 | Nice Off the Beaten Path | Tips 1 - 10 of 147 |  |
Popular Off the Beaten Path | Miscellaneous Off the Beaten Path Tips | All Tips (147)  | |  |  | A circular trip from Nice, on a budget, part 1... | Tip Rating:   |  |  | |  |
...to Eze Village and Eze Bord de Mer in the same afternoon. This is a great trip out from Nice and easy to do on public transport. Eze Village is not really 'off the beaten path' - more a well-trod tourist hot spot but still pretty. Eze Village is a tiny perched village 400 metres above sea level not to be confused with Eze Bord de Mer by the sea. Following our expensive meal out on Friday, we were on an economy drive today. In the morning I bought provisions for a picnic from our wonderful local patisserie, M. Martinez on rue Cassini, by the Port. There are only 3 buses to Eze Village on a Sunday and, laden with picnic, we caught the 112 leaving the Gare Routiere at 12 noon, from Place Garibaldi. It's about a 20 minute ride climbing eastwards and upwards on the middle (Moyenne) Corniche. The bus can not go into the walled and pedestrianised Eze Village with its narrow mediaeval roads, so you are decanted onto a car park. Head up the road but nip right to get a free map and guide from the friendly tourist office and use loo. Continue back up to the village. Just before you pass the walls, you will see the huge wrought iron gates of Chateau Eza - Easter lunch today only 160 euros per person! The path home is to the left of these gates. (This was a circular trip out remember) Wend your way through the village and explore and marvel at all its photogenic nooks, crannies, chapels and touristy shops. If you are broke, treat it all like an attractive (free!) open air museum. It IS very pretty - it would be hard to take a duff photo here unless a coach load of tourists got in the shot. There are a few places to eat, drink have an ice cream or coffee, that are not too expensive plus another pricy-looking place - La Chevre d'Or - Easter lunch here is 160 euros per person too. We were starting to feel hungry! At the highest point of the village, is the Exotic Garden, le Jardin Exotique. You can picnic here, there's plenty of space at the top, the views are wonderful - complete panorama. continued in Part 2... Leave a Comment Website: http://www.eze-riviera.com/
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| | | | Nice gives you access to everything Riviera | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Once you have made the right choice of Nice, you have a wealth of attractions both in, and around Nice. Within an hour you can be in Cannes, Monaco or Italy. You can be up in the perched villages of the arriere pays (back country), or wandering the cobbled narrow streets of the Medieval villages of St Paul, Vence or Entrevaux.. You can be marvelling at the super yatches in Antibes, or lounging on the beach at Villefranche. Shopping for fashion bargains in Ventimiglia, or celebrity-spotting in St Tropez. Even further afield but manageable is Marseilles, Genoa and Corsica. What to see? If you have only one day, most people's excursion of choice is a trip to Monaco. If you have time for more excursions, Antibes is a good second destination. To contrast those, a trip inland to one of the medieval villages is recommended - Haut de Cagnes, St Paul de Vence, Eze or Grasse, in order of preference. If you're a "glitz" person, put Cannes on your list, or be prepared for lengthy travel to St Tropez, both at their best in high season. If its a Friday, then that's market day in Ventimiglia If you are a "gardens and plants" person, head for Menton or better still Ventimiglia's Villa Hanbury Botanical Gardens at Mortola. Then theres Jardin Thuret at Cap d'Antibes or the Monaco Jardin Exotique. If you do adventure sports the gorges of Gourdon are waiting for you. More sedate water fun for the family at Marineland, Biot near Antibes The choice is yours. Off the beaten path has a lot to offer. Leave a Comment
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| | | | A circular trip from Nice, on a budget, part 2... | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Eze Village - Eze Bord de Mer continued from part 1 ...Picnic was good; we were eyed somewhat enviously by other visitors, especially when I got the thermos flask out - a great British institution! The sun shone and we could have basked here all day. Entrance to the gardens is 3 euros each but free for children, small price to pay for uninterrupted views and a good picnic spec. The gardens themselves are neat and terraced, mostly cacti and succulents. According to my guide book, a 'must see' is the 14th century Chapel of the Penitents - not the large blue and yellow church dominating the view (tip - loos by the entrance to this church) but a tiny cream building. To complete the circular tour, return to the gates (see part 1) and walk down the marked path - Sentier Frederic Nietzsche, named after the German philosopher used this pathway in the 1880s. The path is clearly signposted with yellow 'flashes' painted at intervals in case you wander off. It is steep in parts and steps, when present, are quite deep. The estimated time is 45 minutes down to Eze Bord de Mer. It is a pleasant walk but I wouldn't like to do it in the heat of summer. Several gasping groups passed us on the way up! We felt we had made the better decision, to start at the top and walk down! When you reach the bottom you are in Eze Bord de Mer. Cross over to the beach or do as we did, turn right and walk a few metres up to the bus stop to catch the number 100 (every half hour) for Nice. If you walk past the bus stop, there is a road side cafe for a recuperative ice-cream while you wait for the bus. This bus route uses the lower (Basse) Corniche road to return to Nice passing through Beaulieu and Villefranche before dropping us off at the Port. The bus fare is 2,50 euros each per trip, the garden entrance fee was 6 euros, plus a picnic made for a cheap afternoon out with a lovely village to explore, a good walk to work off lunch and two scenic bus journeys. Most enjoyable. Leave a Comment Website: http://www.eze-riviera.com/
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| | | | Monaco and Monte Carlo | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Access from Nice to the principality of Monaco couldn't be easier - TAM 100 bus or train from Gare SNCF will have you in Monaco in less than a half hour. . Only 2sq km in size, population 3,000 Monegasques, 27,000 tax exiles (zero rate of personal income tax) home to the wealthiest individuals in Europe. The streets are spotless - litter-free - as it has the world's highest rate of policemen per thousand population. In Monte Carlo you can marvel at the Casino, take pictures of people taking pictures of the casino to confuse them - or go inside, if you are appropriately dressed . The high rollers however only ever play behind closed doors. The Rolls Royces parked outside are for effect, a permanent feature to lure in the punters. If you are feeling fit for the climb, fantastic views can be had from the exotic gardens (charges, but worth it) and their collection of Cactii, high up on the side of the hill above Monte Carlo looking down over the castle and the harbour. At Prince Ranier's palace you can see his amazing classic car collection (charges). Fabulous classics, only 6 euro entry Dont miss the fabulous Musee Oceanographique, what should be one of the wonders of the world with its three story coral reef and shark tank. In the harbour you will often see some of the worlds most impressive luxury yatchs, like the Lady Moura - said to be the most expensive in the world at $100m. Very big boys toys these. Walk around the town and count the Porsches, Mercedes, Ferraris, Rolls Royces, Bentleys, Lambourghinis, and the odd Reliant Robin . If you hanker after Formula One and Grand Prix week the third week of May each year, bear in mind that everything by way of accommodation everywhere goes up 30 - 50% in price, that you can't see a thing anywhere on the route without paying for a ticket, the best of which come in at 300 euro for the day. Join me to read the lowdown on the Monaco royal family, those wild child daughters, and the real Monaco Leave a Comment
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| | | | Cap 3000, St Laurent du Var | Tip Rating: | | | | |
A thirty minute bus ride from Nice just past the airport is the retail park Cap 3000, home to a shopping mall with a giant Galleries Lafayette, and more importantly, Galleries Lafayette Gourmande. A rival to Londons Harrods and Selfridges food halls but infinitely more reasonably priced. If you fancy a little continental shelf browsing and beautiful gourmet things to take home, this is a great little excursion, especially if you are let down by the weather one day. Around the store are little eating spots so you can do lunch in style in the aisle. The selection of French wines is huge, especially rose de Provence. And there is a little corner for "produits Anglais" if you hanker for Heinzbaked beans or PG Tips teabags. The floor above holds a vast floor of fashion goods. Next door are the many restaurants of the little resort of St Laurent itself. You can watch the planes landing at Nice airport in the near distance, and watch the kite-surfing for which this open and breezy spot is perfect. Catch any of the TAM buses direction Cannes (200, 400, 410, 500) and hop off at the bus stop opposite the Cap 3000 (La Passarelle). Alternatively the Bus 52 from the Nice Gare Routiere goes direct to St Laurent de Var stopping at "Cap trois mille". In any case, fare only a miserly 1.30 euro each way. Not open on Sundays! Leave a Comment
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on February 23, 2005
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