2 Days In Nice (+Monaco!) | Nice, France

This summer my boyfriend and I went on an epic Europe trip. And while the whole trip was amazing, there was something about Nice that stole my heart. I wanted to take some time to share with you some of what we did while we were away and share some tips about what to do and how to save money.
You can read about our stay at The Jay Hotel here.

Day 1

Arrival

We arrived on an Easy Jet flight from Barcelona. Unlike other airlines that I have travelled with, Easy Jet was very particular about the baggage weight and number of hand bags. I often fly with a carry on, my purse, and a camera bag. While our flight was a great deal it only included one item with you on the flight. Long story but we ended up paying to check my usual carry on. After a short flight with a stunning view come landing time we were ready to explore.

Nice has Uber (no need to download a new ap, Uber works in your language where ever you are that Uber operates) so we called an Uber to the airport and headed off to our hotel. There are public transit options and taxis as well. I found that Taxis cost more in Nice than they did in Toronto, but hey, its easy, it works, and I was lazy.

Once we arrived at The Hotel Jay we took a bit of a rest. Our flight left Barcelona at about 10 AM and arrived in Nice at about 12 noon. We were up early that day to get to the airport and were just tired.

We spent the afternoon walking along the boardwalk enjoying the sea, and stopped for dinner at a little Italian restaurant. The pizza was delicious, but I did not love that the going rate for a Diet Coke was 4 Euro.

Of course, I had to grab a pic at this sign!

Day 2

Monte Carlo

For our second day in the South of France, I wanted to hop across the "border" to the Principality of Monaco. Just the idea of going to Monaco felt so classy and luxurious to me. Of course, that meant more window shopping than actual shopping...

I relied heavily on the Best of Nice blog that I found through good old fashioned Googling when it came to planning my trip from Nice to Monaco.

Our day trip to Monaco started with a ride on the Bus #100 (Monaco/Menton). The Best of Nice blog described it as "possibly one of the most stunningly beautiful bus rides in the world" and I must say, I can not imagine a better view for 1.50 Euro (more or less $2 Canadian). I mean... I pay more to take the grimy subway in Toronto, and this bus gave me sweeping views of the French Rivera.

Let's just take a moment... this was the view from the bus:

Views from the Monaco/Menton 100 Bus!

Make sure that you do not take the express bus (100x) as you will save 10 minutes or so, and you will miss those views. Make sure that you sit on the right side of the bus. To get to the bus I just asked my hotel concierge for directions (it is right outside a big old church near the waterfront). In my opinion it is better to wait 15 or 20 minutes for the next bus so that you can sit on the right side.

More bus views

There are four bus stops in Monaco: Place d'Armes, The Port, Monte Carlo, and Place de Moulins. We opted to get off at Monte Carlo. From there we walked around and explored. We took the bus around Monaco -- it is easy to use. My best advice is to ask the driver or at the tourist office. While you are at the Tourist Office be sure to get your passport stamped for Monaco!

Sunny days

We ended our day in Monaco around 3. Its not that we ran out of things to do, but we wanted to go swimming back in Nice!

Make sure that you are not planning to take the bus back after 8 pm, or you will have to take the train which also does not run late (other than Thursday, Friday, Saturday).

Places I can only dream of shopping!

So many impressive cars.

It really is as pretty as a postcard. 

After spending half a day in Monaco (I was more than happy to just wander around and enjoy the ambiance) we took the bus back to Nice, put on our bathing suits, and hopped in the ocean.

I saw a ton of people with blow up pool floaties, and of course, I had to have one! There were a ton of little beachy shops along the streets near the ocean. I stopped in one and for a little less than 10 Euros I had a huge tube to bob along in the waves with.

Not my most flattering photo, but loved the tube!

Rather than sand, the beach was lined with small and medium sized smooth rocks. I didn't think this would be the case, but the rocks were hard on my feet and yet comfortable to lie on. Getting in and out of the water was pretty painful. That being said being in the water was so worth it. It was warm and sunny, comfortable, and generally flawless. I would go back again in a heartbeat. 

After two wonderful days in Nice, my only regret was not having two more. I fell in love with the sun, the sea, and the pace of life. Here's hoping that we get to go back one day soon! We boarded a morning train to Paris. I couldn't get over how quickly we moved through France. The food on the train was good, not great, but good for train food. Upon arrival in Paris I was immediately struck by how different the two places were. I was a bit overly cautious about getting to the train station in Nice -- I gave us an hour before the train departed. In reality, we would have been more than fine with 20 minutes. After flying between cities over the two prior weeks (London to Malaga, Malaga to Barcelona, Barcelona to Nice) I was really relaxed by the train and the lack of airport style security. It was nice not to worry about the size of my shampoo bottle or the weight of my luggage. I think that next time we are in Europe (whenever that may be!) that I will try to book more trains and less planes.

If you have any questions about my time in Nice and Monaco please ask! I had such a wonderful time this summer.