South-east France, Italy perhaps

[LongLensPhotography]

I will be going to a working trip to Grenoble in a month, but will be also taking some holidays. I need at least 1 weeks worth sunshine in a year :shake:

I was thinking splitting the time in half: 1) the south coast, including Marseille, Canes, Nice and Monte Carlo; 2) somewhere in the Alps, perhaps from the southern (Italian?/Swiss?) side this time. I might even be tempted to do a bit of climbing. How about Turin as a base, or would Interlachen or Milan sound like madness?

Could I have some tips and pointers for must see locations, and a way to control the spending to a reasonable amount (food/hotels) in this mega expensive region?

Then what is the best to do about the transport? There are 2 options: A) drive down (N and D roads only avoiding tolls) which will cost up to £350-400, but I can take anything I want, bring back loads of wine, cheese and sausages and stop over at some location on the way; or B) Flights to Geneva, train to Grenoble (all paid for) and then face the car rental companies and potential crossborder travel. After first look this would cost me E400 for complete scrap unsuitable for mountains or E600 for something more respectable.

Advice very welcome please!

 

[LongLensPhotography]

any thoughts?

 

[wibbly]

I can't really help you with logistics, but Annecy is a particularly nice area (and town) to visit if you're anywhere near

 

[winchman]

I have been to Toulon and liked it, market was very good and proper french.
Been to Portofino in Italy very nice, also done the Amalfi cost but to be honest found it very nice like many other sites in different contries.
I have never been but been told Annecy is nice too

 

[Asha]

Well seeing as I live in Nice then yes I can recommend for a holiday especially as there is so much to see both here and very nearby including Cannes, Monaco and beautiful mountain villages.....

To get to most of those places, particularly those on the coast, then forget your car unless you want to sit in traffic most of the day .........leave it parked at your digs and go public transport as buses are dirt cheap and trains are reasonable....or if you feel fit or wanna get fit, hire a pushbike!

As for hiring cars, yes you would probably end up with scrap unless you are willing to pay decent money.
Driving down not only has the advantage of what you can cary with you but of course you get to stop where you wish on route and possibly find quiet places that you never knew existed!

 

[MattyW]

A few ideas....
The drive from Grenoble to briancon passes the col de lautaret which offers some good scenery, and if I remember rightly the climbing at la grave is pretty special. Briancon also has some interest in the fortifications of Vauban. Further south from here there are some good mountain passes for driving, in the Col De Vars, and the Colle dells Madellena, and some others which I cannot vouch for. Some interesting scenery follows from the Colle della Madellena through to Borgo San Dalmazzo, and south from there you can drive through the vallee des merveilles which has some great walking, mountains lakes and prehistoric cave paintings. This road will take you to Ventimiglia on the coast, or you can turn to sospel and drive the Monte Carlo rally stage up the Col de Turini. There are a number of fantastic driving roads, mountain lakes and pretty villages in the south mercantour national park, many of which I would recommend, but I have a penchant for driving mtn roads.
further north, Annecy as mentioned is a fantastic place to visit, but can get very busy in summer, nevertheless, very picturesque and worth spending some time in. also worth considering would be the national park de vanoise, which has some great wildlife and vistas, and also some good wine in the region surrounding (if you like savoie wines)
with regards to keeping costs down, budget accommodation can be had with the chain hotels like formule 1, b&b and premiere classe, and I found that Logis have some reasonably priced accommodation. food can always be done on the cheap on a diet of boulangerie goods and a la picnic. The cote d'azur is a killer for funds, but if you travel inland from there slightly you will be able to find good rustique eateries at a snip of the price. ALWAYS check out the formule menus as they usually offer three courses for slightly less than the price of a main.
Hope this is of some help.
enjoy your trip

 

[LongLensPhotography]

I will probably split it in half. First (or last) will be a trip to the coast, maybe 4-5d, - resting time (relatively!)

Then work (3d), then the alps.

Now I am getting some CRAZY ideas. Probably the best way to SEE it is to do is lots of hiking instead of staying in a hotel in Chamonix. I see there are walking tours around Mont Blanc (11 days), and some alternative routes to Zermatt, Nice, etc. This sounds very interesting, except perhaps a bit slow...

How about mountain biking round trip? I only have experice of casual / road cycling so would that be a big issue. I don't care about speed, just want to keep it fun and safe and get lots of photo ops. I am not sure if an organised trip will suit, as they will get soon fed up with me stopping every half a mile, and they are a bit costly too.

I am probably going to go alone, maybe organise a 6d TP meet with camping?:rules:

P.s. Can I hire a mule? Or an elephant? Now that would be serious fun!

Well seeing as I live in Nice then yes I can recommend for a holiday especially as there is so much to see both here and very nearby including Cannes, Monaco and beautiful mountain villages.....

To get to most of those places, particularly those on the coast, then forget your car unless you want to sit in traffic most of the day .........leave it parked at your digs and go public transport as buses are dirt cheap and trains are reasonable....or if you feel fit or wanna get fit, hire a pushbike!

As for hiring cars, yes you would probably end up with scrap unless you are willing to pay decent money.
Driving down not only has the advantage of what you can cary with you but of course you get to stop where you wish on route and possibly find quiet places that you never knew existed!

How good is public transport after sunset and before sunrise? Let's say if I wanted to go from Marseille to Nice, Cannnes, etc.

I am now not sure I want to drive all the way down to France. Getting down to Dorset coast last weekend was bad enough.

I can't really help you with logistics, but Annecy is a particularly nice area (and town) to visit if you're anywhere near

been there in the winter a couple years ago and it was indeed very pretty

 

[Asha]

Not sure about public transport tbh as very rarely use it ..If i come up with any info/links i'll get them posted

 

[LongLensPhotography]

flights booked (I am very efficient, aren't I?)

is Marseille good and safe choice to stay for one week, or should I look a bit more east-wards? I am getting quite tempted to go AirBNB route saving myself a 50 euro dinner every evening!

 

[Asha]

flights booked (I am very efficient, aren't I?)

is Marseille good and safe choice to stay for one week, or should I look a bit more east-wards? I am getting quite tempted to go AirBNB route saving myself a 50 euro dinner every evening!

Like any big city, Marseille has its problems.....It has unfortuanatly inherited a reputation for drug related issues.

I wouldn't say dangerous as anything can happen pretty much anywhere but presuming your street wise and use your common sense then i wouldn't envisage problems.

Like anywhere here, the areas frequented by tourists are generally very well policed. It's away in the quiter areas that may be a little uncomfortable.
railway staions after dusk do tend to attract unsavoury characters.

Tbh I would just be aware of pickpockets ( maybe leave passports secure in your hotel!) ....I hope i haven't caused you fears, that's not my intention....just enjoy yourself like you would say in the center of London.

If you get pestered for money, cigs etc, simply politely say No thank you ( non merci) and I'm sure you will be fine.