Hi- my college aged daughter and 2 girlfriends plan to travel from the U.S. to London then Barcelona then to towns around the French Riviera then take a train to Paris.
What towns do you think they should visit (they like to see the sights, shop, go to cafe%26#39;s and restaurants and possibly do some night life...)?
What hotels do you recommend (moderatley priced)?
How are the hostels- say, in Carcassonne and Nimes and other places?
What is the best mode of transportation- train or bus?
I have read about crimes recently to tourists? Which are the safer places? Unsafe places?
Are college girls safe walking around at night in most of these towns?
Sorry for all of the questions!!! Guess I am a bit concerned.
Would appreciate any of the above information.
Thanks.
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Lots of questions, I%26#39;ll try to answer some:
%26gt;%26gt; What towns do you think they should visit %26lt;%26lt;
I%26#39;d recommend Nice. They can base themselves there and visit Cannes, Antibes, Monaco, Eze, St Paul de Vence. They may also like stay in St Tropez as this isn%26#39;t so easy to get to on a day trip.
%26gt;%26gt;What hotels / hostels%26lt;%26lt;
Check TripAdvisor for hotels when they%26#39;ve decided where they want to stay. I know of 2 hostels in Nice, but they%26#39;re both a bit out of the centre. It%26#39;d be better to book one of the recommended cheap hotels and share a room for 3. When travelling as a student, that%26#39;s what we used to do, and since they%26#39;re charged by room and not by person, it works out quite cheap.
%26gt;%26gt;Transport%26lt;%26lt;
For long distances, use the train, for getting around some of the places near Nice, use the bus. Again, you%26#39;ll have to decide when you know where you%26#39;re going.
%26gt;%26gt;Crimes%26lt;%26lt;
There are criminals everywhere in the world. Your daughter and friends should be safe if they are sensible. Usual advice such as not getting drunk, not wearing provocative clothes (as a student in Nice, one of my friends regularly was asked how much she charged, whenever she wore high heels and short skirt - even in broad daylight in public areas), avoiding dark alleys, staying together.
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I%26#39;d agree with everything monacoCabbie wrote.
Nice and the surrounding towns are pretty safe for walking around at night=a lot safer than many other places but the usual precautions apply and i%26#39;d add not flashing money around and talking quietly in restaurants, buses and trains and not assuming people can%26#39;t understand english.
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Thank you for the information!! I will pass it on to my daughter.
They are also considering trying a hostel in Nimes and/or Carcassonne. How are those twons? How are the hostels? Would it be better to stay in an inexpensive hotel?
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I don%26#39;t know nimes or carcassonne personally but if there are three folk a triple room in France is generally easy to find and hotels tend to be better placed than hostels.
Also generally more secure/comfortable
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Check out seat61.com. I haven%26#39;t used this site myself, but it was mentioned by a traveler on another forum. It seems to give information on how to get from London to just about anywhere in the world. If the girls are planning to fly from London to Barcelona, perhaps they could backtrack a trip on this site.
We traveled from Barcelona to Cannes several years ago and took an overnight train. This saves a hotel cost for the night and the girls wouldn%26#39;t lose a day traveling. We took a train from Barcelona to a small town close to the French border. We then took a midnight train into Cannes, arriving in the early morning. The train ran along the Cote d%26#39;Azur, so the girls could stop at any of a number of places.
Our cabin slept four, and I would recommend that three girls traveling alone book the fourth bunk so someone else isn%26#39;t assigned to it. Perhaps some other travelers can give you a more informed recommendation on the security on overnight trains. We felt very comfortable, but I was traveling with my husband. There were many students, not all sleeping in cabins, who took this train.
I like Monacocabbie%26#39;s recommendations on places the girls should visit, especially St. Paul de Vence, and I%26#39;d add Eze. Both are mountaintop villages and can be reached by public transportation. I think there is a ferry between Cannes and St. Tropez, and this would make a nice excursion.
I%26#39;m with everyone else on preferring trains over a bus. Buses are slower, and I feel more secure knowing where I am going on a train. I also agree that any place can have safety issues. Research the TA forums well and weigh what you think are isolated incidences against what you think is a pattern of safety issues.
Sorry I can%26#39;t give you more info about hostels. Go to Kayak.com (it searches most travel sites) and check out hotel rates. Come back to TripAdvisor to check out the reviews and ask questions. This is a very reliable site! I did have a friend whose daughter traveled through Europe and stayed in hostels. She chose to bring a silk sleeping liner with her in the event she wanted to sleep inside of it.
And as for your questions...you%26#39;re a good mother. I%26#39;d ask them too, and your daughter is lucky to have your support!
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I really appreciate the time you took to provide information!! I will pass it on to my daughter.
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One other thing...Air France runs very a very reasonable shuttle between Nice and Paris. We travel annually to a convention in Cannes, and from Paris, air transportation has always been the least expensive. Book in advance and go the Kayak.com the check out the rates. These flights are to Orly.
I%26#39;m a Mom. I get what you%26#39;re doing...and Bravo to your daughter for taking this trip!
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