Nice - Cannes - Monaco

If I would be a travel-bloger I would be a terrible one, as posts about my travels come two months after the trip. 

In the beginning of May when I was over-exhausted with school and work and everything else, a short getaway to warmth and sunshine was well-needed.

Nice, France was the destination. The weather was still moody and windy but more-or-less warm and summery. 

Hotel Azur is lovely for a short-time low-key holiday. It's nothing luxurious, but very cosy, right at the beach, on the boardwalk, not that far from the city and has a bus-stop right in front of the house. It's more like your own tiny apartment. It was also kind of under construction, at least most of the rooms were getting a makeover.

Nice has a wonderful long boardwalk, where they have bike-stations quite often. Renting a bike is easy and quick. First half an hour is free,  the next 30 minutes costs 1€, and each hour after that is 2€. It takes less than half an hour from one end of the boardwalk to another, also if taking time, then popping a bike to some station and taking it out again costs nothing and the free 30 minutes starts again, so its a perfect way of getting from point A to point B in this beautiful city. 

Waking up to this view each morning was not half bad. 

It surprised me that food in supermarkets was fairly cheap. And the wine... ah all these French wines.

There are no sand beaches but the light blue water makes up for that. (Cannes or Monaco have sandy beaches, neither is that far.)

And the food is delicious. Especially seafood.

Moules Frites. 

Buses are also cheap in Nice and surroundings. A bus-ticket costs 1,50 € and it doesn't matter if you take it for two stops, go from one end of the town to another, go to a different city within the French Riviera or for example go to Monaco. 

Grand Prix

To go to Cannes it is still easier and faster to take a train, and yes, it was Cannes Film Festival at the same time. This was, where the idea to go to the French Riviera came in the first place. 

Grand Central.

People are quite desperate to get invitations to the screenings. Cannes Film Festival is an industry-only festival with badges and strict access. It is still possible for regular visitors to see the films tho, either manage to get invited or for some it is possible to get tickets or just line up and hope to get in, also, some are completely free, e.g screenings on the beach. A lot of old classics are shown on beach screenings. For example there were "Purple Rain", "Coup de Tete", "The Endless Summer". Critic’s Week Section also has free tickets that everyone can line up for. It's described as rather avant garde subsection of the Festival, and dedicated to discovering hot new directors. Director's Q&A’s are after most screenings. From new 2016 films I managed to see "Loving" and "Personal shopper" which both were interesting. 

 HERE is a pretty good overview about many more new coming films. 

Bye France.

I may not be a morning person, but it sure was lovely to fly at sunrise.