Nice, Villefranche and Eze
Overall- B- The South of France is beautiful, classy and just nice, but the lack of true historic sites and the tendering in Villefranche are slight drawbacks for us.
Ease of Travel- Once tendered into Villefranche, it is a short, but steep walk to the train station. From there, Nice and Monaco are very easy to access, with Eze being slightly more difficult due to an added bus ride. Overall, this is one of the easiest ports to see the region from. Once in Nice, most sites are walkable from the train station, although some (like the Russian Cathedral) can be somewhat difficult to find.
Quality of Sites- This is the category in which I must hammer the French Riviera a bit. Once you have seen amazing site after site, a couple of modern art museums and a Cathedral seem a little paltry. If, instead of historic value, I was basing this category on beauty, it would earn more points as Eze is one of the prettiest places I have ever been, and even Villefranche just exudes charm.
Safety/Comfortable- Ever heard the saying "safe as houses"? Well, I am not quite sure how safe houses are, but this area feels like that. I, never once, in this region felt like someone was scoping me out to steal something. That is not to say don't be on your guard, as always, but you really can breathe a little easier here. As for the comfortable part of this category, France is only second to England in comfort in Europe for me. Toilets are clean and have seats. Streets are clean and almost pristine as well as the shopping malls and stores. It just feels fancy. This region caters to the rich and famous, and it shows.
Food- Pastries, creme brulee and oh, they have savory dishes too. Who knew a pork chop could taste so good? But, if you are dying for something more familiar, Nice has food from all over the world. We saw a Texas grill, Thai, Japanese, Mexican, Italian, Chinese, American and so on. You should not go hungry here. Don't forget to stop at a patisserie for something sweet or a boulangerie for a great lunch sandwich (they do like their mayonnaise, so if you are like me, you might want to watch out for that).
My 2 Cents- I think that a stop in this region is a great addition to any Mediterranean cruise, just for the beauty and relaxation factor of it. You can be in Europe, without that stress of pickpockets, hitting every highlight and just general bustle that goes along with most of the ports. But, I would not care to cruise only to this region as I would feel my trip was, somehow incomplete.
Ease of Travel- Once tendered into Villefranche, it is a short, but steep walk to the train station. From there, Nice and Monaco are very easy to access, with Eze being slightly more difficult due to an added bus ride. Overall, this is one of the easiest ports to see the region from. Once in Nice, most sites are walkable from the train station, although some (like the Russian Cathedral) can be somewhat difficult to find.
Quality of Sites- This is the category in which I must hammer the French Riviera a bit. Once you have seen amazing site after site, a couple of modern art museums and a Cathedral seem a little paltry. If, instead of historic value, I was basing this category on beauty, it would earn more points as Eze is one of the prettiest places I have ever been, and even Villefranche just exudes charm.
Safety/Comfortable- Ever heard the saying "safe as houses"? Well, I am not quite sure how safe houses are, but this area feels like that. I, never once, in this region felt like someone was scoping me out to steal something. That is not to say don't be on your guard, as always, but you really can breathe a little easier here. As for the comfortable part of this category, France is only second to England in comfort in Europe for me. Toilets are clean and have seats. Streets are clean and almost pristine as well as the shopping malls and stores. It just feels fancy. This region caters to the rich and famous, and it shows.
Food- Pastries, creme brulee and oh, they have savory dishes too. Who knew a pork chop could taste so good? But, if you are dying for something more familiar, Nice has food from all over the world. We saw a Texas grill, Thai, Japanese, Mexican, Italian, Chinese, American and so on. You should not go hungry here. Don't forget to stop at a patisserie for something sweet or a boulangerie for a great lunch sandwich (they do like their mayonnaise, so if you are like me, you might want to watch out for that).
My 2 Cents- I think that a stop in this region is a great addition to any Mediterranean cruise, just for the beauty and relaxation factor of it. You can be in Europe, without that stress of pickpockets, hitting every highlight and just general bustle that goes along with most of the ports. But, I would not care to cruise only to this region as I would feel my trip was, somehow incomplete.
