Sunday, April 15, 2012

Help!

I have visited this area a few times, and on previous visits, have seen Nice, Monaco, Menton, Juan Les Pins, Antibes, Cannes, Grasse and across the border, Ventimiglia.





This time, next week, I will be in Nice, and wonder if anybody who knows the area, might recommend any of the following towns/places which I have yet to see.





As you have probably already guessed, I have simply taken the names from the train stations on the Mandelieu-Ventimiglia line!





Mandelieu-La Napoule



Golfe Juan



Biot



Villeneuve-Loubet Plage



Cagnes Sur Mer



St Laurent Du Var



Beaulieu Sur Mer



Eze



Cap d%26#39;Ail



Roquebrube Cap Martin



Carnoles





And one final question - is there any tourist card or ticket which one can buy for the railways (for example a one-week ticket?) or do you still have to purchase tickets for each journey?





Many thanks.




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There is no weekly ticket for the train for visitors - in the summer there is a day rover ticket [carte isabelle] but that is finished for the year.







It would help to have some more info before answering the rest .







Are you restrictng yourself to a] train travel rather than bus and b] that particular route?





Have you considered the train des merveilles rtoute or the train des pignes routes?





what do you like to see/do when visiting places?




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If you%26#39;re here next week, here%26#39;s my personal take on the places:





Mandelieu-La Napoule - been a couple of times during spring/summer. Walked between Theoule and Mandelieu. Pleasant enough tourist town.





Golfe Juan - stop for Juan les Pins, playground during summer, but can%26#39;t imagine there%26#39;d be much life at this time of year. Been during Jazz Festival time, when it%26#39;s buzzing.





Biot - railway station not close to village, so you%26#39;d need to study the bus timetables to actually get up there. At the railway station there%26#39;s nothing but a bunch of campsites, fairly close to Marineland I think, and the long stretch of coast between Antibes and Nice.





Villeneuve-Loubet Plage - not close to village, but if you want to wander around the Marina Baie des Anges, it%26#39;s quite interesting to see the yachts and there may be a restaurant open. You can also walk fairly much along the coast from the Marina to St Laurent, with views of planes landing and a nice traffic-free promenade at St Laurent.





Cagnes Sur Mer - there are 2 stations and I can%26#39;t remember which this one is (the other is Cros de Cagnes). Either way, you%26#39;ll need to continue with a bus to get to the nice bit of the village.





St Laurent Du Var - railway station is not great, but it%26#39;s a short walk from here to Cap 3000 shopping centre and the promenade (see Villeneuve Loubet)





Beaulieu Sur Mer - pleasant small town with great hotel restaurant (La Reserve) as well a small market in town and several bars/cafes that should be open. Also get off here to walk to St Jean Cap Ferrat (about 30 mins), Villa Kerylos, and the Villa Rothschild on Cap Ferrat.





Eze - not much at Eze this time of year except a bus stop to take you up to the village, or a walk up to the village (1hr to 1hr 30 mins depending on fitness). The village is lovely, with great views.





Cap d%26#39;Ail - get off here for the walk from Plage Mala to Monaco along the coast. Good bar/cafe called Edmond%26#39;s on the main road, restaurants along the coast may be closed.





Roquebrube Cap Martin - railway stop is right by the beach. You can walk along the coastal path to Monaco to your right, or Menton to your left. Or, if you%26#39;re feeling fit, walk uphill to Roquebrune village with views and a small castle.





Carnoles - not a very pleasant place. Fine in summer with it%26#39;s long beach and plenty of beach restaurants, but otherwise nothing to write home about.





Enjoy.




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Missing from your list of seen and to see, is Villefranche/ St Jean Cap Ferrat which is better than most mentioned on your %26quot;to see%26quot; list




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It is looks like that history of your relationship with Cote d%26#39;Azur is the same as mine - for first couple of times I visited only places on the major train route.



After that I%26#39;ve done more sofisticated trips in order of importance for me:



to the Lerine Islands (from Cannes)- worth the trip, if it is summer, never done by me in winter. I%26#39;ve done both and even revisited St Margerite.



Eze - not to be missed, especially if you are more about views than stones, Access by bus. Fantastic garden.



Villa Rotshilds on Cap Ferra - fantastic views, great tea rooms. By bus or require some walk from train station



St Paul - if your are really about the painters of that time. The village itself is more or less the same type of the attraction as Eze, but no garden to visit.



Mont Baron in Nice and go down to Villefranche. Great view sagain.



Cagnes - both castle and Renoir museum (worth only if you are really into painter)



Normally I try to combine some places that I%26#39;ve been already, but not explore in full (like there are plenty of interest things to do in Antibes or Nice) with 2-3 new places. So now I am researching fo other train lines from Nice.




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I went to Biot for the first time a couple of months ago and loved it. You can get the bus from Antibes bus station. NB don%26#39;t go on a Monday if you want to shop as many of the studios are shut.




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Thanks for your help.





I bave mainly used the train system, but hope to try out some bus routes this time.





It is a pity there is no weekly rail ticket (it is just that I find some ticket offices have quite long queues, usually when I have no change for the machines!)




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Absolutely superb reply - everything I need to know really.





In case you think I am lazy, I did Google most of the places mentioned but found very little on each one, and in most cases, no information on how far the train stop was from the centre.





I am very grateful indeed.





Thanks!




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My mistake - (another senior moment I fear) - I have in fact been a few times to Villefranche, and totally agree with you, it is well worth seeing.




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Thanks again for all your help.





You recommended....





Lerine Islands (from Cannes)- worth the trip, if it is summer, never done by me in winter. I%26#39;ve done both and even revisited St Margerite.





My reply....





Have not visited the islands, and perhaps it might not be the best time of the year to so do, but I will keep it in mind.





You recommended....





Eze - not to be missed, especially if you are more about views than stones, Access by bus. Fantastic garden.





My reply...





OK - that is on the list!





/You recommended....





Villa Rotshilds on Cap Ferra - fantastic views, great tea rooms. By bus or require some walk from train station





My reply....





Did get there last year - on however a guided tour, but it was very worthwhile.





You recommended....





St Paul - if your are really about the painters of that time. The village itself is more or less the same type of the attraction as Eze, but no garden to visit.





My reply....





Did also get here, and I really loved the town. Again it was an organised tour, and not on the train line, but I liked it so much, I might try and visit again.





You recommended....





Mont Baron in Nice and go down to Villefranche. Great view sagain.





My reply....





I have stayed in Nice each time I visited except for the first time when I stayed in Juan Les Pins, but am ashamed to say that I have yet to go to Mount Boron. I have gone to Villefranche a few times, but left it off my list by accident.





Thanks for all the help.





Cagnes - both castle and Renoir museum (worth only if you are really into painter)




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Biot is well worth a visit. You can watch glassblowing in the large studio, visit the salesroom and museum, and see the fine displays at the Corning Glass Museum--always intersting and often amazingly beautiful. WSe%26#39;ve seen pieces so intricate that we could not imagine how the artisans managed the effects. There%26#39;s a good café/restaurant just down from the museum, very popular with locals. You can also take a bus up to the perched village, less touristy than Eze-village and St-Paul-de-Vence.





I second the recommendation about the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, on St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat: Besides visiting the mansion you can wander through the seven different gardens, from some of which you can get great views of the harboto the west.





St-Laurent-du-Var has a nice marina lined with restaurants.

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