I Paid Ten Times More to Visit St Paul de Vence, and I Don’t Regret It
St Paul de Vence, France
Public transportation in the Cotes d’Azur region is excellent; everyone will tell you so. You can get anywhere around Nice for $1.84 and to most of the region for $2.70. I could see the tram, train, and bus stops from my apartment at Port Lympia, a major hub. I already had the Lignes d’Azur card. I bought it from the bus driver when I went to Villefranche-sur-Mer, and I had the cell phone app for Lignes d’Azur as a backup. I read and re-read tips for getting to St Paul de Vence and I checked Google Maps for the timetables.
In spite of all that, I took an Uber.
Look at any traveler photos from St Paul de Vence and you’re likely to see this iconic sculpure.
I got in my head about the trip and felt irrational anxiety about making the connections. Recent torrential rains had caused flooding in southern France and I didn’t know which areas were affected. Besides that, I had read a lot of cautionary tales. People were fined for not having the right pass from the airport to Nice. They got in trouble for not validating properly. They had difficulty with the app. They had trouble understanding which pass applied to which line. Transit strikes were so common that plenty of articles provided advice for how to deal with them.
I knew that I was smart enough to work all of that out, but I wasn’t comfortable. Here are the instructions I had for going from Nice to St Paul de Vence:
Now if you want to see the perched village you have to either take the train to Cagnes-sur-Mer (3.30€) and then from the train station take the bus #655 Vence par Saint-Paul which costs 2.50€ and you buy the ticket from the driver (Nice bus passes won’t work on this line.) This bus leaves the train station every 30 minutes or so, and goes to Saint-Paul-de-Vence (bus stop Saint-Paul-Village) and then finishes in Vence.
Getting back to Nice
You can take the bus #655 two stops back to Vence (another 2.50€ ticket that you buy from the driver) and then return to Nice on the #9 direct bus (using your Nice bus card so only 1.70€, which will include your tram ride once back in Nice),
Or take the bus #655 down the hill where the 30 minute ride ends at the Cagnes-sur-Mer train station and then you can take the train back to Nice for 3.30€.
All of this would take a minimum of an hour and a half each way.
Or, I could call Uber and get there in 25 minutes for $38. The Jim-and-Marcie in me (my frugal parents) was battling with the desire for ease and comfort. Plus, it felt a little embarrassing as a frequent traveler and someone who cares about the environment to not take advantage of public transportation.
In the end, it was the time savings that won out.
The Uber picked me up at the door of my apartment and we had a pleasant drive with classical music from the coast into the hills of the pre-alpine mountains. I arrived by 10 a.m., had a leisurely stroll through town for three hours, and then had a lovely lunch. I shopped a little more, and then called an Uber for the return. I didn’t even consider looking for the bus. I got back to my apartment around 4:30 p.m.
Another great version of ceviche.
I didn’t wrestle with my conscience at all when I called an Uber to go to the airport to return home.
Next time. I’ll tackle the trains next time.
Here are a few of my photos from St Paul de Vence.
Tips & Recommendations
Do as I say, not as I did. Many, many visitors use buses, trams, and trains in southern France. It really isn’t difficult and it’s VERY inexpensive. The Lignes d’Azur app worked really well for me when I went to Villefranche-sur-Mer, both for validating my ticket and for reloading with another ticket.
Don’t forget to validate your ticket when you get on transportation. There is a machine where you wave your ticket or your phone and it registers that you paid. The Best of Nice blog is a wealth of information. Here are instructions for getting a tram pass.
Here is a detailed guide for transport in Nice.
Uber was easy and I found it to be slightly less expensive than my Uber rides at home. A car was always three or four minutes away. There are some other rides apps, such as Bolt and Heetch, but I went with what I know.
__________
I traveled to France for 30 days in September and October of 2024 to see what it would be like to “live” internationally. The plan was to stay in Nice, spend time writing, and find out what happens when you’re not pressed to see every significant site in seven days.