Mediterranean Cruise, Villefranche & Monaco, France. 2011 🇫🇷

Again we cruise overnight on the Liberty of the Seas.  We slow and manoeuvre into the bay at Villefranche-Sur-Mer.  The LotS drops anchor about 2 klm of shore and the tender process begins.  We’ve  booked a bus trip to Monaco via Nice, basically the cheapest thing on offer.  Villefranche is a lovely little village hugging the shoreline, the small boats and pastel colour building provide the ideal vista as we approach.

The coaches are lined up and waiting, we load up and wait for someone whose missing, there’s always someone missing isn’t there.  The bus winds it’s way along the Boulevard Napoleon 111 toward the Principality of Monaco.  There is a wonderful view as we pass the homes of the rich and famous.  Here and there super yachts swing on their mooring just off shore.  We swing on to Lower Corniche and continue east.  The mountains close in and the road narrows.  There are two roads passing through, the Lower and Upper Corniche, famous as backdrops in so many Bond movies.

Half an hour later the bus turns off the Corniche and into a huge underground carpark.  We have four hours to kill and head off with no real plan other than to keep an eye out for a second hand super yacht.  We walk through the perfectly manicured grounds of the Casino and Hotel de Paris noting the Ferraris, Bentleys and Lamborghini’s lining the drive.

Fort Antoine is our next stop.  It provides a great vantage point across the marina and the Italian Alps in the background.  There are lots of people about but we find a seat in the shade and just sit there and take in the view.  We give the kids a ring at home and do some general bragging about our trip so far.  The day is heating up, although the mountains in the distance are covered in cloud.  We lunch in a cafe just of the Rue-Emile-De Loth.  Everyone in Monaco appears to be here having lunch.

After lunch we walk up to the Cathedral, then to the Prince’s Palace.  The Grimaldi this and that are everywhere.  We really enjoyed our little visit to Monaco, but it’s bus time.  We drive back via the Upper Corniche skirting Nice as we go.