Cologne to Marseille in 7 days - where to go in between?
July 27, 2013 6:11 PM
My partner and I (early 30s) will be in Cologne, Germany for an event mid-September. The event ends on a Saturday, and we are flying out of Marseille, France the following Sunday. Please help us plan a wonderful, romantic mid-late September European vacation.
We will leave Cologne the day after the event ends, Sunday, and should get to Marseille by Saturday night for our flight home Sunday morning. Where should we go for the 6 nights/7 days in between? Thinking of traveling down through Switzerland (perhaps stopping in Grindelwald?) and into the French Riviera (is Monaco a must-do? we are not gamblers). Specific city, hotel, museum, cultural site, etc. suggestions welcome!
We love nature/natural beauty, walks/hikes, museums, great shopping, the occasional night out dancing, the quirky/unusual/off the beaten path. We are fairly well traveled, but have not done Switzerland or southern France. We would prefer to travel by train/bus.
Where would you go? Thank you in advance!
We will leave Cologne the day after the event ends, Sunday, and should get to Marseille by Saturday night for our flight home Sunday morning. Where should we go for the 6 nights/7 days in between? Thinking of traveling down through Switzerland (perhaps stopping in Grindelwald?) and into the French Riviera (is Monaco a must-do? we are not gamblers). Specific city, hotel, museum, cultural site, etc. suggestions welcome!
We love nature/natural beauty, walks/hikes, museums, great shopping, the occasional night out dancing, the quirky/unusual/off the beaten path. We are fairly well traveled, but have not done Switzerland or southern France. We would prefer to travel by train/bus.
Where would you go? Thank you in advance!
Monaco is fun, but not a must-do (and the casino requires formal wear, from what I remember). Aix-en-Provence is pretty; Avignon is lovely. If you want to hit Italy, Cinque Terre is touristy but wonderful, and I've heard good things about Genoa. I wouldn't plan on spending lots of time in Marseille, as it's a bit industrial (though there's some tremendously good seafood).
posted by jaguar at 6:41 PM on July 27, 2013
posted by jaguar at 6:41 PM on July 27, 2013
I just got back from Provence yesterday. I highly recommend Aix; it's a very lovely, laid back town. If you like hiking, I spent a few hours in les calanques along the Marseille coast, but be warned it's extremely hot out right now.
One place I wish I'd had time to go is Arles, which is meant to be well-preserved and cute.
posted by toerinishuman at 7:03 PM on July 27, 2013
One place I wish I'd had time to go is Arles, which is meant to be well-preserved and cute.
posted by toerinishuman at 7:03 PM on July 27, 2013
If you love nature, Monaco can be great - check out the wonderful gardens, one of which is just across the street from the casino/opera house. There are other gardens on the castle hill, and beautiful views, plus there's the excellent maritime museum over there as well.
You could stay in Nice and then be able to hit Monaco, Beaulieu (if you enjoy architecture, there's an amazing Greek villa there), hike around Cap Ferrat (right next to Beaulieu) over to Villefranche where you could then rest on the sandy beaches, and take a bus or train back to Nice. On the other side of Nice, there's Antibes with its fort, sandy beaches, and Picasso museums, Cannes, and the Estérel, a natural reserve with pine forests and gorgeous red rocks. North of Nice you can take a tourism train (it's actually more popular with hikers) whose terminus is Tende, in the Franco-Italian Alps. All along the way are adorable mountain villages with cute churches, and in Tende there are loads of hikes. If you had more time I'd recommend some in the Vallée des Merveilles, but you need at least two days to do that; a day trip leaving early on that little train is perfect just for hitting the villages (Saorge is the most picturesque along the way to Tende, IMHO). However... if the two-day hike might interest you, MeMail me and I can give you more info on it. You spend the night in a "refuge" (hikers' hostel in the wilderness), and get a guided visit to see the prehistoric engravings, which are pretty amazing. You can't visit the engravings on your own as they're naturally very protected, and also governmentally protected; a guide is required. Otherwise there's a prehistoric museum in Tende with replicas, but it's different from being in the mountainous surroundings, of course.
In Nice they're celebrating an anniversary of the Matisse museums here, so there are LOADS of Matisse-related exhibitions. We also have an old city that dates back to medieval times (Vieux Nice), Greco-Roman ruins in Cimiez that are well worth a visit, the Villa Arson is our contemporary art museum also situated on an old Greek site that has incredible views of the surroundings. Recently, when our first tram line was built (another one's coming soon, but not this year), they discovered more medieval ruins under the city, and you can now visit that crypte archéologique, which is just out front of the Acropolis (there's a tram stop with that name; it's our exhibition centre). There is also a prehistoric museum based on inhabitants of Nice (it's really an ancient city). Nice is worth getting at least a map for, and studying the bus lines, since a lot of tourists come here thinking it will be like most other cities and sort of have everything in the center... but in reality, Nice was first built on its hills, and the valleys hardly had any homes or businesses to speak of until post-WWII. As a result, unknowing tourists who tend to hang out in the valleys, end up missing pretty much everything that makes Nice beautiful and interesting on the hills. There are loads of buses, they're very cheap (get a 10-trip card for 10 euros, otherwise a single ticket costs 1.50), and they stop in front of all the museums, archeological sites, etc., and of course there's also our tram now, which is practical for hitting shopping sites in city center (Nice Etoile, Galeries Lafayette, and Vieux Nice with its shops). Buses serve Antibes, Cannes, Villefranche, Beaulieu, Monaco, and Menton as well. Which reminds me... you can also train in from Milan and/or Torino! Turin is amazing, loved it.
For the smaller, regional TER trains along the French Riviera, do be aware that this year, they're adding a line of track, which has caused some postponements. It's best to favor the bus lines, Lignes d'Azur. In any case they're cheaper than the train.
Then you could train over to Marseille, and if possible, stop in Fréjus to visit the Roman ruins there. It's a small town and worth a day trip. Then hop on an evening train to Marseille. There's loads to see in the Marseille area, and actually there are trains from Nice that go to Aix en Provence instead; you could get one there, and then train to Marseille another day/time.
September is a perfect time to visit since it's never TOO hot, but the Mediterranean is still nice and warm for swimming/snorkeling.
Feel free to MeMail me if you have any other questions; I live in Nice and am a hiker & cyclist myself.
posted by fraula at 1:26 AM on July 28, 2013
You could stay in Nice and then be able to hit Monaco, Beaulieu (if you enjoy architecture, there's an amazing Greek villa there), hike around Cap Ferrat (right next to Beaulieu) over to Villefranche where you could then rest on the sandy beaches, and take a bus or train back to Nice. On the other side of Nice, there's Antibes with its fort, sandy beaches, and Picasso museums, Cannes, and the Estérel, a natural reserve with pine forests and gorgeous red rocks. North of Nice you can take a tourism train (it's actually more popular with hikers) whose terminus is Tende, in the Franco-Italian Alps. All along the way are adorable mountain villages with cute churches, and in Tende there are loads of hikes. If you had more time I'd recommend some in the Vallée des Merveilles, but you need at least two days to do that; a day trip leaving early on that little train is perfect just for hitting the villages (Saorge is the most picturesque along the way to Tende, IMHO). However... if the two-day hike might interest you, MeMail me and I can give you more info on it. You spend the night in a "refuge" (hikers' hostel in the wilderness), and get a guided visit to see the prehistoric engravings, which are pretty amazing. You can't visit the engravings on your own as they're naturally very protected, and also governmentally protected; a guide is required. Otherwise there's a prehistoric museum in Tende with replicas, but it's different from being in the mountainous surroundings, of course.
In Nice they're celebrating an anniversary of the Matisse museums here, so there are LOADS of Matisse-related exhibitions. We also have an old city that dates back to medieval times (Vieux Nice), Greco-Roman ruins in Cimiez that are well worth a visit, the Villa Arson is our contemporary art museum also situated on an old Greek site that has incredible views of the surroundings. Recently, when our first tram line was built (another one's coming soon, but not this year), they discovered more medieval ruins under the city, and you can now visit that crypte archéologique, which is just out front of the Acropolis (there's a tram stop with that name; it's our exhibition centre). There is also a prehistoric museum based on inhabitants of Nice (it's really an ancient city). Nice is worth getting at least a map for, and studying the bus lines, since a lot of tourists come here thinking it will be like most other cities and sort of have everything in the center... but in reality, Nice was first built on its hills, and the valleys hardly had any homes or businesses to speak of until post-WWII. As a result, unknowing tourists who tend to hang out in the valleys, end up missing pretty much everything that makes Nice beautiful and interesting on the hills. There are loads of buses, they're very cheap (get a 10-trip card for 10 euros, otherwise a single ticket costs 1.50), and they stop in front of all the museums, archeological sites, etc., and of course there's also our tram now, which is practical for hitting shopping sites in city center (Nice Etoile, Galeries Lafayette, and Vieux Nice with its shops). Buses serve Antibes, Cannes, Villefranche, Beaulieu, Monaco, and Menton as well. Which reminds me... you can also train in from Milan and/or Torino! Turin is amazing, loved it.
For the smaller, regional TER trains along the French Riviera, do be aware that this year, they're adding a line of track, which has caused some postponements. It's best to favor the bus lines, Lignes d'Azur. In any case they're cheaper than the train.
Then you could train over to Marseille, and if possible, stop in Fréjus to visit the Roman ruins there. It's a small town and worth a day trip. Then hop on an evening train to Marseille. There's loads to see in the Marseille area, and actually there are trains from Nice that go to Aix en Provence instead; you could get one there, and then train to Marseille another day/time.
September is a perfect time to visit since it's never TOO hot, but the Mediterranean is still nice and warm for swimming/snorkeling.
Feel free to MeMail me if you have any other questions; I live in Nice and am a hiker & cyclist myself.
posted by fraula at 1:26 AM on July 28, 2013
There's an international paragliding festival just outside of Grenoble some time in September.
Salzburg is also a truly lovely town.
posted by eviemath at 2:16 PM on July 28, 2013
Salzburg is also a truly lovely town.
posted by eviemath at 2:16 PM on July 28, 2013
Also, Bonn (very close to Cologne) has some intetesting architecture and history as the headquarters (for a bit) of the allied governing council thingy for West Germany shortly after the end of WWII.
posted by eviemath at 2:19 PM on July 28, 2013
posted by eviemath at 2:19 PM on July 28, 2013
Paulsc's itinerary is excellent, though permit me to propose an alternative. The Rhein is a beautiful river, but it's also fairly heavily traveled by freight traffic. The Mosel is much curvier and surrounded by dramatic vine-covered hillsides, almost like fijords, if fijords yielded some of the most delicious wines on earth. It's only an hour on the train from Köln to Koblenz (and there are 2-3 trains per hour), the mouth of the Mosel, and from there, weekends Jun-Oct, you can take the ferry to Cochem. Cochem is a super cute tourist village, very walkable (500m from the train station to "downtown"), and you have your choice of trails, some very steep (for "Nordic" walking with poles) to the castle and hills overlooking the town, others on the gently rolling hills. Cochem has a wide variety of accomodation and is a good home base for that part of the Mosel by train.
Then you can get back on the train (or there is probably a boat) another hour to Trier, which was a "second Rome" at one point. Lots of Roman ruins (city gate, amphitheater, baths, etc.), which is interesting to see in Germany, and good museums. From there my firsthand knowledge ends; there are definitely trains through Switzerland but I couldn't tell you where to stop.
In the south of France, you might consider Antibes. It's a smallish town (though the whole coast is very developed, so it's not like you're in a hamlet anywhere) on a small peninsula. It has a fabulous fortress and many good (and not so good) restaurant. The very tip (Cap d'Antibes) is quite pricey and exclusive but also well situated because the green waters of the Mediterranean are all around you. We were there in early June and it never felt crowded. The bus network sucks (and I recall it shuts down after 1900 or so) but's only a few km by taxi from the train station which will take you within 45 minutes to Monaco.
Monaco is fun enough to see once, especially if you're a car buff. See the Ferraris parked on the street, walk the famous Formula 1 route through the city (it's hilly so almost like hiking), visit the prince's "personal" collection of cars which is really a car museum to rival any other. Very, very expensive to eat and stay there so probably only worth an afternoon, maybe spend the other half day in Nice.
posted by wnissen at 9:17 PM on July 28, 2013
Then you can get back on the train (or there is probably a boat) another hour to Trier, which was a "second Rome" at one point. Lots of Roman ruins (city gate, amphitheater, baths, etc.), which is interesting to see in Germany, and good museums. From there my firsthand knowledge ends; there are definitely trains through Switzerland but I couldn't tell you where to stop.
In the south of France, you might consider Antibes. It's a smallish town (though the whole coast is very developed, so it's not like you're in a hamlet anywhere) on a small peninsula. It has a fabulous fortress and many good (and not so good) restaurant. The very tip (Cap d'Antibes) is quite pricey and exclusive but also well situated because the green waters of the Mediterranean are all around you. We were there in early June and it never felt crowded. The bus network sucks (and I recall it shuts down after 1900 or so) but's only a few km by taxi from the train station which will take you within 45 minutes to Monaco.
Monaco is fun enough to see once, especially if you're a car buff. See the Ferraris parked on the street, walk the famous Formula 1 route through the city (it's hilly so almost like hiking), visit the prince's "personal" collection of cars which is really a car museum to rival any other. Very, very expensive to eat and stay there so probably only worth an afternoon, maybe spend the other half day in Nice.
posted by wnissen at 9:17 PM on July 28, 2013
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If you're open to rethinking that, I'd suggest that on Sunday following your event, take the KD boat from Cologne (Köln) to Rüdesheim, up the Rhine (south). It's a long but single day trip (depending on river flow), and the best way to see the Rhine Castle District, and the wine region from Moselle down to Rüdesheim. Rüdesheim is informally called "the party city," and has a lot of accommodations, and interesting tourist things, like a cable ride over the vineyards, up to the famous Germania monument. Spend the night in Rudesheim, and go into Frankfurt the following morning by train (30 km or so). Catch a train/trains to Aix-de-Provence, or somewhere nearby, where you can catch a canal boat, for a relaxing, romantic 4 or 5 days of watching the world go by, eating, walking, and shopping, as your floating canal boat hotel and home base goes along at a leisurely 3 miles per hour or so. Each morning, you can opt to stay on the boat, or step off onto the canal path, or maybe borrow a bike from the boat, to ride into towns you'll pass, for lunch and shopping. You buy a bottle of wine, maybe some fresh bread, cheese or cakes, and bring them back to the boat you'll meet a few miles farther along than where you left it, to share with fellow passengers for dinner. And finish your night out on deck, under the stars, with a final glass of wine, and maybe a dance, as the world still quietly slips by...
posted by paulsc at 6:40 PM on July 27, 2013