Here are a few ideas for making the most of winter on the Cote d’Azur:
SnowBus: Spend a day in the mountains with the bargain-priced 4€ SnowBus: It’s an easy day-trip with the feel of a mini-vacation. Non-skiers can explore Valberg, soak up the alpine ambience, play in the snow, warm up with raclette for lunch, hike or snowshoe the Planetary Trail in the afternoon (a multimedia GPS guide is available at the tourist office), and sip hot spiced wine in a warm chalet before napping on the ride back.
SkiBus: Skiiers can take the SnowBus to Valberg, or three other Ski Express Buses to three different ski resorts, Isola 2000, La Colmiane and Auron… so really you can ski in a different resort every weekend of the month and your transpo costs are only 4€ each way! Here is a one-stop shop website (in English) covering all aspects of the 15 mountain villages accessible from Nice.
Ice Skating: One of the most spectacular ice skating rinks in the world is just a few kilometers away, and it’s only 6€. In the winter, Monaco’s Olympic-sized outdoor swimming pool becomes a huge fabulous ice skating rink. This is nothing like those miniature rinks for children that are epidemic in all the region’s ‘Christmas Villages’… with this one you can really leg out and get some speed! Where else can you ice skate surrounded by super yachts, and with views of the Palace, Monte Carlo, and the Mediterranean sea? Open from December through March 11, 2012, from 11am-6pm Mon-Fri and 10am-7pm Sat and Sun.
Photo credits: Ski Lift courtesy of Nice-Properties apartments in Nice, Monaco Ice Rink by Frantz Chavaroche et Florence Lisita, courtesy of Nice-Matin
Related Blog Post: Christmas Season on the Riviera – What Not to Miss
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