Our Autumn European Odyssey- The French Riviera and Marseille
Part 7
The next 2 port stops of the cruise were at Villefranche (the closest port to Nice) and Marseille (the closest port to Provence), both in France. These stops were just gorgeous and we had really good weather for both.
The pics below show a portion of the daily newsletter that we receive the night before in our stateroom. I always take a picture of this portion to keep on my phone in case something goes wrong and I need to contact someone who can connect us with the ship or someone else who can help. I’m also interested to know how many nautical miles we are from the next port so that I can predict the speed of the sail and perhaps whether I’ll need to take regular ginger pills or high-test Dramamine in advance of when we leave port for my inevitable seasickness. It gets better every cruise I take, but I still can’t shake it completely. We had to tender to shore the first day and a pic of the info about tendering is below.
At Nice, we booked an excursion through Celebrity which was a bus trip along the Cote D’Azur. We traveled through Villefranche, Nice, Monaco, part of Monte Carlo, and Eze, where we stopped for coffee. At that point, some of the group went to tour a perfume factory, but we decided to drink coffee outside at a café and people-watch.
Here’s the description of the excursion, along with some pics. (including one of our ship from the tender boat on our way back)
Overview
Discover the best of the French Riviera on this tour. Drive along the three main panoramic Corniche roads between Nice and Monaco, stopping for photo opportunities along the way. Along the Middle Corniche, you'll pass by Eze, a medieval village that clings to the top of a rock outcropping 1,400 feet above the Mediterranean. You'll have some time to explore the bottom of Eze independently before stopping for a scenic overlook and photo opportunity of Nice.
Highlights
Take in the breathtaking views of the Principality of Monaco and Cap Martin.
Enjoy a brief sightseeing tour of Nice before returning to the ship.
Travel through Villefranche-sur-Mer to enjoy the vistas of Beaulieu, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, and Nice.
The next day was for an excursion out of Marseille that we were really excited about, for good reason. We booked a tour on Le Petit Train, which was just the cutest thing ever, and we were able to watch the Christmas decorations go up at the port as well.
Here’s a description:
All aboard Le Petit Train, a charming open-air, old fashioned-style train that takes you for a ride to discover the historic wonders and seaside charms of Marseille.
Highlights
Get comfortable on Le Petit Train, and set out on a ride along the seaside to the iconic Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde.
Admire the wonderful view of the Anse de la Fausse Monnaie and the bridge, the lovely Château de Valmer, the famous little fishing port of Vallon des Auffes, and Corniche Président John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
See the beautiful Marseillaise houses perched on the hillside, and discover the forts, the Palais du Pharo, and Abbaye Saint-Victor.
Then, your train climbs up to the height of 162 meters, from where the Bonne Mère (The Good Mother) watches over the people of Marseilles.
After a visit inside the Basilica, we continue down into the Old Port and return to the ship.
Here are some pics from that gorgeous day: (notice that in addition to the Little Train, there were little boats, little cars, and a little store!)
After one more day at sea, we packed up for our departure from the Celebrity Equinox, at exciting Barcelona, Spain. We’ll cover our 3 days there next week.
Where do you plan to go in 2026 and 2027? (I’m looking at 2028 cruises too!)
May I help you?
Happy Travels!
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https://www.celebritycruises.com/ca/