What can you do with €1 on the Côte d’Azur, the sun-baked playground of the rich and Botoxed? It barely pays for a sip of a champagne cocktail on the terrace of the Hotel Negresco on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. It won’t even buy a Happy Meal at McDonald’s farther up the beach. But, amazingly, it is enough for a trip along the length of the Riveria.
The €1 bus will take you from Cannes to Monte Carlo, and everywhere in between, whether you want to feel yacht envy in Antibes or wander round the hilltop village of Saint-Paul de Vence.
I had always dreamt of zipping along the Corniche in a nifty convertible with Cary Grant or, at a pinch, Colin Firth at the wheel, but it was not to be. This was a family trip to Nice; the weak pound had made potholes in our budget and the cheapest way for us to get to Monaco for the day was on the 100 Express.
Nice is the travel hub of the Riviera and the €1 flat fare on its mass transit system, which also includes a tram line, encompasses 24 towns and villages. It is, unsurprisingly, a huge hit with locals as well as tourists. Taxis are hideously expensive and not everyone wants the hassle of driving and parking.
The downside is that buses are often extremely crowded. It pays to check the timetables first and hit the Gare Routière, the central bus station, early to be sure of a seat — if you try to pick up the bus at any of the stops around Nice the driver may well zoom past.
Even with the most pathetic Franglais it was hard to make a mistake in finding the right bus to Monaco. The journey took 30 minutes, but a few hours in the pristine and somewhat soulless Monte Carlo, where every building seems to be painted an antiseptic shade of coral, was enough.
We picked out our favourite yachts in the harbour and shark-spotted at the spectacular but virtually deserted Oceanographic Museum, then got lost in the labyrinthine levels under the fish tanks. We had to stand for most of the return journey, but having spent only £7 in total for our travel, there was more money to splurge on dinner.
The old town in Nice is by far its most atmospheric neighbourhood for an evening out, with its towering baroque pastel palazzi and tiny alleys packed with shops, galleries, funky bars and restaurants. The big hit for the whole family was the ice cream parlour Fenocchio, by the cathedral in Place Rosetti, the main square. It displays nearly 100 heavenly flavours including tomato and basil, lavender, chilli chocolate, salted caramel and, er, Nutella. The children begged to go back every night for another luscious scoop.
The next day we backtracked on the 100 bus to Villefranche — Portofino without the swank — where the Rolling Stones had a high old time recording parts of Exile on Main Street and A-listers such as Tina Turner still have villas in the hills. Even if you’re not rock royalty it’s easy to see its appeal. The sandy public beach wins hands down over Nice’s huge, uncomfortable pebbles and the harbour is a great place for a long, lazy lunch. Our bargain bus fares persuaded us that we had plenty of cash to spare for big bowls of mussels in Le Cosmo, opposite the Saint-Pierre chapel.
Next on the itinerary was Antibes, but the appeal of the bus, however cheap, had begun to wear off, particularly for the kids. The journey was at least an hour, whereas the train, which cost £3.50 more for a single ticket, took only 20 minutes. No contest. The food in the daily market was predictably drool-worthy, but £14 for a hunk of cheese for lunch? “What do you expect? It’s not bread,” the stallholder snarled.
On the way back, thanks to directions from the tourist office, we bussed it, stopping halfway in Cagnes-sur-Mer for a peek at Les Collettes, the house in an old olive grove where Renoir spent his last years debilitated by rheumatism. Stuffed with memorabilia, Les Collettes has been preserved much as it was when he died in 1919 and is completely charming and child-friendly. Particularly captivating is his studio, complete with palettes and brushes, where his wheelchair sits in front of an easel.
At the end of our stay it was plain that the €1 bus trips had made an expensive trip bearable. But it’s an out-of-season bargain. In the summer months, when the traffic is bumper to bumper , you would have to be pretty determined to stick the two-hour trip to Cannes. I’d rather sit tight in Nice and work my way through the 85 flavours I have yet to explore at Fenocchio.
Need to know
Getting there
Ligne d’Azur (www.lignedazur.com) operates buses in and around Nice . TAM buses (www.cg06.fr — search under “déplacements”) link Nice with towns on the Côte d’Azur from Monte Carlo to Cannes. You can change buses but there is a maximum journey time of 74 minutes (return trips or a second onward journey on the same line are not allowed). The only route that costs more than €1 is the 98/99 airport bus, which costs €4 (£3.50). Return fares to Nice from London City Airport with British Airways (0844 4930787, ba.com) start at £118.
Stay on the cheap
Hotel Grimaldi (0033 4 93 16 00 24, www.le-grimaldi.com) is a delightful boutique hotel near the old town with pretty rooms decorated in Provençal fabrics, with wi-fi and fridges. Breakfasts are good and the friendly staff are adroit at securing restaurant bookings. Prices start at £82 for a standard double.
Citadines (0800 3763898, www.citadines.com) has two Citadines apartment blocks in Nice, where apartments can be rented by the night. Buffa is near the old town and the beach. Apartments for four have a bedroom and a sofabed in a sitting room and start at £105 a night.
Eat on the cheap
Chez Thérésa in the Cours Saleya market serves fast food Niçoise-style, namely socca, a thin pizza made with chickpea flour.
Bistro d’Antoine on rue de la Préfecture (0033 4 93 85 29 57) offers gutsy Provençal cooking at reasonable prices with great service — rare in Nice. This means that you need to book a few days ahead.
La Merenda on Raoul Bosio is run by a former chef at the Negresco and serves some of the best food in Nice, including andouillette. There are two sittings a night with a limited menu and an even smaller choice of wine, but it’s great value for the Riviera. Cash only.
More information
See www.nicetourisme.com for further information on Nice and details of the French Riviera Pass, which gives access to major attractions and an open-top bus tour for £21.
Source:timesonline.co.uk/
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