How do we do this by train and where do I get an up to date timetable? or does anyone know of a guide for the day/taxi. We are 2 adults %26amp; 2 teenagers.
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You can do it by train (www.voyages-sncf.com, then click on the British flag if you need the site in English). You can also do it by bus, which is also convenient and service may be more frequent. One website is to try is http://www.lignedazur.com, but that may be more geared to Nice. The other one I know about is http://www.rca.tm.fr, which gives the more express routes from Nice through Villefranche, Eze, Monaco, etc., and on into Menton (or vice-versa). Both the train and the bus are very inexpensive and feature spectacular views.
You%26#39;d have to ask a local, but the bus might be a better choice for Eze (unless you have a car and driver). The train station in Eze is down by the seaside, and you want to get to the upper village. When we got off the train in Eze, we%26#39;d just missed the bus and there wasn%26#39;t another for 45 minutes. The train station attendant told us a taxi up the hill would run 40 euros one way! So basically we gave up. However, we%26#39;re going again this June, and are determined to make it to Eze this time!
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If you walk through Villefranche up to the main Nice - Monaco road, at %26quot;Octroi%26quot; you can catch the 100 bus to Monaco - every fifteen minutes, takes fifteen minutes cost 1.30 Euro get out opposite the Casino in Monte Carlo.
You can also take a train from Villefranche to Monaco equally convenient, but its a hike from the train station to the Casino.
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Thank you both for your replies. A private tour (Revelation tours)for 8 people (our family of 4 sharing a tour with another family)was going to cost 600E - although would be good, it seems incredibly expensive. Do you think we are missing out by %26#39;going it alone%26#39;??? We do prefer a narrated tour if possible.
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Another question!
If doing it alone - what route would be the best.........starting from Villefranche by bus No 100, bearing in mind we have have 6 hours free time before returning to our ship by approx 4.30pm. What are the unmissable sights?
Many thanks
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One way of doing this is: train or bus No100 to Monaco, bus No.112 to Eze Village, Bus No.83 to Eze Bord de Mer, train or bus No.100 to Villefranche.
None of these journeys takes more than about 15 mins but bus and trains are not wholly reliable, so aim to get back to Villefranche at least an hour before your ship sails. That way, if you are delayed you will not sweat too much. Last summer some very anxious looking Spanish people approached me in Eze Bord de Mer while I was waiting for the bus to Villefranche. We did not have one word of a common language but, finally, one of them drew a picture of a ship and wrote a time. The penny dropped. They needed to get back to their cruise. They managed to do so with about 15 minutes to spare.
As others have said, bus 100 runs every 15 mins. This is not Switzerland, so rely on a maximum gap of about twice that.
You can find timetables for all buses for Eze at eze-riviera.com Don%26#39;t rely on the trains. They are often late or cancelled.
Recently, I have seen a large placard by by the port in Villefranche advertising tours of the area by taxi, with expectant looking drivers standing close by. No prices are shown but they will not be cheap.
Have you been to Nice? In my view it is about 100 times more interesting than Monaco!
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LondonBob, I couldn%26#39;t agree more about Nice vs. Monaco. IMO, once I%26#39;d seen Monaco (just to say I%26#39;d been there), there was no reason to go back. But I go back to Nice as often as I can. My long term plan is to buy an apartment there for my retirement. Hey, a girl can dream, right?! :)
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The only reason we are going to Monaco, is so that my 15 year old son can see where the F1 is held! Can we also do Nice? We have from 10am until 5pm (The boat does not sail until later, but we have early sitting for dinner)!! The taxi drivers in Villefranche - would they be fluent in English? We were quoted 300E for part group of 8 people (600E in all for all day tour in a van)I am even more confused now........help!!!
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Every visiting cruiseboat brings hundreds of passengers looking to do the same thing - Monaco and Eze.
To be very frank, seeing Monaco gives you very little sense of what F1 is like. For that you need the earsplitting sounds of hell, twenty thousand excited petrol-heads decked in team colours, and the insanity of it all. Without that its just a port, a few tax exiles, and a lot of other tourists.
Monaco is: your picture beside a flash car parked in front of he Casino, the oceanographic museum, a strollround the old town, and off, seen it all.
Eze is a pretty view and an expensive drink.
Honestly your most interesting excursion would be to take the 100 bus to Nice, spend four hours exploring everything this fabulous city offers, then bus back, no anxiety about travel connections, no fortune to taxi drivers, and a really interesting day.
Cheers
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If you do opt for Nice over Eze, check out the Colline du Château for great views. You can walk or ride an elevator up and there%26#39;s a park at the top. There%26#39;s also a cafe, gift shop, waterfall, and ruins. I%26#39;m not sure if the view rivals that from Eze, but it%26#39;s pretty great!
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Don%26#39;t agree with NiceLife about Eze. I am in Villefranche about once a month on average and nearly always include a trip to Eze, mainly for the magnificent view.
If your son wants to see the Grand Prix circuit you may have no option but to go to Monaco. You need to understand that, except for the week or so before the race these are simply ordinary streets with little or no sign that they are used.
If you want to pack it all in you could: go straight to Monaco, spend say 30 mins, then to Eze, spend an hour, then to Nice for as long as you have left. The bus from Eze arrives at the bus station on the edge of the old town, the most interesting part. From the same bus station you get bus 100 or 81, either of which will get you back to Villefranche in 10/15 mins.
In fact Eze - Nice - Villefranche is just as quick a journey as Eze Village - Eze Sur Mer - Villefranche. It is important to check bus times in advance on the site I gave on my earlier mail.
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