Nice France. Day trips on a budget for 5

[mumma24]

Hi, so I’ve just booked 3 nights in old town in Nice. Travelling with my husband, 20, 17 and 15 year old. Ideas What we can do during our stay that does cost too much. Also ideas in Nice itself. Thank you

Doesn’t cost too much!

Go up the massive hill to get a great view of the city. You can either go up the stairs on use the free lift.

Get the train to Monaco for a day trip. It was pretty cheap on the train and not far. I’m a big F1 fan so enjoyed walking the streets following where the circuit goes. There’s other things to do there though if you’re not into F1.

Thank you @emmaluvseeyore

Monaco is cheaper by coach and the views are better, but obv takes longer. I'd personally go by coach to stretch the day out, as unless you're mega rich there's not a great deal there. We walked the F1 circuit (DH big fan) and looked at the boats. Lovely on a sunny day.

Train or bus to Villefranche ( bus is cheapest ) if it’s warm and you like the beach . It’s a mixture of course sand and fine gravel and is stunning .

You could take a day trip to Antibes and Cannes. There is proper sandy public beach in Antibes called La Gravette and the old town is beautiful . If you buy a train ticket from Nice to Cannes you can break your journey in Antibes in either direction ( just remember to validate your ticket each time ) .

I second a walk to the top of castle hill in Nice Lovey cafe at the top . Amazing views ,

There is a linear park in the centre of Nice that has some lovely fountains you can cool off in, the flower market in the old town is really atmospheric ( it’s on in the mornings) and of course the Promenade des Anglais is a must . All these things are free .

If you fancy getting away from the coast the hilltop villages of St Paul de Vence (bus 400) or Eze( bus 82 or 112) are lovely and the bus tickets inexpensive .

We found it a bit tricky to find the correct bus stops in Nice at first . We now use a combination of the lignes d’azur website and google earth to pinpoint the actual stops before we go .
The train is much easier but a little more expensive . ( still very reasonable though)

You can buy strips of 10 bus journeys at the ticket office just out side the airport terminal which makes each journey even cheaper. You can buy your train ticket there too or from the station.

We found if we ate our main meal at lunch time it worked out much cheaper. Going to the supermarket to stock up on snacks/drinks will be loads cheaper than going into a cafe every time, especially with 5 of you .

Nice is a great choice especially with older teens . Mine loved it at that age .
Hope you have a wonderful time .

Gourdon and the road to is interesting as is the village of Biot.

The water jet fountains mentioned above are just off Place Messina and are fun, particularly for kids. I’ve never taken the bus but the train isn’t that expensive - you can book journeys ahead on SNCF which saves on queuing at the station. The train line along the coast is really popular so get to the platform early and try and get seats on the top deck (the trains are double decker)sea view side! The train line connects up the towns along the coast, Cannes, Menton etc.

2nd Villefranche - get there early though as the beach fills up throughout the day (its a much nicer place to sea swim than Nice itself). You can buy these in Villefranche but a roll mat for the beach and swim shoes for both Nice & Villefranche makes the experience more comfortable!

We did a mix of self catering and eating out when we last went which worked well and keeps cost down. There are Carrefour stores dotted around.

If you fancy a day trip to Italy, the coastal train line ends in Ventimiglia, just over the border. Change there for Sanremo. Sanremo has a nice old town, and pretty promenade. Climb up La Pigna (medieval warren of houses leading up to a church and park for views over Sanremo). The Italian Riviera isn’t as nice as the French but the old bit of Sanremo has some charm and will give you a bit of a taste of Italy! It’s all bookable in advance (you can do it all on the Trainline) and from memory takes about one hour 30.

Have a drink in the Hotel Negresco and be sure to go to the loos....

Thank you so much. Really appreciate it

Nice is gorgeous, so do make sure to take some time strolling the Promenade there.

For Monaco, take the local bus - if memory serves it's around a euro! The views are incredible.

Once in Monaco, there is a water taxi that goes across the harbour, and is cheap. If you don't want the long walk back round, you can pay for a return and simply stay on. The views back to the city are impressive, and seeing the massive yachts close up is great.

I did walk the circuit, it was enjoyable. I stopped in the tunnel for a few minutes as every now and then someone will come through in a Ferrari or the like and go loud for the few tourists there with cameras etc.

Have a great time!

If you go to Villefranche, nearby Saint Jean de Cap Ferrat is absolutely stunning.