If you read part one of my France Travel Guide all about Paris, welcome back! Here is part two of the guide where I chat all about our adventures in Southern France and Monaco. You guys, this region is absolutely gorgeous. If you’re heading to France, Paris is obviously the go-to destination for many, but if you have the time and budget allows, try to get to Nice for a bit. You won’t regret it after all the hustle and bustle of Paris.
Major Takeaways:
Monaco is hard to navigate. Book tours, bring walking shoes, and buy some paper maps for when your phone fails you!
Do not plan to fly home from the Nice airport during Cannes/Grand Prix travel times - you will be delayed!
Flying from Paris to Nice is more cost and time effective.
Day 1:
We traveled from Paris to Nice via train. The morning of our departure, we spent some time walking around Paris, enjoyed some fresh bread and coffee, and said our goodbye to our charming hotel. We made sure to get to the Gare de Lyon (train station) an hour early so we could get our bearings and locate the correct train track. To our surprise, it was super easy! I can’t say enough good things about the train system in France. We bought a few snacks for our long train ride and settled in near our track to wait to board the train.
The whole thing went off without a hitch, except finding our correct train car. They are numbered, and written directly onto the train, but can be a bit hard to find. Simply ask a conductor or fellow passenger for help on this and you’ll be all set. You can (and should) purchase your tickets ahead of time. This will save you money, ensure you get the type of seats you want, and allow you peace of mind that you’ll get your preferred travel time.
Let me chat a bit about why we opted for the train, and if we would do it again. The train was not more cost effective than flying from Paris to Nice, not at all! It would have been way cheaper to fly, and would have saved a lot of time. The train ride is about 5-6 hours, where a flight would have been about an hour. We chose the train for the experience - I had traveled between Paris and Nice this way before, but Ben hadn’t, and thought he might enjoy the ride. Next time, we would probably just fly, but if you’re dying for a cross-country train experience, this is a good opportunity!
We rode the train all the way to the Nice Ville station, where we promptly got an Uber to our hotel. Ubers in Nice were just as easy to get, though you really don't need one, it is so walkable. We took one our first day because we were not yet acquainted with our surroundings! We stayed at the Hotel Mercure Nice, right off the Promenade des Anglais, and was pretty affordable. On this first evening, we took advantage of the walkability of Nice, explored the Old Town, the Promenade des Anglais, and the shops around the Place Massena.
Day 2:
The next morning, we discovered that breakfast is a thing here! This made Ben very happy. At least at most places, breakfast existed. We found a great cafe right next to our hotel, and ate breakfast here twice! Personally, we loved the food here much more than the food in Paris, but we tend to prefer medditerranean foods, so that was no surprise! For our first full day in this region, we decided to take a day trip to Monaco.
Monaco is extremely easy to get to from Nice! You’ll want to return to the Nice Ville station, and purchase a ticket for Monaco - Monte Carlo. This will take you right where you want to go! Something really important to note - Monaco is its own country. So, if you have data on your phone plan that enables you to use the internet for France, it may not work in Monaco. We discovered this the hard way, and had to rely on good old fashioned paper maps here. The only issue with this is that the paper maps didn't quite account for/denote all the cliffs in Monaco, which made it hard to judge if we were going the right way. Bring walking shoes for this place, because you will need them!
We did some general sightseeing, Monte Carlo, the bay, the Castle, and the Aquarium for the first part of the day, and I cannot recommend the Aquarium enough. It was absolutely gorgeous and provided some breathtaking views of the water. If you plan accordingly, you can catch the changing of the guard at the castle! The last thing on our Monaco checklist was the Jardin Exotique.
Friends, this sucker was HARD to find. It is on what I can only assume is the highest cliff (I am probably wrong but it FELT that way, okay?) and any signs you find that point you to it will not properly inform you that you need to ascend stairs/elevators/etc. to get to it on your path. It took us probably three hours of walking around in circles to find it. Just as we were about to give up, I saw a sign above an elevator entrance to the train station. We took that, and exited at a street level. There, we followed one sign and found no others. A kind man found us and asked what we were trying to find, clearly we looked lost. We told him, and he laughed. This should have been a sign to give up on our search and enjoy some wine by the water, but alas, we were stubborn. He told us how to get there, mostly in French, and we wrote down what we could understand. He led us to an unmarked stairway that would lead us in the right direction, he said. After two more elevator rides, we emerged onto yet another street. Here, we found the Princess Grace garden. Very pretty, but not the garden we were looking for. After consulting our map, it looked like the Princess Grace garden would lead us to the Jardin Exotique. We spent about half an hour climbing through this garden, had a mental breakdown or two, and again, we were about to give up. Then, I spotted it. A hidden staircase in an enclosed walkway, with a teeny, tiny sign that read “Jardin Exotique” with an arrow pointing upward.
After ascending THAT staircase, we had to walk about two miles... but we got there!
My point here is, it is hard to navigate Monaco, and it is built on so many inclines there are often heart defibrillators stationed throughout the cliffs. Be careful, bring water, several maps, and learn some French to help you out when you inevitably get lost. Or, purchase a tour ticket from a tourism group to be extra safe.
Day 3:
On our last day, we relaxed in Nice, wandering around as we pleased, and visiting our favorite spots we’d found over the last few days. After the previous day’s debacle, we were happy to take it slow and enjoy some level ground. We went to the Flower Market (which closes around 5, so prioritize this to see some beautiful blooms), spent more time in the Place Massena, ate a ton of gelato, and sat on the pebbly beach to take in the turquoise water.
Nice is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, and I was sad to leave it! We spent our last morning getting breakfast at the greek restaurant next to our hotel that we loved, had some mimosas, and then left to fly home. Like I said, Paris is what comes to mind when we plan to travel to France, but Nice is a must if you’re looking for a more relaxed vacation experience.
One last, but very important, thing to note: I hadn’t realized that I booked our return flight from the Nice airport right in the middle of the days the Grand Prix AND the Cannes film festival were going on. An exciting time for the region, and a terribly crowded time for the airport. If you’re making a connecting flight from Nice back home, make sure you aren’t traveling during this busy time. Your flight will most certainly be delayed! Our trip home was full of headaches (literally) that could have been avoided with a bit more foresight.
I hope you all get to check out these sights one day! If you have any questions I didn’t answer, reach out and I’ll be sure to get back to you.
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