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We will be in the French Riviera for 4 nights as part of a longer trip (early June). We would prefer to stay in the same place for all 4 nights, realizing of course we can take the train to and from other places. Nice seems to be good for transportation connections and things to do, whereas Cannes seems more for relaxing on the beach. Is that a fair assessment? Is the food good in both? Which would you recommend? Any advice is appreciated!
p.s. At this point we don't have a particular interest in going to Monaco (or do you think it's really worth it?), if we did I think Nice would win out for its central location between Cannes and Monaco.
I've been to both (couple of holidays in S.France with the family) and Nice is the better place, more history, beautiful buildings and good transport/communication links. Cannes is pretty much as you think, nice beach, very busy and expensive in the summer though, the summer is when they make a lot of their money i imagine. Nice is more of a 'hub' for the local area whereas Cannes is a very pretty but expensive holiday resort.
I totally agree with the previous post. Cannes felt more touristy to me while Nice felt more true to French culture. I also remember Cannes more expensive to eat and drink nut necessarily better.
Although I don't think there's much particularly special about Monaco itself (it feels superficial and even artificial in many respects), the drives in that area are simply breathtaking. Actually, I would say that Menton (just east of Monaco) is worth the trip. It's also famous for its beautiful gardens. You can also take the train there from Nice.
The last two times, we stayed in Antibes and just visited Nice.
Antibes is much mellower, and if you find a nice place to stay in old town, you can just walk to the sandy beach.
Friends of ours stayed at Villefranche-sur-Mer, which is very close to Nice, and liked it very much.
Don't get me wrong, Nice is a must-see, I especially enjoy the Chagall Museum--but we preferred staying in Antibes, and also up in the hills, in Vence.
Nothing is very far away, if you do not rent a car you can take bus or train.
As for Monaco, I visited once many years ago as a young adult, and that was enough.
I would definitely stay in Nice and then make day trips to other locales such as Monaco if you are so inclined. The city is very walkable and the train station is in the middle of the town if you want to walk over and catch a ride to a nearby town. You can also just relax on the beach in Nice if you'd like. If price is not an issue, I'd recommend staying at the Hotel Negresco. We stayed there a few years ago when I surprised my wife with a trip to Nice for a milestone birthday. Here are some pictures of the hotel:
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