I am going to the south of France with my family. (two kids..15 & 10). We have three nights and two days to spend. We will be taking the train from Lucca. We will be leaving on a night train out of Nice for Paris. I am trying to decide which town would be the best to stay in based on our limited time. Also, any suggestions for lodging. My budget is about $300. US a night for the four of us...
Posted by
OH, OH, USA
1158 posts
Nice is the largest city on the Golden Coast. There are many restaurants right accross the sea you might want to check out.
I also liked Cannes and St. Tropez.
Cannes is small and looks like Miami with palm trees in the middle of the blvd, expensive hotels. You only need a few hours to see. St. Tropez is well know for their expensive yahts and rich people living there.
You might want to visit Marseille as well, it's the largest 2nd city in France.
Posted by
San Leandro, CA, USA
632 posts
Michelle,
We stayed at the Hotel Mecure Promenade des Anglais in Nice. We don't normally stay a chain hotels, but this one is so well situated right on the Promenade overlooking the sea...check out trip advisor for other lodging opportunities in Nice, but I can personally vouch for this one.
If you decide to try the Hotel Mecure, try the various discounters on the trip advisor website...chain hotels typically have much lower prices available through orbitz, hotel.com and other's.
Posted by
San Leandro, CA, USA
632 posts
I forgot to add that we loved our stay in Nice...the old town is as charming as any medieval village you will find in the French countryside (or in Italy for that matter)...the beach is fun (and don't forget, it's topless) but it is not a sandy beach...it's comprised of pebbles...take along some flip flops or reef shoes to mitigate the heat and the rough surface...and I heartily recommend that you try the socca while in the old town (their are a couple of places that serve it)...it is only sold in Nice...its like a cross between a crepe and a piazza...
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
Nice maybe nice, but I think there are more things to do, and more kinds of things, in Provence. Arles is a good base, but if you rent a car while there you can stay in a village like St. Remy or in a French hill town in the Luberon.
On the other hand if the beach is a central attraction, you'd be better off on the cote.