Air-conditioned and licensed round trip transportation from outside your Villefranche cruise ship tender pier! Enjoy a drive along the Promenade des Anglais! See incredible architecture in various styles! Drive through the exclusive Cimiez neighborhood! Explore during free time in the Old Town! Escape the cruise ship shore excursion crowds and enjoy unique sights of Villefranche and surrounding ar
ea! See the beautiful city of Nice on this half day guided excursion with some free time to explore on your own. After meeting your driver/guide on the tender pier shore side, you will depart Villefranche in your exclusive group with a maximum total of just eight guests. Your destination is the city of Nice, approximately 20 minutes away along the coast. Enjoy the views as your guide gives you information about the day. Colline du Chateau will be your first stop. This is the former site of a 12th-century chateau razed by Louis XIV in a fit of anger. Now it is a city park with waterfalls and at 300ft up the hill, it has stunning views overlooking both new and old Nice. There are many photo ops on this excursion! The area now known as Nice, Nissa la Belle was first inhabited by Greeks around 350 BC, who named it after Nike, the goddess of victory. The English upper class began to winter in the area due to the mild Mediterranean climate. In the mid to late 1800's, artists the likes of Renoir, Chagall, and Matisse, came here to paint due to the light. As you drive along the Promenade des Anglais (Walkway of the English) that parallels the sea, you can almost imagine the English promenading in their Victorian finery. Continuing along the seafront, you will pass the Belle Epoque Hotel Negresco, built in 1920 to attract Europe's elite. Further, along the coast, you will see a Russian Orthodox Church, built in 1912 for a Czars wife who occasionally wintered here. Avenue de Verdun, with its parks and gardens down its middle, will show you more of the beautiful architecture and the Place Massena, the city's main square as you drive along. Driving away from the sea, you will find the hilly Cimiez neighborhood, where the upper class built their homes. The Excelsior Regina Palace was built here in the 1800's just so Queen Victoria would have a place to stay during her visits. Nearby is the 17th century Villa des Arenes, now home to the Musee Matisse (Matisse Museum). Vieille Ville, the Old Town, is next as no visit to Nice would be complete without seeing it. Here, you will have approximately 40 minutes of free time to wander along its narrow pedestrian streets lined with shops selling Provencal wares. Be enticed by the aroma of the cafes selling fresh pastries or stroll through the fresh food and flower market along Cours Saleya (the market is closed on Mondays). See the colorful vegetables, ripe olives, and fresh seafood. Try socca, the local Provencal chickpea pancake served warm from pushcarts. At the end of your adventure in Nice, you will meet your driver for the trip back to Villefranche and your cruise ship tender pier, approximately 20 minutes away.
