What better way to travel around the Riviera than by boat? Lounging on the deck of a pristine white vessel with the sea breeze in your hair and the spray of salt water on your skin... It’s not just the gazillionaires in their private yachts who can enjoy such pleasures though, we took a boat cruise around the bays of Nice and Villefranche-Sur-Mer to get a taste of the good life.
Departing from the Quai Lunel at the Port de Nice, we boarded our boat and found a seat right at the front of the top deck. Our captain was a jolly old tar who carried out a lively commentary in French, Italian and English - with the odd attempt at other languages thrown in when he felt the urge.
As well as telling us all about the history of the area he also pointed out the sumptuous villas belonging to various celebrities and indulged us in scurrilous gossip regarding who might have been the lover of whom back in the day. We saw the summer homes of Mick Jagger, Sean Connery, Elton John and Tina Turner amongst others.
Our route took us east out of the port and round the Cap de Nice, into the bay of Villefranche-Sur-Mer and up to the tip of Cap Ferrat. We paused here and soaked up the sun as our captain pointed out various interesting things about the landscape, gave us a brief rundown of local history and held court with some tongue-in-cheek trilingual banter.
Then with a cry of “hold onto your hats” (in a variety of languages) it was full steam ahead and we skipped over the waves at top speed to the Baie des Anges - the largest of the bays that laps the shores of Nice. Back down to cruising speed and we sailed the length of the Promenade des Anglais, past all the famous buildings such as the Hotel Negresco, the Palais des Mediterranee and L’Opera de Nice - all with a tale to tell, of course.
After just over an hour we were expertly steered back into the port, where our captain and his crew gallantly helped us off the gangplank (if that’s what it’s called when it’s not a pirate ship) and onto dry land.
The Promenade Cotiere is a fantastic way to see the area - you get a completely different perspective when viewing the coastal towns from the sea and you can see so much more than you can from land. Trips cost 17,50€ per person (12€ for children, free under four years) and run twice a day at 11am and 3pm, except for Mondays. You are advised to book in advance during peak summer season.
The tours are run by Trans Cote d’Azur and they also operate trips between Nice and Monaco, St-Tropez, Cannes and the Lérins islands. Look out for special trips such as firework displays, sunset cruises and Monaco Grand Prix tours - all details can be found on their website.
