For a day-excursion out of Nice, take the train up in to the mountains. The train is tiny and runs on a single track from central Nice to Digne. We actually jumped off half-way in Entrevaux, about one hour from Nice. This is a walled medieval town with a fort that you can walk up to (entry fee €3) – it's a bit of a climb, but the view is well worth it. The town and the fort were deserted when we went in March – but probably gets busy in summer. If you go out of season, I recommend to bring a picnic as there might not be any cafes open.

If you don't mind travelling a bit further, Digne, which is ment to be beautiful, is three hours from Nice. Just make sure you check the time table – the trains only run about six times per day.

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The CF de Provence is the last mainline narrow gauge railway in France. It runs daily from Nice to Digne leaving at 9am and arriving just in time for a memorable lunch in the station buffet at Digne.

Don't worry about missing the train back, the driver is in there too! It gets back to Nice at 5pm. The scenery is spectacular and the trains and stations enchanting. It's cheap and if you're over 55 or a student (or une famille nombreuse) you will get a big discount.

Go in February when you can leave a spring-like Nice and be in the depths of winter in 30 minutes with giant icicles and snow fields. August is lavender festival time.

The new neat station is in the rue Alfred Binet in Nice, just behind the original (now abandoned) art nouveau station which is being converted into a new town hall for Nice, but judging by how long they are taking to finish the trams, don't hold your breath.

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