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French Riviera Port Reviews
Traveling the French Riviera On Your Own By Bus
By Tom Ogg
Nice, the Crown Jewel of the
Côte d'Azur
The French Riviera is an
incredible area for beaches, sightseeing, museums,
history and everything French. Most cruises in the
Western Mediterranean will make at least one port of
call on the French Riviera. Because of it proximity to
other ports in the area, the length of the port call
sometimes extends well into the evening. While the port
that you are visiting may be wonderful, most folks like
to see if they can visit more than one of the
destinations on the French Riviera. Fortunately, public
transportation in the Cote d' Azure is not only quite
efficient, it is also quite reasonable. Here is how to
travel the Cote d' Azur On Your Own.
The Bus System: The
bus system in the French Riviera is simply wonderful.
Until I finally understood how it worked and how
efficient it was, I rode the train everywhere. While the
train system is also quite convenient, the bus system
has the frequency that makes riding it carefree. While
there may be a train every hour, or so, there is a bus
every ten minutes or so. The bus is just so much more
enjoyable. Instead of spending time in tunnels going
from one town to another, you can actually sightsee on
the way if you ride the local bus system. To simplify
the bus system, there are really only two buses that you
will be concerned with.
Bus #100 Eastbound
Nice - Villefranche -
Beaulieu Ser Mer - Eze - Monaco - Menton
Bus #100 Westbound
Menton -
Monaco - Eze - Beaulieu sur Mer - Villefranche - Nice
Bus #100:
Bus #100 runs between Nice and Menton with stops at
every important village in between. the bus costs less
than two euro and you can simply board the bus, pay the
driver and start enjoying. There are day and week
passes, as well, but for a day long port visit, the
single fare should do the job quite nicely. The bus
travels the length of the Low Corniche. Here is how to
explore the French Riviera On Your Own.
Nice:
Nice is a destination all by itself and one could easily
spend days here exploring the city's many diverse
attractions. While the bus to Menton originates here at
the main bus station, the best place to catch it is on
the eastern end of the Nice Harbor. It is very simple to
do. Just walk eastward on the beach promenade and follow
it as it climbs the cliff and heads eastward. You will
soon see the harbor. Just continue walking adjacent to
the harbor and when you hit the first street that runs
along the foot of the harbor look for the bus sign with
the number 100 on it. When the bus #100 - Menton comes
along simply climb aboard and pay the driver. If you are
ported in the harbor, simply depart the port, head east
and follow the above instructions.
Villefranche sur
Mer: Accessing the bus in Villefranche requires
a hike through old town up into the city and the Low
Chorniche. While it is not far, the walk is steep in
some spots. Depending on where you connect with the Low
Cornice, just look for the park and fountains and then
the bus stop sign with the number 100 on it. The bus
heading east to Beaulieu Ser Mer - Eze - Monaco - Menton
will say "Menton" on it and the bus heading west will
say "Nice". If you are ported in Villefranche just walk
up the road that you you see when you leave the tender
wharf to access the Low Corniche as it winds through
town. To visit Villefranche head down to the harbor on
any of the streets or through the parks that you see.
Beaulieu sur Mer:
Beaulieu is a little off the beaten tourist path and
well worth a visit. Its beaches offer excellent
opportunities for sunbathing, dining and relaxation.
Just get off the bus in the heart of town and head down
the moderate hill to the ocean and pick your spot. A
great walk to take is to get off the bus in Beaulieu sur
Mer and walk west along the beach. The road climbs away
from the beach and crosses the Cap Ferrat penninsula
where some of the most beautiful villas reside.
Continuing past the villas you come to a stairway that
leads down to the beautiful beach at Villefranche. You
can explore all that Villefranche has to offer before
climbing up to the Low Corniche to catch bus #100 to
continue your exploration of the iCote d' Azur.
Eze: While somewhat
touristy at this point, everyone loves Eze. Eze is a
fortified village located on top of the mountain you are
presented with along this part of the coastline. Eze is
actually located on the Upper Corniche. If you would
like to visit Eze, here is how to do it. Get off the bus
in Eze Bord de Mur and make your way to the train
station. Once you are at the train station go up to the
street just inland that parallels the tracks. There will
be a shuttle there that will take you up to Eze Village.
The shuttle will be an additional cost but is very
reasonable. The shuttle will drop on a side street
across from the main entrance to Eze. Once you are done
enjoying Exe, you can simply walk back to the Upper
Corniche and catch the bus heading east. There is only
one bus, so you can't miss. This bus will take you into
Monaco on the Upper Corniche. Be sure to tell the bus
driver that you want to get off at the upper train
station. The bus will let you off ust past the train
station, so walk back, enter the station and take the
elevator all the way down to the main ticket area. To
exit the train station, take the escalator down to the
tracks and walk wesxt to the large tunnel. This tunnel
will deposit you just two blocks from the center of
Monaco where you can start your exploration.
Monaco: The
eastbound bus takes an entirely different route through
Monaco than the westbound bus does. The best place to
get off the eastbound bus is by the gardens behind the
casino. This way you can explore all of Monaco without
back tracking. This is also the best place to catch the
bus to Menton. To catch the westbound bus to Eze -
Beaulieu ser Mur - Villefranche - Nice you will find it
on the main road that fronts the harbor on the east and
north sides. Just look for the bus stop signs with the
number 100 on it.
Menton: Menton is
the step child to the rest of the Cote d' Azur. Few
Americans make it to Menton and it seems to be favored
by Italians who come across the border for a day trip.
That said, Menton offers fabulous beaches with a long
beach front promenade to enjoy. Menton has great
restaurants, an excellent old section that is worth
exploring and best of all, great beaches.
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