Although this trip is about train travel from city to city, it was easier, faster and cheaper for us to take a train from Aix to Nice and then to take a commuter train from the Nice airport to the central station. So that is exactly what we did! It was all going well until we got to the train station steps. There was an elevator to take us up one level and I felt a bit lazy to drag my carry on up a long flight of stairs, so we hopped on. Big mistake!

The elevator became crowded with 2 or 3 younger people. Leon was waiting outside as he couldn’t seem to fit in. The younger people were yelling push in closer. Leon recognized the modus operandi of pickpockets. Something similar had happened to us in Greece on a subway years ago. Leon used his big voice to say he was going to use the stairs, the younger people got off and I stayed on and waited for Leon to embark. When we got up to the top level, a nice man was telling everyone to be careful of pickpockets on the lower level. I looked at my purse and sure enough, it was open. Nothing removed, just the zipper pulled open. Live and learn.

Anyway, the hotel I had booked was right across from Nice station. I was delighted to see it was a newly renovated boutique hotel. The location was perfect for a huge wander through the old town, including walking to the sea wall. The weather was warm and sunny. I was happy we had decided to detour through the Mediterranean.

After returning to the hotel for a little rest, we walked back towards the seafront and found a lovely area for drinks and the ubiquitous charcuterie board. It was nice to spend so much time outside, even in the evening, since it was only March 15th. Not hot yet, but well into spring weather.

I was on the search for socca, a chickpea crepe. I found more and tasted it a few days later.

Day 2, I had planned for us to visit Èze, a medieval village a short train ride away. We left after breakfast. Once we arrived in Èze, we had to make our way up the mountain (no small hill here) to the old town. The easiest way would be to get a bus, but it was so full of tourists that we couldn’t get on. A nice lady offered to share an Uber ride with us and another couple. It was a great way to get up to the top and find out about some of the surrounding areas we might visit in coming days.

We got to the beginning of the old town which is a long walk up to the castle and all the restaurants, shops, views and even a cemetery that make up the surroundings of the castle’s medieval town. We mostly just wandered around, took in some of the amazing views, and stopped for some snacks and a bottle of water once we left the castle hill. We contemplated walking back down to the train station along a goat track, but the bus arrived just in time to erase that idea.

We had to walk up to the top to see the medieval town and castle
This was my favourite view of Monaco

We got back on the train and stopped in Monaco. If ever there was a city with too many expensive cars driving in a small amount of road, it’s Monaco! We wandered around and we even went into the Casino, but we didn’t gamble or even stop for a snack. This is not my kind of Mediterranean country. Of note were the bleachers set up along the marina. I assume they were getting ready for the Formula 1.

Day 3, we started with a train ride to Antibes and its covered market. I finally got to try the socca. It reminds me of a hardy crepe. It’s served with pepper, not sweet toppings. Leon and I found a lovely café (Copenhagen café was its name) and enjoyed a late morning treat.

coffee with a cinnamon snail/socca
Socca

After walking around town and exploring the marina, we made our way to Cannes. I had been there in 1989 for a day visit. Cannes is renowned for the Film Festival, expensive hotels and their sand beach (as opposed to the rocky beaches in most Riviera towns). We had a look at the beach and I can assure you that it is much much larger than it was 40 years ago. I would say all that sand has been placed there for the tourists. As a matter of fact, there was a large sandscaping operation going on when we visited. We would have liked to have lunch in Cannes but couldn’t find a suitable spot. So we went back to Nice and enjoyed a quiet evening before leaving for the next destination – Italy!

Distance from Aix to Nice, about 150kms. The bus trip took about 2.5 hours. The train travel between Nice, Eze, Monaco, back to Nice, etc, is a bit harder to estimate. They are short commuter trips.