…. Incidentally, I prefer to stay in Menton, just down the coast.
Cheaper, better, and less crowded
We stayed in Menton as well, about ten years ago. We had just come south along the Route des Grandes Alpes and after spending a week or so in the area made our way back north along the Route Napoleon - not relevant in your case of course as you’re flying in and out but possibly of interest to others planning a trip.
For once we had failed to book accommodation on line but luckily we met somebody at a coffee stop up in the Mercantour National Park in the morning who recommended the Ibis Budget Menton hotel. It was only two star, but was a bargain for us, not least because we had managed to actually find a vacancy in the area mid-September, it had limited free parking in the basement - get there early - and kerbside parking if you’re not so early, and as we were out all day and back at about 10-ish pm we didn’t really need luxury. It’s also within a few minutes’ walk of the Menton Garavan railway station. Get yourself a room with a seaside view, see photo, it’s lovely. As I said, it suited us just fine for our purposes, many travellers might want something grander. A photo looking East towards Italy from the balcony courtesy of Google Earth:
As said above it’s in easy reach of Nice, not sure if it’s better than Nice, but certainly more relaxed, it’s cheaper and the waterfront is lovely. Along the way to Nice by rail or by bike (rental car in my case) you can stop off at Èze, a delightful hilltop village which featured briefly in Jack Nicholson’s film “The Bucket List”. If the two-star Menton Ibis doesn’t appeal then the La Chèvre d’Or might suit, albeit at a higher cost. As said you can also stop at Monaco.
You will have done your homework on Nice itself, I have nothing to add to the previous posts other than perhaps a visit to the old walled area just to the West of the harbour, I expect it’s called Vieux Nice or something like that.
If you have time to spare it might be an idea to get yourself a rental car, pick it up in Menton rather than Nice, it should cost a lot less for the same car. Nice is ideally situated for a visit up into the Mercantour National Park and beyond up the Route des Grandes Alpes, the road we came down on to the coast was absolutely stunning in parts, one of the loveliest I’ve seen anywhere. If you go West from Nice there are lots of places already suggested elsewhere on the thread, and perhaps going as far as Saint-Tropez, about an hour and a half by car and three and a half by rail, they say it’s been spoiled but we thought it was lovely.
Let us know how you get on, bon voyage.
EDIT… Oops, sorry O.P, just seen that you won’t be driving, never mind, it might be of interest to others.
