Planning for France – French Riviera:
I visited France for the First time in May 2005. Paris was covered by me during my stay in France at that time. I revisited France in August 2023, but this time I covered the French Riviera. Nice and Cannes along with Monaco are part of French Riviera. Riviera is an Italian word which means “Coastline”. All the 3 places I mentioned here are on mediterranean coastline.
Trains to France Nice:
I arrived at Ventimiglia station on train from Milan and took another train into Nice Ville from Ventimiglia. Strangely, I encountered huge police presence in Ventimiglia station. I saw a couple of immigrants hiding in Bathrooms of the Train, sneaking into France from Italy by this train. I felt this frankly speaking quite strange.
The price of the ticket from Milan to Ventimiglia is 24.40€.
The price of the ticket from Ventimiglia, Italy to Nice -Ville, France is 8.70€.
Accommodation in Nice:
I stayed at Holiday Inn Express in Nice, close to the Airport and Right next to the train and tram stations. Specifically, I booked this hotel with the ANNUAL FREE NIGHT REWARD I get every year from owning IHG PREMIUM Rewards Credit Card. More details on this credit card could be found here. Besides, I paid 1.32€ in city taxes for my stay. From here access to Nice Downtown and Beaches as well as to Monaco and Cannes was super easy.
They do provide complimentary breakfast, as all the other Holiday Inn express chains around the world.
- Locations in Purple are Public Transit Train stations mainly along with Nice Airport
- Places in Blue are places of touristic interest in Cannes.
- Places in Orange are places of touristic interest in Nice.
Boots on the Ground:
Day 1:
After visiting Monaco, I had time to explore Nice on Day 1. I took a tram from Nice Saint-Augustin Station to downtown nice. It costs 2.10€.
NICE:
Basilique Notre-Dame de l’Assomption:
This is a Cathedral on the main street in NICE downtown. From here I could see the busy tram line and restaurants all along the way. It is quite colorful and completely full of people.
vieille ville:
I visited vieille ville (Old Nice) after getting off the tram in Downtown Nice. This place is quite busy full of restaurants, cafes and people.
Promenade des Anglais:
This is the main waterfront paved public walk, which has a special bike lane. I walked along the promenade watching the waterfront till the sunset.
Parc de la Colline du Château is
This a historic park with views, which is located on the hilltop. I did not walk up the hill, but I could see the park from the waterfront.
Some of the famous museums in NICE are Musée Matisse art museum and Modern and Contemporary Art Museum (MAMAC), thought I personally didn’t visit either.
Day 2:
On Day2, after having my breakfast I headed to Cannes. I also went to Nice beach front before leaving to the Airport terminal 1 to catch a flix bus to Barcelona on Day 2.
CANNES:
The price of one-way ticket from Nice to Cannes is 6.70€.
Le Suquet (Old Town):
After getting off the train I headed to Le Suquet (Old Town) in Cannes.
Old town is with cobbled stone streets and there are a lot of boutique stores, souvenir stores as well as restaurants on the way to old town.
Marché Forville Market:
Very close to the old town is Marché Forville Market in Cannes. This market is very vibrant selling fresh produce, meats, cheeses and variety of fruits, vegetables and eatables.
Église Notre-Dame d’Espérance Cathedral:
After visiting the market, I went uphill to see the Église Notre-Dame d’Espérance Cathedral, along with “Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nice” Art Museum in Nice. There is a huge sign of CANNES on top of this hill. Also, there are awesome views of Vieux Port (Old Port) and the entire city of CANNES, I got to see form there.
Palais des Festivals et des congres:
From here I headed to “Palais des Festivals et des congres”. This is the palace which is famous for the Cannes Film Festival that is held every year in the month of May. Boulevard de la Croisette is where Festival de Cannes is held and there is red carpet that could be walked on by the visitors.
Beaches and Promenade:
Going further on this Boulevard, there are all the famous hotels like the Carlton Hotel and Martinez Hotle on the beach front. The beaches in Cannes are sand beaches and are usually filled with people.
When I returned to Nice and checked out of the hotel, I realized had some time on my hand before catching my Flix Bus to Barcelona.
NICE BEACHES:
I headed to Promenade des Anglais and towards the beaches in Nice. I spent some quite time walking on the promenade and also on the beautiful rocky beach before heading to the Nice Airport to catch my flix bus.
Conclusion:
Both Nice and Cannes are charming cities in French Riviera by the Mediterranean Sea. The waters at the beaches are warm all around the year. I definitely understand why all the film fraternity assembles here in Cannes every year in the month of May. Additionally, if you are driving a car, you could add more Riviera towns like Antibes, Marseille and Montpellier along the mediterranean coast.
