Bristol to the South of France... that's Nice!
Discussion
So in the next few months, I'm planning on going to Nice. From Bristol. Maybe just for a night or two, staying in Antibes.
Using my own car is out of the question as I have a 54 plate Focus. It's not in great condition but it's okay to get me to work and back, just maybe not to the other end of the continent!
Hate flying (I don't like heights which isn't great if you're on an aeroplane
) so have been looking at doing it by train. Have done some brief Googling and the TGV from Paris to Nice during the night looks like a decent price for a bunk or apparently you can book all four in a four berth compartment and just not use them!) but still quite cheap. Anyone made this trip or similar have any thoughts?
Bit between Bristol and Paris will sting though, I'm sure, cost wise.
Any tips, tricks or advice willingly accepted apart from "Why don't you fly?". I'm up there with Mr T where planes are concerned.
Using my own car is out of the question as I have a 54 plate Focus. It's not in great condition but it's okay to get me to work and back, just maybe not to the other end of the continent!
Hate flying (I don't like heights which isn't great if you're on an aeroplane
) so have been looking at doing it by train. Have done some brief Googling and the TGV from Paris to Nice during the night looks like a decent price for a bunk or apparently you can book all four in a four berth compartment and just not use them!) but still quite cheap. Anyone made this trip or similar have any thoughts?Bit between Bristol and Paris will sting though, I'm sure, cost wise.
Any tips, tricks or advice willingly accepted apart from "Why don't you fly?". I'm up there with Mr T where planes are concerned.
So many questions! 
Why Nice and why just a few nights??
And why not take the car! I got a shed Mini Cooper S with 140k and took it to Manchester from the south coast a few weeks later. It wasn't the comfiest (expansion gaps round Birmingham were a bugger!) but it was fine. Service it (I didn't...) and get cast iron breakdown (Er, I didn't...) and it'll be fine!
Why Nice and why just a few nights??
And why not take the car! I got a shed Mini Cooper S with 140k and took it to Manchester from the south coast a few weeks later. It wasn't the comfiest (expansion gaps round Birmingham were a bugger!) but it was fine. Service it (I didn't...) and get cast iron breakdown (Er, I didn't...) and it'll be fine!
Bill said:
So many questions!
Why Nice and why just a few nights??
And why not take the car! I got a shed Mini Cooper S with 140k and took it to Manchester from the south coast a few weeks later. It wasn't the comfiest (expansion gaps round Birmingham were a bugger!) but it was fine. Service it (I didn't...) and get cast iron breakdown (Er, I didn't...) and it'll be fine!
I get stiff (not that way!) just driving the morning commute, me and the car will fall out of love long before the Channel Tunnel. Why Nice and why just a few nights??
And why not take the car! I got a shed Mini Cooper S with 140k and took it to Manchester from the south coast a few weeks later. It wasn't the comfiest (expansion gaps round Birmingham were a bugger!) but it was fine. Service it (I didn't...) and get cast iron breakdown (Er, I didn't...) and it'll be fine!
Long story short. I wrote a book on my favourite football team in 2013 based on the previous decade, 2003 to 2013. The team used 214 players in those ten seasons and I've been trying to get as many of those former players to sign my own personal copy of the book. My lad got the 125th player to sign it this afternoon in Riga and there's a couple of our former players based in the South of France so I thought it would make a nice little trip. Bet you wish you hadn't asked now.
Think I can get accommodation sorted cheaply as the owner of the cleaning company at work has an apartment in Antibes.
Train is perfectly fine. Bristol to London. London to Paris. Paris to Nice.
Could do it in a day if you fancy it, but two days would be more comfortable.
I like the drive, but if you don’t fancy it then this is a decent way to travel. Have done it (albeit starting in Manchester) before. Finished work on Friday evening. Train to Euston. Overnight stay nearby. Following morning St Pancras to Gare du Nord. GdeN to Gare du Sud. GdS to Nice. Arrive early evening.
These days I’d just fly, but understand if you don’t want to: I had to hold my BIL’s hand on a recent flight as he gets so anxious. I’m cool with that if it helps him.
Could do it in a day if you fancy it, but two days would be more comfortable.
I like the drive, but if you don’t fancy it then this is a decent way to travel. Have done it (albeit starting in Manchester) before. Finished work on Friday evening. Train to Euston. Overnight stay nearby. Following morning St Pancras to Gare du Nord. GdeN to Gare du Sud. GdS to Nice. Arrive early evening.
These days I’d just fly, but understand if you don’t want to: I had to hold my BIL’s hand on a recent flight as he gets so anxious. I’m cool with that if it helps him.
OMITN said:
Train is perfectly fine. Bristol to London. London to Paris. Paris to Nice.
Could do it in a day if you fancy it, but two days would be more comfortable.
I like the drive, but if you don’t fancy it then this is a decent way to travel. Have done it (albeit starting in Manchester) before. Finished work on Friday evening. Train to Euston. Overnight stay nearby. Following morning St Pancras to Gare du Nord. GdeN to Gare du Sud. GdS to Nice. Arrive early evening.
These days I’d just fly, but understand if you don’t want to: I had to hold my BIL’s hand on a recent flight as he gets so anxious. I’m cool with that if it helps him.
Brill, thanks for that info. Being a little ignorant as a non-traveller (not been abroad since 2002 and even then, that was only for 48 hours), did you buy all those train tickets separately? Did you consider travelling overnight at all? Could do it in a day if you fancy it, but two days would be more comfortable.
I like the drive, but if you don’t fancy it then this is a decent way to travel. Have done it (albeit starting in Manchester) before. Finished work on Friday evening. Train to Euston. Overnight stay nearby. Following morning St Pancras to Gare du Nord. GdeN to Gare du Sud. GdS to Nice. Arrive early evening.
These days I’d just fly, but understand if you don’t want to: I had to hold my BIL’s hand on a recent flight as he gets so anxious. I’m cool with that if it helps him.
Just returned from Nice after watching the last stages of the Tour de France. Did look at going by train, but the time factor put me off.
Was going to go by train from Northampton to London, EuroStar to Paris, stay the night, and then nearly 6 hours on the train to Nice.
As it was, left home at 6 am, train to Gatwick and on to Nice, arriving at 2.00pm France time.
If you do go, allow a day to explore Monaco and walk the track. Train fare only 10 euros return, and about 30 minutes each way.
Was going to go by train from Northampton to London, EuroStar to Paris, stay the night, and then nearly 6 hours on the train to Nice.
As it was, left home at 6 am, train to Gatwick and on to Nice, arriving at 2.00pm France time.
If you do go, allow a day to explore Monaco and walk the track. Train fare only 10 euros return, and about 30 minutes each way.
I’d skip Monaco - playground for rich people and for tourists to gawp at rich people. Otherwise concrete and unremarkable. It does nothing for me.
Antibes is nice - much more relaxed. So too Juan les Pins. I eventually came to like Cannes. And if you rent a car down there head up to Grasse and then pass through Valbonne and Mougins for some lunch. Or along the coast to Theoule sur Mer - lovely little beach and a couple nice restaurants.
Antibes is nice - much more relaxed. So too Juan les Pins. I eventually came to like Cannes. And if you rent a car down there head up to Grasse and then pass through Valbonne and Mougins for some lunch. Or along the coast to Theoule sur Mer - lovely little beach and a couple nice restaurants.
GloverMart said:
Brill, thanks for that info. Being a little ignorant as a non-traveller (not been abroad since 2002 and even then, that was only for 48 hours), did you buy all those train tickets separately? Did you consider travelling overnight at all?
This is about 13 years old. I suspect I bought a separate ticket from Manchester to Euston. And then a Eurostar ticket to Nice. That would have been the year my wife drove down and our daughter had her first birthday in a hotel in Lyon. Saw her the day after…!
OMITN said:
I’d skip Monaco - playground for rich people and for tourists to gawp at rich people. Otherwise concrete and unremarkable. It does nothing for me.
Antibes is nice - much more relaxed. So too Juan les Pins. I eventually came to like Cannes. And if you rent a car down there head up to Grasse and then pass through Valbonne and Mougins for some lunch. Or along the coast to Theoule sur Mer - lovely little beach and a couple nice restaurants.
I agree with all of this. We go every year. Add St Paul de Vence to the list places to visit for the day/ lunchAntibes is nice - much more relaxed. So too Juan les Pins. I eventually came to like Cannes. And if you rent a car down there head up to Grasse and then pass through Valbonne and Mougins for some lunch. Or along the coast to Theoule sur Mer - lovely little beach and a couple nice restaurants.
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