We're planning a last minute, 8-day trip to the Cote d'Azur in two weeks. Our Barnes & Noble is sold out of Rick's book on the French Riviera so we're stumped about where to stay. We're flying into Milan and will take the train to our base location, wherever that may be! Any recommendations? We prefer apartments to hotels if possible. Is train or bus better for day trips? We've been to Provence so prefer to stay to the east (Nice? Antibes?) Thanks in advance for any information you can provide.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10289 posts
If you prefer apartments, you could look at lodgis.com which has vacation rentals on the Cote d'Azur. Better hurry though. This is prime season for Northern Europe retirees to flock to the coast.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Pick Nice if you want be be in a city. Pick either Antibes or Villefranche-sur-Mer if you want something smaller. Either the train or the bus works well for day trips along the coast. If you visit any hilltop villages, you'll need to take the bus. See if your Barnes & Noble has the Lonely Planet Provence & the Cote d'Azur guidebook. It's more complete than Rick's book.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
6 posts
When I was in Nice in 2006, we stayed at Villa la Tour in Old Town Nice. It is really affordable, and it's in the perfect location - the heart of Old Town and 5-10 minute walk to the Mediterranean. I took the bus to Eze and Monaco - very simple and inexpensive. Have an amazing time!
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33123 posts
I prefer to stay in Monaco. Have you tried Amazon? You can usually get a book in a day or two with them.
Posted by
Tucson
4171 posts
We loved Antibes when we were in the area 2 years ago. We took the train to Nice, a very short ride. Home Away and VRBO (Vacation Rental by Owner) are just 2 possible options for finding a vacation rental in the area. They have lots of apartments (and even houses). I've been exploring them lately and noticed there were some "last minute" deals in some places, so it might be just the right time to book now that the holidays are over.
Posted by
Orlando
516 posts
Check VRBO. If you like to be in the middle of a busy city I would go with Nice. If you want more quiet and extremely beautiful I would look at VillaFranche. Trains and buses run back and forth all day.