Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
for Villefranche-sur-Mer at about 20:00; the last bus from Villefranche-sur-Mer to Nice
departs at about 20:45.
From Villefranche-sur-Mer by Bus to: Monaco
(#100, 25 minutes),
Nice
(#81 or
#100, 20 minutes).
By Cruise Ship
Villefranche-sur-Mer hustles to impress its cruise passengers. Tenders deposit passengers
at a slick terminal building (Gare Maritime) at the Port de la Santé, right in front of
Villefranche-sur-Mer's old town. At the terminal TI, pick up the free town map that's
tailor-made for arriving cruise passengers. The main road (with the main TI and bus stop)
is a steep hike above, and the train station is short stroll along the beach.
Taxis
waitinfrontofthecruiseterminal.Theirexorbitantratesstartwithaminimum
€10-20 charge for a ride to the train station, but many drivers will flat-out refuse such a
can try negotiating a flat fee (e.g., €300 for a 4-hour tour).
It's easy to
walk
to various points in Villefranche-sur-Mer. If you want to see the
town itself, just walk straight ahead from the terminal into Villefranche-sur-Mer's charm-
ing restaurant-lined square and start poking into its twisty back lanes.
Little
minibus #80,
which departs from in front of the cruise terminal, saves you
To connect to other towns, choose between the
bus
(slower but more scenic) or the
train
(fast). Leaving the terminal, you'll see directional sights pointing left, to
Town cen-
ter/bus
(a 10- to 15-minute, steeply uphill walk to the Octroi bus stop with connections
west to Nice or east to Monaco, both on bus #100 or #81); and right, to
Gare SNCF/train
station
(a 10-minute, mostly level stroll with some stairs up at the end—just turn right and
walk along the beach, with the sea on your right, until you see stairs up to the station on
your left).
Nice, Villefranche-sur-Mer, and Monaco are linked by three coastal routes: the Low,
Middle, and High Corniches. The roads are nicknamed after the decorative frieze that
runs along the top of a building (cornice). Each Corniche (kor-neesh) offers sensational
views and a different perspective. You can find the three routes from Nice by driving
up Boulevard Jean Jaurès past Vieux Nice. For the Low Corniche, follow signs to N-98
(Monaco par la Basse Corniche)
, which leads past Nice's port. Shortly after the turnoff to
