Smart Traveller

Nice,  in the South of France,  is a popular tourist resort because of its beaches, seaside promenade, shops, restaurants, bars and museums. However, if you hire a car during your stay, you’ll also be able to visit nearby towns and attractions.

Here are three ideas for day trips that you can take as part of a Nice car hire holiday:

1. Cannes - Most famous for its annual film festival, which is held in May, Cannes is a glamourous coastal resort and it can be expensive to stay here. However, if you use Nice as a base and drive to Cannes for the day in your rental car, you can explore the town without breaking the bank. Stroll through the narrow streets of the Old Town, gaze at the luxury yachts in the marina and window-shop in the designer boutiques in La Croisette. It will take you about 40 minutes to drive to Cannes in your Nice hire car.

2. Grasse - France’s perfume capital, Grasse, is under an hour’s drive from Nice, so it’s a perfect place to visit as part of a hire car holiday. Take a break from your rental car and explore the town by taking a walking tour, before heading to Fragonard’s Historic Factory, where you can learn about how perfume is made and explore the Museum of Perfumes.

3. Monte Carlo - Situated in the independent state of Monaco, which borders France, Monte Carlo is known for its wealth and as the venue for the annual Monaco F1 Grand Prix. It will only take you about half an hour to drive to Monte Carlo in your Nice hire car. Take a stroll through the picturesque Old Town district of Monaco-Ville, take a tour of the Prince’s Palace (Palais Princier), visit the Exotic Garden (Jardin Exotique) and explore the Oceanic Museum and Aquarium. If you’re feeling wealthy, you can gamble with the rich and famous at the Casino de Monte Carlo or go shopping in Monte Carlo’s designer clothing stores.

Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) is situated about 7km to the west of the city of Nice, on the French Riviera. It’s within driving distance of resorts such as Cannes and St. Tropez, and is also the nearest airport to Monaco, so it’s an extremely busy airport. In 2008, more than 10 million people passed through Nice Côte d’Azur Airport.

Both domestic and international flights arrive at and depart from Nice Airport, which has two terminals. You can check which terminal you need by looking at the airlines list on the airport’s website. The terminals open at 4 a.m. each day and close half an hour after the final flight has arrived.

Each terminal has an information desk, as well as shops, a restaurant and a service centre. There are several internet areas within the terminals andthe airport has its own business centre. Terminal 1 also has play areas for children.

There are bus services from the airport to a number of destinations, including Cannes, Monte Carlo and Saint Tropez, and the town’s main train station, Nice St. Augustin,  is about 15 minutes’ walk from Terminal 1. There are also taxi ranks outside of both terminals.

One of the easiest methods of getting to and from Nice Airport, however, is by hire car. If you book your rental car online, you can pick it up when you land, and simply drop it off at the Nice Airport car hire office before returning home.

Living it up in France

Paris squeezes in two thousand years of history and some of the world’s finest art and architecture, earning it top place in the world’s list of most popular tourist destinations. Most travellers arrive with high expectations, and the city’s heady mix of culture and romance rarely disappoints.

Previously, Smart Traveller featured five free things to do in Paris and made a variety of suggestions of trips and places to visit if you were to rent a car whilst in Paris. Car hire in France is an ideal way escape the hustle and bustle of French cities.  From Paris, our favourite excursions included Giverny and Fontainebleau, both within easy driving distances of the French capital.

A Short Stay in Paris

Energetic weekenders can dash about ticking off all the city’s finest treasures: the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Musee du Louvre, Palace of Versailles and La Defense.  Romantic couples could easily while away their time ensconced in a cosy café absorbing the French way of life. But Paris oozes glamour and luxury, and if that’s what you want a piece of, the city has a delicious range of special treats to make for a pleasurable trip.

Image - Steven van Wel

A taste of France

No Parisian escape is complete without indulging in some fine French cuisine, and the city’s overflowing with restaurants. Better still, learn to cook your own classic French dishes at the Cook’n With Class cookery school in the heart of bohemian Montmartre. Morning classes, costing 150 euros per person, include a market visit to buy seasonal ingredients, and once you’ve finished cooking you all sit down to eat with a decent bottle of wine.

Bottle your memories

Smell evokes memories in a way that no other sense can, so a perfume workshop not only helps you to create your own signature scent, but also gives you a souvenir that will bring all your Paris memories flooding back. Panache Tours offer workshops - for men and women - lasting two to three hours, teaching you about the properties of different scents and helping you to create your own.

Dinner cruise on the Seine

One of the most romantic ways to spend an evening in Paris is on a moonlit dinner cruise on the Seine. Accompanied by good food, fine wine and live French music, a river trip usually lasts around four hours. Paris City Tour runs cruises from around 150 euros per person, with supper prepared by Chef Yves Gras, a member of the Académie Culinaire de France.

Paris from the air

Take off for a sightseeing helicopter flight around Paris and you’ll get a spectacular aerial view of the capital’s monuments and its surroundings, offering a fresh perspective on the city. French Adventures offer flights costing 250 euros per person for 25 minutes.

Luxury Resorts and Hotels in Paris

For a sumptuous splurge, the Four Seasons Hotel ‘George V Paris’ is one of  the ultimate luxury hotels in Paris. Housed in a beautifully restored landmark building, the George V is located in the famous ‘Golden Triangle’, the city’s most upmarket shopping district. It strikes the perfect balance between elegance and hospitality, shrugging off the stuffiness of many top-end hotels without losing any of its class. Service is impeccable: staff are both attentive yet unobtrusive. Rooms don’t come cheap, but review after review will tell you it’s worth it, if you can afford it.

A more intimate choice is the much talked about Hotel Sezz, a chic design boutique hotel just 500 metres from the Eiffel Tower. Hidden behind the Art Nouveau exterior is an ultra-modern interior; rooms are minimalist but have plenty of luxuries including a double jacuzzi in every room. Expect to be greeted by a personal butler, who will welcome you with a drink and look after you during your stay.