Question 1

Villefranche-sur-Mer on Your Own

Accepted Answer

Villefranche is a good port for an independent day, because the old town and the citadel start at the tender landing and the main sights take three to four hours on foot. A simple plan is the old town and the citadel in the morning, then either the beach or a short train ride to Nice or Monaco. The old town: Climb from the harbor into the lanes to find the Rue Obscure, a vaulted passage about 130 meters long that once ran along the first town wall, and the Église Saint-Michel, built in the 1750s. Both are free. The citadel: The Citadelle Saint-Elme, built in 1557, is free to enter and open every day except a few public holidays. A visit takes about half an hour, and inside are the town hall, gardens, an open-air theater and several museums. The Cocteau chapel: The Chapelle Saint-Pierre on the quay was the first chapel Jean Cocteau decorated, and his paintings cover its entire interior. One short ride: Regional trains reach Nice in minutes and continue to Monaco, so either city fits into an afternoon. Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own, so allow for the tender ride back as well.

Question 2

Getting Around the French Riviera

Accepted Answer

Regional trains along the coast are the simplest way to reach Nice and Monaco, and the station is in the town. Buses also run to both cities, and taxis wait at the harbor. TER regional trains on the Marseille to Ventimiglia line stop at Villefranche, between Nice-Riquier and Beaulieu-sur-Mer, and the ride from Nice is short. Trains to Monaco run two to four times an hour along this coast, and the ride between Nice and Monaco takes about 20 minutes. Bus line 15 runs from the Lycée Masséna stop in Nice through Villefranche to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, and line 600 runs from Nice's port through Villefranche to Monaco. Both stop at Octroi, in the town center. Bus tickets must be validated on board, and riding without a validated ticket can bring a fine. The newsagent at 8 Avenue Maréchal Foch sells tickets for the Lignes d'Azur buses.

Question 3

Where to Eat

Accepted Answer

Restaurants on the harbor charge the most, and simpler places further back in the town cost less. The dishes below are specialties of nearby Nice. Socca is a thin pancake made from chickpea flour that can be baked on a round tinned-copper tray more than a meter across. Pissaladière is a thick flatbread topped with slow-cooked onions, black olives and anchovies. Pan bagnat is a round sandwich filled with salade niçoise, usually tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, olives, anchovies or tuna and olive oil, and bakeries and markets around Nice sell it. Salade niçoise itself began in Nice as a simple mix of tomatoes, anchovies and olive oil, and cooks still argue over which other ingredients belong in it.

Question 4

Tipping in France

Accepted Answer

Service is already included in French restaurant prices, so a tip is not expected. People who do tip usually round the bill up. Restaurants: The price on the menu includes service. Those who tip usually round the bill up to the next multiple of five. Currency: France uses the euro.

Question 5

Culture & Local Life

Accepted Answer

Villefranche's culture is a fishing port's: a fishermen's chapel on the quay, traditional fishing boats in the harbor, and a flower-decked boat parade every February. Its deep bay also drew navies, film crews and artists, and each left something behind. The Chapelle Saint-Pierre probably dates from the second half of the 16th century and was long used to store the fishermen's nets. Cocteau's 1957 paintings show scenes from the life of Saint Peter and of life on the Mediterranean, and the chapel still belongs to the town's fishermen's guild. Pointus, the traditional fishing boats of this coast, still moor in the harbor. Each February since 1902, the Combat naval fleuri sends them around the Port de la Santé decked with flowers, throwing bouquets to the crowd on the quays. The Église Saint-Michel has an organ built by the Grinda brothers in 1790, among the oldest in the Alpes-Maritimes, and an 18th-century reclining figure of Christ known as the Christ of the Galleys. Busts of Russian figures, among them Admiral Ushakov and Alexandra Feodorovna, stand in the town. The Russian imperial navy kept a supply base here from 1856. The harbor and old town have served as film sets, including for Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief. The Rolling Stones recorded their 1972 album Exile on Main St. at Villa Nellcôte, which is private and not open to visitors.

Question 6

A Brief History

Accepted Answer

Villefranche was founded as a tax-free town in 1295, and for centuries its deep bay made it the seaport of the House of Savoy. It became French in 1860, served first a Russian and then an American fleet, and has received cruise ships since the 1980s. Ancient anchorage: Greek and Roman sailors sheltered in the bay, which the Romans called Olivula Portus. The Romans extended the Via Aurelia through the hills above the bay. 1295, a free town: Charles II of Anjou, Count of Provence, granted tax privileges to bring people down from the hills to the shore, and the new town was named Villa Franca. 1388, Savoy's port: The County of Nice passed to the House of Savoy, and Villefranche was Savoy's only seaport until the port of Nice was built in the 18th century. 1543 to 1557, the citadel: Franco-Ottoman forces sacked the town in 1543 after the siege of Nice. Duke Emmanuel Philibert then fortified the bay, and the Citadelle Saint-Elme was built in 1557 to plans by Gian Maria Olgiatti. 1856, the Russian base: After the Crimean War, the Russian imperial navy leased the old quarantine station and the Darse, the old galley harbor, as a supply base. 1860, French: After the Treaty of Turin and a plebiscite, the County of Nice, Villefranche included, became part of France, and the citadel later became a barracks. To 1966, the Sixth Fleet: After the Second World War the bay was the home port of the US Sixth Fleet until February 1966, when President de Gaulle took France out of NATO's integrated military command and US forces had to leave. 1981 and after: The town bought the citadel and turned it into a cultural center in 1981, and cruise ships have anchored in the bay since the 1980s. To learn more ashore: The Citadelle Saint-Elme on Place Emmanuel Philibert is free to enter. Besides the fortress itself, it holds several museums, among them the Musée Volti and the Musée Goetz-Boumeester, and a memorial room for the 24th battalion of Chasseurs Alpins.

Question 7

Traveling with Family

Accepted Answer

With children, Villefranche works as a day on foot: a beach in the town, a fortress to explore for free, and boats in the harbor. Older children and teenagers can add a coastal walk or a train ride to Monaco. Younger children: Plage des Marinières, the town's largest beach, has showers, toilets and a lifeguard post in summer. Its sand is coarse rather than fine, so bring water shoes if your children mind it. School age: The citadel's ramparts, gardens and open-air theater are free to explore. A visit to the vaulted Rue Obscure takes about ten minutes. Out on the water: Boat trips to look for whales and dolphins leave from the maritime station, and the crew can help passengers aboard. Check the trip's length against your all-aboard time before you book. Teenagers: The coastal path leads from Villefranche toward Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, where the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild has nine themed gardens, and bus line 15 runs back. Monaco's Oceanographic Museum and Aquarium is a train ride away.

Question 8

Accessibility

Accepted Answer

Getting ashore means a tender ride, so ask your ship before the day whether its tenders can take a wheelchair. Once on land, you leave the maritime station by a ramp, but the old town climbs in paved lanes and narrow stairways. The maritime station has a ramp for arriving and departing passengers, a lowered section of the information counter and one accessible toilet. The tourist information office in the Jardin François Binon is step-free inside and has a hearing loop, documents in braille and large print on request, and a relief map of the town. It holds the Tourisme & Handicap label for all four types of disability. In the citadel, the Chapelle Saint-Elme exhibition room has a level entrance. The old town is a network of paved lanes and narrow stairways, and the citadel stands above the harbor. Eight car parks in the town have reserved spaces for disabled drivers, six of them at the Marinières beach car park.

Question 9

Shopping & Local Markets

Accepted Answer

Villefranche's shops are small and mostly aimed at visitors, so the most local buying is at the market. Nice, a short train ride away, has a larger market every day on the Cours Saleya. A Provençal market sets up in the Jardin François Binon on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. Souvenir shops in the town are expensive, so compare prices before you buy. The Cours Saleya in Nice's old town holds a daily market with flowers, art and antiques.

Question 10

Beaches

Accepted Answer

Villefranche has four beaches around the bay, and the largest, Plage des Marinières, is coarse sand rather than the smooth stones found in Nice. Marinières and the Darse beach are free. Plage des Marinières runs for about 700 meters along the north end of the bay, beneath the railway line to Italy, and it has a lifeguard post in summer. Marinières is narrow, so space is short in high season. Plage de la Darse is a pebble beach behind the ramparts, reached along the Promenade des Professeurs from the Chemin du Lazaret or past the harbor office. Plage de l'Ange Gardien is a small beach just east of Marinières.

Nice/Monaco (Villefranche), France

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