The French Riviera Pass – 48hrs
We have tested for you the French Riviera Pass, over 48 hours of visits in Nice and its metropolitan area. Indeed, the end of the year celebrations are an opportunity to take a few days of rest… And to take advantage of it to visit our beautiful region and more precisely in the metropolitan area of Nice.
What is the French Riviera Pass?
Proposed by the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, the French Riviera Pass allows you to take advantage of free visits and activities over a given period. 3 types of pass are currently available: 24h at 26€, 48h at 38€ and 72h at 56€. The operation is the same for all these passes: a large number of visits and activities are included in the price of the pass, as long as they are done within the time limit. The counting of the time starts with the validation of the first activity.
French Riviera Pass : organisation
As you will have guessed, the interest of the French Riviera Pass is twofold. On the one hand, to discover in a short time many activities and outings recommended by the visitors bureau. On the other hand, to make a significant saving on all these activities thanks to the pass.
But to enjoy the French Riviera Pass, no secret, you need to get organised!
We’ll share our method with you, but you may have your own.
Selection of activities
The very first step is to make a “short list” of the activities we are interested in and want to do. Living in the area, we already have free access to a number of museums in Nice… They are therefore not included in our list. Moreover, as we had already done several must-do’s such as the Tour Bus or the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco… We chose instead to discover new things. And there is plenty to do in and around Nice.
So, based on the French Riviera Pass leaflet or from the website, we wrote down on post-it notes all the activities attracting our attention. One activity per post-it with the name, the place and the estimated duration.
The organization of the agenda
The most difficult step to properly prepare your French Riviera Pass experience. Now that you know what you want to do, where it is and how long it lasts… You have to organize all this in a very precise agenda to fit your activities into your defined timing (24, 48 or 72 hours).
The first step in organizing the agenda is the availability of activities. Some are possible anytime every day, others require a specific day and time. Bookings are also sometimes necessary. Those with constraints are the first ones you will look at. The other activities, which are easier to schedule, can then be organized around them. The idea is to move the post-it notes to organize them chronologically, one line per day. Be careful to take the journeys into account: whether you need the car or not, the distance between 2 activities… Remember to leave some room too, the aim is not to live the experience under the stress of time. Also important, lunch breaks… You can’t have a series of visits or activities from morning to evening without taking a lunch break to eat, rest and enjoy afterwards.
As far as the organisation of the agenda is concerned, unfortunately not everything fits in, so choices have to be made. Once our agenda is ready on a post-it, we can put it back on paper or on the phone. It will be our common thread to follow throughout the French Riviera Pass experience.
Our French Riviera Pass experience
We used 48-hour passes, from midday Saturday to midday Monday.
The objective was to do 9 activities that we present here.
1. The little train of Nice
A classic, but one we’ve never done before. The famous little train from Nice, which for a few years now has been running on electricity! 45 minutes of visit in the heart of Nice. We discover at a gentle pace the Quai des Etats-Unis, the port, the Place Garibaldi, the Place Massena and the old Nice. Beautiful stories and anecdotes about Nice are to be discovered with the audio-guide.
2. Guided tour of the observatory
Visiting the observatory has been on our “to-do list” for a long time, it was finally the occasion with the French Riviera Pass. This visit, which requires prior registration, lasts 2 hours. Guided by professionals and enthusiasts of the observatory, we literally plunge into the scientific experience through the visit of magnificent buildings and instruments steeped in history. A truly beautiful experience on this perched hill overlooking Nice and which offered us a magnificent sunset. Be careful, the visit requires a bit of physical condition to survey the observatory park and is mostly outdoors.
3. Open Skies Evening at l’Astrorama
Unfortunately, we had planned and booked this activity, but the weather got the better of our organization. The strong gusts of wind having created a weather alert, the event was cancelled (we were warned by email a little earlier). It’s only a postponement!
4. Villa Kérylos
The adventures continue at the Villa Kérylos in Beaulieu-sur-mer. We had seen it from the sea on the 100% electric boat SeaZen, we now discover it from the inside. This beautiful villa which welcomed a few months ago President Macron and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping is a place to discover. An exclusive location by the sea and a magnificent architecture… We want to live there (by modernizing the decoration).
5. Workshop of Parfum Galimard
We get higher and climb on the eagle’s nest, the beautiful village of Eze to make our sense of smell work at Galimard. A workshop discovered to make your own cologne, choosing according to your taste. Top note, heart note and bottom note, all in the right proportions. We leave with our creation and some purchases taking advantage of the 10% discount of the French Riviera Pass card.
6. Marc Chagall Museum
After the famous lunch break that we told you about in the preparation, back to Nice to discover this time the Marc Chagall museum. The history and works of an artist who marked his time. A beautiful modern building, very large canvases and the highlight of the show with the superb auditorium.
7. Casino Ruhl
A short tour of the Casino Ruhl where 4€ of chips and a glass of champagne are offered to us thanks to the French Riviera Pass. A little excitement in the game and relaxation in this mythical casino of the French Riviera.
8. Hard Rock Café
To punctuate this beautiful day, a good cocktail at the Hard Rock Café in Nice with something to nibble on. The establishment is located directly on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. Bar, restaurant with a musical atmosphere and shopping possible.
9. Alpha Wolf Park
[OUR FAVOURITE) We finish these 48 hours of tourism in beauty by going to the Parc National du Mercantour. From the seaside to the snow of the Mercantour, to find there these fascinating animals, the wolves of the Parc Alpha. And yes, the French Riviera Pass is not only for the coastal strip, you can also go and enjoy the mountains. And precisely, Parc Alpha, it’s been as long as we’ve wanted to do it. It’s a great outing, especially in winter in the snow. You can admire several wolf packs and talk with the healers… All this in the heart of nature, in the forest. A breath of fresh air in the mountains of Nice, we loved it! (it climbs a little and it’s outside, so plan to be equipped with good shoes and well covered).
NOTE FROM SITE ADMINISTRATOR: Parc Alpha is currently closed for works.
Review of experience
Great! We had good weather, although sometimes windy. 48 hours of leisure, discoveries, curiosities… And above all great savings. Indeed, for the 2 French Riviera Pass 48h cards we paid 76€. Whereas for our 9 scheduled activities (8 carried out), the bill would have been 185€, a saving of more than 100€!
Come to Nice and our beautiful French Riviera, we live in such a great place, let’s enjoy it!
The most to have lived the experience in winter: clearly less people for activities, even during school holidays. The chance to be able to enjoy the Alpha Park under the snow, really magical.
The downside of winter: some summer activities, therefore not available in winter.
It’s still so nice to be a tourist in your own region in winter… Don’t forget that Nice was famous as a winter destination for its mildness!
Cover photo @World Mappers
Other experiences tested with the French Riviera Pass
