http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34373 Superficially, Nice can seem like an expensive city, but it does not have to be as there is plenty to see and do for free. One of the most fulfilling things you can do here – and a great way to take in the feel and the atmosphere of this beautiful city – is to just walk around taking photographs. There is joy to be found here in every corner: relaxing in Jardin Botanique on a tree-shaded park bench to stay cool in the midday sun; or people watching from one of the many authentic cafes in true Gallic style! Just grab a coffee and a freshly prepared sandwich, then sit back on Promenade des Anglais and simply watch the world go by.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34373 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23166 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23166 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12586 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12586 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5977
It only lasted a few minutes, but what minutes they were. The views were amazing and I wished I could stay up there forever. Worth every cent and more.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5977 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5952
The views as you leave Nice and curve around the Cap de Nice into the Rade de Villefranche are spectacular.

Loads to do when you get there whatever your tastes. Sightseeing: the Citadel, Rue Obscure, the old Port; culture: four museums/galleries, all free entry; relaxing: two beaches, one coarse sand, the other stony; and loads of bars and restaurants.

There's a food market with local produce on Saturdays, antiques (well bric-a-brac) on Sundays, and above all it's a nice, relaxing, cosy place after the brashness of Nice.

PS don't take a car!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5952 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5931
Avoid weekend afternoons when it's fine - just too many old folk, tourists and children!

Several hire shops around so no need to roll your own.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5931 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3175
If you get fed up, come back to Monte Carlo, forget all the usual rubbish about the Casino and Royal Palace and visit the Botanical Gardens. A brilliant collection of cacti and other succulents (far better than it sounds!). It costs an entrance fee but it is well worth it. Also, a superb cave system which you can go down. Very strange; the temperature underground is warm, not cold.

The view from the Gardens over Monaco and out to the Mediterranean is excellent.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3175 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/2091
Buy a beer from the guys strolling along with coolboxes ... they sell more than just beer. Chill out and watch the skinny-dippers taking on the sea.

This became a nightly thing to do for us. And the highlight of the night: the ferry coming into port every 11pm. Watch, smile and say nothing as the big waves clear the front of the beach quick-smart. Classy.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/2091