Nice to Paris-2 Week Trip in March-It's our first time...

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mmaurer
mmaurer

My husband and I will be flying into Nice on March 7 we will be staying in an apartment until the 16. That's all we know for certain at this point. We then want to travel to Paris, stopping for two nights in-between, we just don't know where! Then onto Paris for 3 or 4 nights. We are very much beach/ocean lovers which is why most of our time will be spent in the South. The weather will be a bit cold for us (we reside in Phx), however we hope that cold aside there are still plenty of things to enjoy on this trip. I have so many questions for anyone who is kind enough to take the time to answer! We hope to travel mostly by bus or train; however we are willing to rent a car for a day trip or two.

With 7 full days (not including travel days) in Nice what are some of the must see, and some of the "off the beaten path" things we should consider? Where to eat/drink/shop?

Any suggestions on where we might want to stop (we have briefly looked at Lyon) on our way to Paris for a night or two? Or should we reserve that time for Paris?

Are there any hotels/BnB's you suggest in Paris that are centrally located-and $100.00 or less per night? Is that reasonable? Must see/do in Paris?

Is there a secret to getting a good price for rail tickets/passes?

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gawkabout
gawkabout

The sooner you read ETBD by Rick Steves, the better.
Its the first timer's how-to book.

Have you stayed in youth hostels b4? They are age friendly and more family orientd these days. I'm 67. Folks older than me stay there too. Otherwise I use pensións or mom and pop one stars. Europeans backpack into thier 70's. And not just because its cheaper.

Like RS says in "Europe Through the Back Door", "The more you spend on a place to stay, the more it removes you, from the Europe you went to learn about."

That book covers everything from packing to planning.

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mmaurer
mmaurer

Thank you, I will look for the book on Amazon!

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timothysolberg
timothysolberg

I, too, like the ETBD book and I bought it before my first trip to Europe in 2002. It gave me the confidence to travel cheaply and independently. However, you should know that much of the information in the book is available--in summary fashion--in the Travel Tips section of the Web site, www.ricksteves.com.

I own copies of the Paris guidebook and the Provence & the French Riviera guidebook by Rick Steves and the Paris guidebook and the Provence & the Cote d'Azur guidebook by Lonely Planet. While I like all of them, if I were to recommend just one for each area, it would be the LP books. They are more thorough and have more "off the beaten path" suggestions. Either Provence, etc. book will give you excellent ideas on places to visit between Nice and Paris.

I'm out of time for now, but I'll return with suggestions for Nice and Paris.

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mmaurer
mmaurer

I appreciate all of the tips! timothysolberg I look forward to hearing more from you when you have time! I am new to this website so if I have marked the answers wrong or I appear to be using it incorrectly-let me know!

qwovadis-thank you for the links!

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timothysolberg
timothysolberg

Are you art lovers? The Chagall and Matisse museums in Nice are wonderful! Buy a cheap one-day bus pass to get to both museums. I didn't have time to visit it, but I've read that the Orthodox cathedral is the finest of its kind outside Russia.

Walk through Vieux Nice and check out the outdoor markets.

Nice makes a great base for daytrips by train or bus to neighboring towns. Antibes has a walled old town with a morning market. Unfortunately, the Picasso Museum is closed for renovation. There are old perched villages like Eze and St-Paul de Vence. There other towns like Vence and Biot with excellent art museums.

I've read that the oceanographique museum and aquarium in Monaco is excellent. You can walk along the beach (very secluded) from Monaco to Cap d'Ail and then catch a train back to Nice.

There are 14km of marked walking paths on Cap Ferrat south of Villefranche-sur-Mer.

If I only had time to visit one art museum in Paris, it would be the Musee d'Orsay because of its wonderful collection of Impressionist art. If you like Monet, don't miss the Musee de 'Orangerie and the Musee Marmottan Monet.

Paris is a wonderful walking city. Just hit the streets and explore. You'll never be more than about five minutes from a Metro station. Go to www.ratp.fr to download and print a Metro/RER map for central Paris. (The LP Paris guidebook has a Metro/RER map.) There are a variety of tranport passes, but not all of them are listed on the English version of the RATP site. The best one for you will depend upon how many days--and which days of the week--you'll be in Paris. Or just sharing ten-ticket carnets may be best, particularly if you do a lot of walking.

You can take daytime TGVs from Nice to Paris. There is also a direct night train. Discount fares are available if purchased well in advance (up to 90 days allowed) at www.voyages-sncf.com, but you have to be able to handle French. There are also discount fares for shorter routes like Nice-Avignon and Avignon-Paris.

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