Wednesday, 4th December 2024
Flying out to Nice: 08:20-11:25
Flying in to Gatwick: 21:10-22:10
EasyJet flights – £49 return ticket
Commute:
Saint-Laurent-du-Var to Monaco-Monte-Carlo – £6
Monaco-Monte-Carlo to Nice-Riquier – £4
Food: £41
Souvenirs: £15
Total cost of the trip: £115
Actual time of the flight is about an hour and a half. On the way to Nice, the pilot did a hard landing and took off straight away as he deemed it safer to fly around and then land.
Getting to Monaco
I was prepared to land at Terminal 1, but landing at Terminal 2 caused some confusion, resulting in me asking a cab driver for the price of the 7 minutes’ drive to Saint-Laurent-du-Var. He offered €35, to which I laughed. I took the tram (L2) for two stops to Grande Arena. This trip is free for everyone as far as I am aware. Then I went to look for the stop of buses 620, 622 or 650. Couldn’t find it, so I ran. About 15 minutes later, I was at the station, immensely proud of myself. Just to board the train and find out that I could have boarded at a station 2 seconds away from where I got off the tram – Saint Augustine station. I took a video of my face when I found out.
The train to Monaco takes about 30 minutes and with the pre-booking was quite cheap. It’s a double decker train, so I was excited to be on the second floor of the train. It got quote full at Niche Ville, which is Nice’s main train station.
At Monaco I was surprised to find that:
- My mobile operator would charge me extortionate prices for everything.
- My mobile internet is non-existent anyways.
- I am on a top of an extremely steep hill with no idea how to get down.
Monaco’s main station is positioned partially underground and it has exits which seem to be quite far from each other. The good news is – there are free maps at the station, there is police everywhere, you can see most landmarks wherever you are, and your Google Maps may still show you where you are roughly even without using data. So off I went – up the hills, down the hills. I saw:
Prince’s Palace
Hercules Harbour
Casino de Monte Carlo
Casino Square
Jardin de la Petite Afrique
The weather was sunny and warm, but the Christmas decorations were up and it was lovely to see it all in play.
I missed my train back by a minute and had to wait for 30 minutes for the next. This is usually the interval for the trains between Monaco and Nice. Platform C. I grabbed Orangina and a bag of Italian crisps as all I managed to munch on while running up and down the hills was a tasty Citrus cake (Carrefour market – lovely staff, by the way).
Colline du Chateau
Arrived at Nice Riquier in about 20 minutes and went down straight to Castle Hill (Colline du Chateau). I know there is an elevator, but I would definitely recommend the steps. One of my favourite city parks! It’s green, it has a big waterfall and many places where you can see Nice from above, so you don’t need to compete with others to take your selfies above the French Riviera. Also, many adorable dogs have walks in this park.
Promenade des Anglais
I walked down Promenade des Anglais and went to the beach to listen to the unique noise the stones do when the waves go back. I could do this for ages!
The Old Town
Went to Nice Old Town – most of the shops were still open although it was getting dark. Got myself a salad with goat cheese from J.Multari and a pain at chocolat. Then had my dinner on the beach, watching the beautiful sunset, the moon and the stars coming up.
Walking to the Airport
I then walked to the airport. Yes, I did! As a hiker and a runner, I prefer to rely on myself instead of using public transport or paying €??? for a cab if I can help it. It was a long walk, but a nice one. Finding Terminal 2 when walking can be tricky (with arrows pointing you away from it?!), so my advice is – follow the tram lines.
I don’t speak French, but I was trying and people were really appreciative of this. So, ‘Bonjour’ and ‘Merci’ served me well.
At Nice airport Terminal 2, you will see at least 3 Arrival Lounges and one of them will also say Departures. It’s the third entrance as you approach from the Tram stop. When you go in, go to the first floor – check-in luggage is on the left, security is on the right. You will need your boarding pass to be scanned upon your things going through the security scanner.
If you are flying through an A gate, there seem to be no border police checks. However, my flight to Gatwick was through a B gate and I had to present my passport to a police officer to confirm this is really me and I am not a wanted international criminal.
Also, I don’t know why, but there are at least 3 Jamie Oliver food places in the airport. Seems like he is their favourite chef.
Overall, it was a long warm, sunny, beautiful day! I couldn’t see half of the things on my list and I really struggled finding some Socca to give it a try, so I will have go back soon. Even just for a day on the stoney beach.