small town" category.

There are many choices of beaches, in between the bigness of Nice and the smallness of the CT. Except for Monterosso, the other 4 CT villages are not really thought of as beach towns or places where people go who are looking for a typical "beach" experience. The CT beaches, except for Monterosso, are pebbly, rocky, and/or quite small.

Your original post said "beach destination" and, with the possible exception of Monterosso, the CT is not usually what people think of as a "beach destination."

But it all depends on what exactly you're looking for, when you say "beach destination."

would you say that Villefranche sur mer is a big city too? or small like Monterosso?

Thanks for the laugh, James! I thought this would be the case but thought I would try the french riveria. I just love Positano so much and want something similiar. I guess you can only have the real thing!

Villefranche sur mer is, kinda, somewhere in between the two extremes of Nice (big) and the CT (small and not particularly beachy).

Same suggestion as before: Go back to Google Map, input villefranche sur mer, france, click Satellite and under More check Photos. Then you can see for yourself.

Another possibility is Antibes, on the other side of Nice (other side than Villefranche).

Many travelers, those looking for a certain kind of Riviera beach experience, like Nice. It has other things to do, besides the beach.

Monterosso has the only real beach in Cinque Terre - I was there last June. I was also in Sorrento 3 years ago in June and even that far south the water was CHILLING! Never been to Nice, but I like the dramatic cliffs of the Italian coast both in Sorrento and in CT. The Genoa airport is just outside of CT.

I've never been to Dubrovnik, but their beaches look stunning from the pictures.

stephanie,

As someone else noted, the beaches of Nice are somewhat "rocky" but of course the area along the "Promenade des Anglais" is great. There are lots of restaurants and street markets in the "old town" which is close by. Villefranche sur Mer is great also, but that part of France tends to be somewhat "upscale" compared to the C.T. (Keeping in mind that Monaco and Monte Carlo are in the same area).

The Cinque Terre is somewhat more "informal". All of the five villages have some sort of "beach" except for Corniglia which is located on top of a bluff. Monterosso is the largest of the five and has the best beach. There's both a "new town" and "old town" in Monterosso, and most people that visit that area like to hike the trails between the five villages. Vernazza has a small beach inside a harbour protected by a stone breakwater. In that area, you could also visit Portofino, which is another somewhat "upscale" area.

The Cinque Terre would be a good choice, as you should be able to find good flight selection out of Milan / MXP. I took the same route last year, but had to change planes in Frankfurt. Depending on what time the flight departs, you might consider spending one night in Milan to have a look at the Duomo, Sforza Castle or Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele (there are some incredible and ritzy shops in La Rinascente stores which are part of that - check out the web site for details).

Happy travels!

Ok well alot of info to take in! First when I describe "beach experience" I am relating it to a rocky Italian beach like Positano. We LOVED Positano for its rocky beaches, small quaint town where everythig is in walking distance and the vibe it gave off. Loved the relaxing feel of going to have pizza and in my bathing suit w cover up. Strolling the streets watching the artists and going into the cute shops. After a two week vacaction of feel like being on "Amazing Race" sometimes, you need to have this relaxing feel. So, its ok if its rocky and not like Mexico but love the "feel" of the town. So now...Villa Franche, Antibes or Monterosso? If we go to CT we will bypass Provence area. Is this a must see? Because this may way in the decision too. Thanks!

One more thing someone just told me...they said its not easy to get from Paris to Monterosso. 10-12 hours by multiple trains or fly into Pisa then take train to CT. I thought you couldnt take a train to the CT towns. ok offically confused again!!

oh, also should I fly out of Milan or Pisa back to Boston at the end of my trip?

"I thought you couldn't take a train to the CT towns."

No! it's the opposite. Those in the know (and even those that aren't) get between the 5 CT villages by train. It's having a rental car in the CT that presents problems, since overnight parking is limited and most of the towns aren't connected by road.

If you decide to go to the Cinque Terre, I suggest that you fly easyJet from Paris to Pisa and take the train from there to the CT village of your choice.

Pisa is closer to the CT than is Milan, but not substantially closer. Fly home from whichever airport works better for you.

If you can access Rick Steve's DVDs, he goes on location to all of these places. We have them at our library and he's often on PBS Television or you can purchase them on this site.

Thank you all for your posts. I have just spent the this rainy Sunday afternoon looking at them all and researching these towns. I am now going to see if I can stay in VilleFranche and Monteroso....why not both??? I have to figure out how to travel from Paris to VF then onto CT area. Can this be done by car or do you this train is best. Maybe a train from Paris to VF then car to finish the journey. Thanks!