Nice Carnival and Menton Lemon Festival
Nice Carnival and Menton Lemon Festival
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Nice Carnival and Menton Lemon Festival
8 Days Starting and ending in St Pancras
Visiting: France
Tour operator:
Tour code:
NIC/7512
Recommended For:
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Group size:
0 - 35
Age range:
+50
Trip Styles:
Interests:
Tour Overview
Itinerary
For more information about the places of interest please click here or on the tab above
Day 1: Travel by Eurostar from St Pancras or Ebbsfleet to Paris and onwards to Nice by TGV. On arrival, transfer by coach to the hotel.
Day 2: Morning tour of Nice with the afternoon free. The capital of the Riviera, Nice is a buzzing city full of culture, excellent restaurants and good shopping. There are distinct districts - the medieval quarter, the Italianate quarter that belies Nice’s past as part of Italy and plenty of rich mansions that shows past pedigree as one of the most fashionable resorts in Europe. There are plenty of excellent museums to explore, and the vibrant Promenade des Anglais to stroll along.
Day 3: Full day in Nice with the chance to view the Flower Parade (ticket not included - please visit the Nice Carnival Website for more information). Evening seated ticket (included) for the Carnival Parade of Lights. For two weeks every February and March, Nice is full of open air music performances, parades, processions and carnival cheer. There are parades daily with numerous floats and over 1000 musicians and dancers taking part. You have a seated ticket to enjoy the evening parade included but you will be able to purchase extra tickets for other parades whilst in Nice if you wish. The theme for 2018 is ‘King of Space’.
Day 4: Full day tour to Menton with seated tickets to the Lemon Festival Parade. Right on the border, Menton exudes Italianate charm from its picturesque position ringed by mountains. The Lemon Festival (Fête du Citron) is the resort’s biggest annual event. You’ll find 10 metre tall citrus-covered installations in the Biovès Gardens and a colourful parade with each float bearing over 140 tonnes of fruit!
Day 5: Full day tour to Grasse and the Gorges du Loup. The medieval hill town of Grasse has been the capital of perfume concoction for nearly 300 years. In the midst of fields planted with an array of fragrant blooms, the town has a museum dedicated to the art of parfumiers as well as lovely old streets to wander. Famous for the fortified villages that perch along the steep sides formed by the River Loup, the Gorges du Loup offer wonderful views and dramatic cascades.
Day 6: Full day tour to Vence and Saint-Paul-de-Vence. A hilltop town full of charm, Vence is interlaced by narrow streets and dotted with lovely squares. It was popular with painters, including Picasso, thanks to its excellent light and it was here that Matisse was involved in the architectural design and decoration of the Chapelle du Rosaire. Saint-Paul-de-Vence was a magnet for artists throughout the 20th century, and the village is dominated by studios and galleries. You can visit the Colombe d’Or restaurant where painters, including Picasso, traded paintings for meals and accommodation. You’ll also find the Fondation Maeght Museum of Modern Art here.
Day 7: Full day tour to Biot, Antibes and Cap d’Antibes. The hill town of Biot was a centre for pottery between the 16th and 18th century, a tradition reborn in the mid-20th century when the town once again became famous for its decorative pottery and glasswork. The lively resort of Antibes has a lovely old town and one of the world’s best Picasso collections in the old seafront, Chateau Grimaldi – entrance to the collection is included. Author Graham Greene was a resident here for 20 years. The Cap d’Antibes hides many a sumptuous villa in its pine woods, an area frequented by the likes of F Scott Fitzgerald in its 1920s heyday.
Day 8: Transfer back to Nice station to catch the return TGV to Paris. At Paris, board the return Eurostar service to Ebbsfleet and St Pancras.
NB: Exact order of itinerary may vary according to departure date, the carnival programme, local conditions, and tour manager's discretion.
Please note the maximum group size on this tour is 49 passengers.
What's Included
INCLUDED
- Return Eurostar and TGV from St Pancras or Ebbsfleet to Nice via Paris
- Seven nights' accommodation on bed and breakfast basis at either the: three-star Hotel Brice Garden (15th February departure), four-star Massena Hotel (21st February departure) or the four-star Nice Riviera Hotel (22nd February departure), based on shared occupancy of a twin/double room
- Transfers and full touring itinerary
- Seated ticket to the Carnival Parade of Lights in Nice
- Seated ticket in Menton
- Tour manager throughout
NOT INCLUDED
- Holiday insurance
- Single room supplement
- Standard Premier/1st Class upgrade on Eurostar/TGV. On Eurostar this constitutes upgraded seating and light meal with complimentary drink with upgraded seating only on the French railway leg
- Meals other than those stated
- Items of a personal nature such as drinks, laundry, telephone calls
- Porterage and gratuities
PLEASE NOTE: as with most trains, passengers are responisble for carrying baggage onto and off the train. Baggage can be stored on overhead shelves or at the entrance to the carriages. Trollies are available at St Pancras, but bags do need to be carried onto the platform.
Travel Editions recommends a luggage delivery service called thebaggageman, where your suitcase can be picked up from your home before departure and delivered straight to your hotel; therefore removing the worry about carrying your cases onto and off the trains. Please click here for more information and we have arranged a 10% discount exclusive to Travel Editions clients off the thebaggageman service. Tel: 01844 264890
Accommodation
Hotel Brice Garden - 15th February 2018
Located in the heart of Nice, the three-star Hotel Brice Garden is beautifully decorated in a contemporary style, close to the beach and the pedestrianised streets lined with shops and restaurants. Hotel facilities include a lounge bar, serving hot and cold drinks, refreshments, cocktails and more. Bedrooms all have private bathroom facilities, air-conditioning, TV, minibar, safe, free wi-fi.
Hotel Brice Garden Website
Massena Hotel - 21st February 2018
Located in the city centre on the new Place Massena, this lovely boutique four-star hotel is surrounded by gardens and pedestrian streets perfect for strolling. Bedrooms all have private bathroom facilities, air-conditioning, free wi-fi, TV, hairdryer, minibar, safe and tea/coffee making facilities.
Massena Hotel Website
Nice Riviera Hotel, Nice - 22nd February 2018
Situated in the city centre only minutes from the beach, the four-star Nice Riviera Hotel has been entirely renovated in 2012 with a brand new contemporary design. Facilities at the hotel include the Riviera Cafe, wellness area with an indoor heated pool, jacuzzi and sauna and spacious, comfortable bedrooms with private bath/shower, TV, telephone, air-conditioning, mini-bar, safe and hairdryer.
Pre-tour accommodation is available at the Premier Travel Inn, London Kings Cross St Pancras, about a 5 minutes walk from St Pancras International, at an approximate rate of £120 per room. Bookings can be made direct with the hotel on 0871 527 8672 or visit their website.
Places of Interest
Nice
The base for this tour and France's fifth largest city, Nice has been a popular destination of the rich and famous including Queen Victoria for some 150 years. It is a wonderful city to explore with several distinctive districts, a wealth of galleries and museums, lovely port and famed Promenade des Anglais. Nice was Italian until 1860, reflected in the pastel facades and balconies of the old town which have a distinctly Italianate feel. There is loads to see and do here - highlights include several museums devoted to Chagall, Matisse, Modern Art and Beaux-Arts, characterful flower market area, 17th century Palais Lascaris, Russian Church and much more. The Carnival is a colourful street event with parades and a wonderful holiday atmosphere, enhancing the appeal of this already beautiful city.
For more information on the Nice Carnival and to book your tickets please click here
Vence & St-Paul-de-Vence
Today's destinations offer a wonderful combination of artistic and architectural sights. The lovely old town of Vence boasts ramparts, a medieval Cathedral, and Chapelle du Rosaire that was decorated by Henri Matisse. The hugely popular hill village of St-Paul-de-Vence has been a magnet for artists throughout the 20th century and the village is dominated by studios and galleries. Its lovely medieval streets are perfect for a leisurely stroll to take ins ome of the sights including the 12th century Eglise Collegiale, ramparts, pretty Rue Grande and Grand Fountain. The village attracted some of art's most famous names, most notably to the famed Colombe d'Or restaurant where painters such as Picasso traded paintings for meals and accommodation.
Grasse & the Gorges du Loup
Surrounded by fields of lavender, mimosa, jasmine and roses, it is small wonder that Grasse became the centre of the perfume industry in the 16th century when Catherine de Medici set the fashion for scented leather gloves that were made here. It is a nice town in its own right with several perfume museums and an impressive Catherdrale de Notre-Dame that is home to three paintings by Rubens. Famed for its fortified perched villages, the Gorges du Loup offer wonderful vistas and dramatic cascades.
Menton and the Lemon Festival
The lovely seaside resort of Menton boasts stylish Belle-Epoque architecture and some interesting sights includings the Baroque Basilica St-Michel and two museums devoted to Jean Cocteau and the Beaux-Arts. Home to the annual Lemon Festival, the resort has a wonderful, festive atmosphere in February and a colourful parade.
Biot, Antibes & Cap d'Antibes
A typical hill village, Biot has retained its charm and has always attracted artists including Leger whose first ceramics were made here in 1949 and who is celebrated in the eponymous museum. The town is also famous for its bubble-flecked glassware which can be seen (and purchased) at the Verrerie Biot. Cap d'Antibes - with its sumptuous villas in their lush grounds - has been a symbol of luxury life on the Riviera since the 1920's heyday when it was frequented by the likes of F Scott Fitzgerald. Sights include the sailors chapel of La Garoupe and the Jardin Thuret. Nearby Antibes is a lively town with a 15th century fort and several museums including the Picasso Museum housed in the former Chateau Grimaldi where the painter worked in 1946 and donated his entire output of 150 paintings from that period to the museum.
More Info
PASSPORTS
Valid passport required by all, except:
(a) EU nationals holding valid national identification cards;
(b) Holders of national identification cards issued to nationals of Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino and Switzerland.
VISAS
Are not required by EU citizens. All other nationalities should enquire at the French consulate (PO Box 57, 6A Cromwell Place, London SW7 2EW
Tel: (020) 7838 2000/1. Information Service: Tel: (0891) 887 733. Fax: (020) 7838 2046. Opening hours: 0900-1130 (and 1600-1630 for visa collection only) Monday to Friday (except French and British national holidays).
TRAIN
As with most trains, passengers are responsible for carrying baggage onto and off the train. Baggage can be stored on overhead shelves or at the entrance to the carriages. Trollies are available at St Pancras and Lille, but bags do need to be carried on to the platform. Porters are sometimes but not always available at St Pancras. The Eurostar and French trains are very long (18 carriages in the case of Eurostar and nearly 400 metres long) so there can be quite lengthy walks from the station entrance to your seat. On all legs of the journey you have reserved seat and carriage numbers which are shown clearly on your ticket.
LUGGAGE TO YOUR HOTEL
Travel Editions recommends a luggage delivery service called thebaggageman, where your suitcase can be picked up from your home before departure and delivered straight to your hotel; therefore removing the worry about carrying your cases onto and off the trains. Please click here for more information and we have arranged a 10% discount exclusive to Travel Editions clients off the thebaggageman service. Tel: 01844 264890
HEALTH & INSURANCE – EHIC CARD
Please note that EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) only allows access to the same state-provided healthcare as a resident of the EU country they are temporarily visiting. It is NOT an alternative to travel insurance and will not provide the same level of cover as a travel insurance policy.. The EHIC will not cover any private medical healthcare or the cost of things such as repatriation to the UK or lost or stolen property. It is also important to note that each country’s healthcare system is slightly different, so the EHIC might not cover everything that would be generally free on the NHS. On the EHIC application website, there is a section called Access to Healthcare Abroad which clarifies all the conditions and inclusions. We strongly recommend that you take out an appropriate travel insurance policy when you travel abroad.
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Up to 56 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.
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