I am planning a 7-10 day trip to the south of France for next year. I want to base my trip in either Marseille or Nice. I have already been to Paris and Rome, and now I want to see the Mediterranean and enjoy the sea and sunshine. I also want to be able to take a train up to Paris and maybe other places too. But which is better; Marseille, or Nice? Is one easier to get to and less expensive to travel in/out of? Is one simply a must-see regardless of price? Or would either be perfectly fine? Help me out please! And give me any restaurant/hotel/sights recommendations that you may have.
Posted by
Vienna, Austria
517 posts
I vote Nice. Have been to both cities. Was in Nice earlier this month. Though I liked it, Marseille is a gritty working city. The old port is picturesque and Chateau d'if and the islands were nice for a day. I also hiked up to the church overlooking the city and enjoyed seeing a WWII Sherman tank at a crossroads on the way. that was about it, in my book. We spent 2 1/2 days in Marseille before bolting into Provence proper. I felt like that was plenty of time. In Nice I'd rcommend staying in the old city. Beaches are accessible on foot (we went swimming every day). Hike up to the chateau mount is right there. Went and saw some Roman ruins and the Matisse museum. (o.k., but not sensational.) Outdoor markets were very nice. Most importantly, we took a train and hop-scotched to Monaco and to Menton (lunch by the beach) and to Ventimiglia, Italy (Gelato at 3:00) in one day with time left for an early evening swim back in Nice. Next time we will take the train in the opposite direction, toward Antibes and Cannes. Spent 5 days in Nice without getting bored. Anyway, they were 2 very different vacations and, though I liked both, I would vacation in Nice again. My wife is ready to go back! We were in Nice in high-high season and, all in all, the crowds were not too bad. My two cents. Hope it helps. Have a good trip.
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
695 posts
Been to both, also vote Nice
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
If you are an art lover, definitely choose Nice. Outside of Paris, Nice and the surrounding area have the best art museums in France. IMO, both the Matisse Museum and the Chagall Museum are outstanding. Antibes has an excellent Picasso museum which includes his drawings on pottery as well as paintings. There also are museums in Saint-Paul-de-Vence (Fondation Meaght), Cagnes-sur-Mer (Renoir), and Biot (Leger); but I didn't have time to visit them so I can't give you an opinion on them. The interior of the Chapelle du Rosaire in Vence was painted by Matisse, but I didn't get there either. The Orthodox cathedral in Nice is said to be the best of its kind outside of Russia. If you base yourself in Nice, you can easily travel up and down the coast by either train or bus and you can take the bus to hill towns like Eze-le-Village, Vence, and Saint-Paul-de-Vence.
Posted by
OP
Des Moines, IA
38 posts
Wow! Thank you everyone for your great responses! I had no idea there was such a clear cut winner between the two. I have officially chosen Nice as my destination! I am definitely an art lover and I absolutely LOVE Chagall!! Thanks for that piece of information! I have other questions about Nice now but I'll just post another question. Thanks everyone!!
Posted by
Stuttgart, Germany
3050 posts
I really like Marsielle but I agree that Nice is probably better for your situation. Marsielle is a real city and I love it for that but it's not going to be as tourist-friendly as Nice. Both offer great day trips. But if art is one of your big things, Nice is great. Then again, from Marsielle, you can day trip to Aix-en-Provence which has some great museums and was the some of Cezanne. Just have to stick up for Marsielle a bit. I'm the patron saint of overlooked French cities!
Posted by
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
35 posts
Nice is amazing. You'll love it.