Good news for bike enthusiasts.
The city of Nice is offering bikes for rent at 90 different locations around town. The Velo Bike System, first introduced in Paris, provides visitors with a fun, inexpensive way to see Nice.
The first half hour is free, the second 30min costs €1, and additional hours are €2 each.
Call 00 33 4 30 00 30 or go to http://www.velobleu.org for details.
The Internet is an invaluable resource for travelers interested in saving time and money. With just a little effort savvy surfers can quickly find (and book) the lowest prices on flights, hotel rooms, rental cars, and much more.
Listed below are three of my favorite travel websites.
Booking Buddy
Booking Buddy consolidates numerous travel search engines onto a single page so you don’t have to maneuver from site to site when shopping for flights, hotels, cars, cruises, etc. (Kayak.com also allows you to search over 140 different sites to compare rates)
http://www.bookingbuddy.com
TripAdvisor
Not only is Trip Advisor incredibly useful when you need to check out a potential hotel (or restaurant) anywhere in the world, it’s also just plain fun to read reviews from people who have actually stayed there. In addition, Continue reading
Turin is one of the great underrated cities of Europe.
Elegant and sophisticated, this northern Italian town on the Po River has much to offer. Visitors can expect delicious food, substantive wines, ample shopping, and graceful architecture.
For those considering a long weekend in “The Capital of the Alps” I have two recommendations.
Where to stay:
Grand Hotel Sitea
Centrally located with large, modern rooms, the Grand Hotel Sitea is a solid choice for a weekend stay. Enjoy a VERY generous breakfast buffet each morning before heading out to explore the town, and at the end of the day, the hotel bar is perfect for unwinding.
Via Carlo Alberto, 35
10123 Torino, Italy
+39 011 517 0171
Where to hang out:
Cafe Florio
Founded in 1870, Cafe Florio is the place to stop in for a drink, pastries, chocolates, cakes, tea, or anything else under the sun you might have a craving for. The service is friendly and the atmosphere is “molto” chic.
8 Via Po
Torino, Italy 10122
Tel: +39 011 817 0612
Click here for information on the French Riviera Mini Cooper Driving Adventure!
The south of France has everything for those of us who feel the need to add a little speed to our lives. Think twisting mountain switchbacks, sun-drenched coastal roadways, a populace that enjoys and appreciates fast driving, and some of the best scenery on the planet.
The Corniche Road System
There are actually three corniche roads, the lower (basse), middle (moyenne), and upper (Grande), that run from Nice to Menton (the last French town before the Italian border). In order to get the best bang for your buck from each of them you need to have a little advance knowledge.
Let’s begin with The Lower Corniche.
Timing is everything. Really.
Don’t even consider hopping on the lower corniche during holidays, the summer season, Friday afternoon, Sunday afternoon, or at any time that could be even slightly construed as rush hour. In fact, if you have just an inkling that there may be traffic on the road, forget it.
Properly timed, though, and a drive along the lower corniche can be exceptionally rewarding. Continue reading
We all want to appear at least moderately competent as we go about our daily lives, but on the road that’s often not possible. Travel to a foreign country on your own and you will undoubtedly face innumerable, potentially embarrassing situations. Simple tasks like ordering coffee, shopping for groceries, or pumping gas can turn into cringeworthy affairs.
These uncomfortable situations often leave us searching for easy ways to explain and excuse our own limitations, which in turn, can lead to a defensive backlash of unfounded criticisms against the host country.
Developing and maintaining a negative “blanket” opinion about an unfamiliar country or culture is easy. The real effort is in avoiding such thoughts. Continue reading
Le Stuff 