RSSIn Côte d’Azur
What I love about the Côte d’Azur is that you can spend weeks, perhaps months, exploring the towns and villages of France’s southern coast and still not experience everything the region has to offer.
The Eurail Pass covers the local trains along the coast and you can easily spend a day exploring each town.
If you want to sunbathe on sandy beaches, head West of Antibes. The beaches to the East are famous for their small rocks. A friend who lives here and grew up with rocky beaches lamented to me the idea of a beach with sand. The horror of walking home with sand in your suit and sand in your hair; but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
If you want a dose of culture, go to the Chagall Museum in Nice, which displays the largest permanent display of Chagall’s work, in the city where he spent most of his adult life.
If you want to step back into time, go to the medieval village of Eze, with its restored medieval core of art shops overlooking the Provencal coast. Check out the Jardin Exotique at the top of the fortified village for spectacular views of the coast. To access Eze village, take the local train to Eze, and then just outside of the train station find the small tourist kiosk. From here, take Bus number 83 for the 15 minute ride up into the hills.
If you want to taste what is unique in Nice, head to Le Bar des Oiseaux, or the Bird Bar. They serve a Provencal favorite — panisse, or fried chickpea slivers — with the twist of different dipping sauces. And the wai tstaff brings in birds to keep the restaurant chirping.
And if you are looking for extra energy to keep up with all of what is going on along the Cote d’ Azur, consider what all of my French friends are talking about: beginning this month, France, for the first time, will allow the sale of the traditional Red Bull energy drink that the rest of the world drinks. This traditional version contains taurine, an additive whose extra kick some have questioned, and France has outlawed, up until now.
Train Tip: Your Eurail Pass covers all of the trains along the coast. So you can hop on and off in different towns all day as often as you like. But I would advise not using your Pass for short trips, unless you have days to spare. Rather, spend the several Euros to buy these short distance tickets and instead save your Pass days for longer trips. Or make a day of visiting a few towns; many are less than a 45 minute train ride apart. And note that some of the high-speed trains that stop along the coast, such as the TGV, still require a seat reservation in addition to your Pass.
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6 comments to “In Côte d’Azur”
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About the Eurail Blog
I'm Benjamin Thomas from the USA and I've been accepted for a fellowship in Europe. During my stay I will use Eurail Passes to explore the continent. On this weblog I will share my (train) travel experiences. Intro
This blog is recommended by Eurail.com.
Dear Benjamin,
Enjoying your travel articles on the Eurail pass. Could you comment on how important it is to make reservations for trips, does it cost extra, and do you do it online or at the railway station? Thanks, Edward from New York
Hello Edward,
With the Pass, you can hop on and off many trains. But some trains in some countries (particularly France, Spain and Italy, I have noticed), require the purchase of a seat reservation in addition to carrying the Pass. (In the Eurail Timetable Book, these trains are marked with the letter ‘R.’) Prices are usually several Euros for each seat reservation. I have bought each of my seat reservations at train stations. Happy travels! Benjamin.
Hi, Your trip sounds exciting. I’m planning to get a global pass. I was wondering if it had restrictions.
Like you said before, sometimes it’s better to pay for little rides instead of taking a day on the pass. But with a global pass, are these small trips included?
How does it work? I know with the flexi passes, you need to write down the dates, but what about the global pass?
Wish you great days in your trip,
Jackie
Hi Jackie
Most trains are covered by the Global Pass in the countries featured. There are a few trains that are not covered, such as one in northern Spain, but I have not encountered them. Yes, the small trips are certainly covered by the Global Pass. It is your choice to decide which trips you would use the Pass Days for. You write down the dates as you use the Pass, it is quite easy! Have fun!
Benjamin.
Perfect. blog.eurail.com rocks.
blog.eurail.com, how do you do it?