aix-en-provence or small town near nice?
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Anonymous
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I have the opportunity to visit the South of France in May with my husband but just for Friday through Tuesday. I'm looking for a small, quaint town -- would love to be up in the mountains but with ocean views (like Ravello, Italy). We are planning on renting a car so that we can drive to other close areas. I am not sure if we should go to Aix-en-provence or to a small town near Nice? Or Fri night Sat night near aix then drive to a town near Nice for Sun and Mon night? We love hiking, good food, flowers/gardens...
Would love recommendations!! |
Anonymous
| My choice is X in Provence. I love that town. And it has a Madeleine bakery that knocks your socks off with freshly baked made,Irene’s every hour. It’s nice to meander through it. |
Anonymous
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Why do you mention Aix if you want ocean views? It's well inland. Or is that you have other priorities, but an ocean view would be a nice bonus, but not necessary?
The first place that comes to mind would probably be Antibes. Meets a lot of your criteria, but not really quaint- more of like a nice small beach town. The whole area is quite large, so knowing where you are coming from and where you are going may be helpful. If it's say on the train from Paris and back, I might recommend going to one of the Luberon towns which are within 30-45 minutes of Avignon, which is a very easy nonstop train under 3 hours from Paris. But if you are departing from Nice Airport, Antibes might be a better choice. |
Anonymous
| Eze? |
Anonymous
| Grasse |
Anonymous
| I would go to Antibes. Not tiny, but charming and by the water. |
Anonymous
| Eze Village. |
Anonymous
| +1 eze. |
Anonymous
| I agree, Antibes and Eze are the best choices. |
Anonymous
I also agree both are great choices. A little unclear on the timing if this is for the trip overall because if that schedule includes travel time, that's a lot for 3 days on the ground. |
Anonymous
| Saint-Jean Cap Ferrat. Villefranche-sur-mer. St-Paul-de-Vence. Eze. I found Cap Antibes to be kind of dirty and gritty. Pass on Cannes. Nice is fun and easy, and you can go everywhere if you make it your base. |
Anonymous
| Grasse just as day trip to learn about the parfum-making. |
Anonymous
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I would do the Picasso Museum in Antibes as a day trip. The way it's practically built into the water is amazing, especially if you like art or do anything creative.
We've stayed at Le Negresso in Nice and some place else in Cannes (both for work trips) and wouldn't stay there otherwise. But Nice was very convenient for day trips. |
Anonymous
+1 for these suggestions. I also enjoyed La Turbie. Beautiful view of Monaco. |
Anonymous
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We were in Villefranche last year and it was lovely and plenty to do in the area. The train system is super efficient - Monaco is maybe 20 minutes away and Nice is easy too.
We combined Villefranche with Provence. I preferred Provence but if you want water then definitely go to the coast. |