Menton Travel Forum

Hello,

I'm travelling to Menton in MAy and all the best priced flights leave early in the morning form Nice. Is it easy to get a taxi / train early in the morning?

How early is "early"? First express coaches from the airport run from 6:00 to Nice bus station, or 06:15 to Nice railway station.Trains from there will take you to Menton in thirty minutes for about eight euro. There are Rapid Transit Coaches from the airport to Monaco and Menton hourly, but have to be more helpful in decribing your specific time of landing to know if they connect.

Airport Taxis to Menton - (its a big trip!) - are Menton 72-92 euro official fare, You will make a taxi driver very happy!.

Cheers

Thanks for your reply.
specifically I need to get from Menton to Nice for a 6.30am flight to the States.
What I'm trying to find out is - will I be able to get a taxi in Menton at 3.30 or 4am to get me to the train or bus station to get to Nice airport. I have scoured the web for this info and have come up with nothing as of yet. And I'm starting to think that I'll have to pay the higher airfare to leave Nice airport at 8.45am instead....?

Sorry I thought you had to get from Nice to Menton, not the other way around!

You are going to have to weigh the options, which are as follows:

I wouldn't rely on finding a taxi at 4:00am in Menton.These guys need to sleep.

Cost the transfer to a later flight, though thats still challenging, as your benchmark.

You would probably best transfer to a airport hotel like Campanile just off the airport for the night before, and you simply walk ten minutes to the airport on foot, at whatever time you judge safe for check in (at that time an hour will do) That way you are in control, there is nothing to go wrong, and you will make your flight.

Thats it. No other travel option is fireproof at that time.

You could try as an alternative an airport transfer service like A-T-S but I think you'll find it costs more than an airport hotel room. In your position I would book a room by the airport night before.

All the best.
Andrew

Thanks.

I was trying to avoid getting a room in Nice as we'll be visiting friends in Menton but you have confirmed what I have suspected. I'll have to pay up for a later flight.

I really appreciate your help.

On a 2nd subject. I've read some bad things about traveling on public transport in the wee hours - any thoughts on this?

Thirdly, is there one High Speed train company that I can get a pass to go from say, Menton to Barcelona OR Menton to Milan....OR would I need to book seperate trips with seperat companies...?

I have had one or two scary experiences late on the Cannes - Nice section 23:00 hours plus, as there are no station staff and the train can be empty and vulnerable to gangs of youth roaming the train. I'm not usually a wuss but I honestly don't think its a good idea travelling late on this section.

The Monaco Monaco Villefranche end the trains seem to have lots more normal people around and I've always felt pretty comfortable.

I don't use long distance international trains so I'm afraid you'll need better advice from someone who knows ther ropes.

Cheers

Hi

Actually a new night bus service (NocTAM) started a couple of months ago. Never used it personally but the literature says you can get a bus from Menton to Nice Airport at 3.45 a.m. Checkout the following link

http://www.rca.tm.fr/ftp/lignes/FH%20Noctambus%20100.pdf

Oh and Nicelife, (hello btw), I almost always take the last train from Nice - Cannes (00:30) and have never had any problens.....as yet.

Hi Cannesman
And may you not have any, too!. Couple of times I've travelled late there's been youth I guess from the HLMs hanging out around St Augustin station, and cruising up and down the carriages - lot of bragadocio and loutish behaviour. I read of some assaults taking place on the train and the fact there's no-one in authority around makes it an uncomfortable experience.

Oddly you should note it, the last train from Cannes to Nice I've found busy and fine - we use it after concerts at the Palais des Festivals, and I guess because its the last train it is busy. My dodgy experiences were 10.30 - 11.30pm .

These things are often statistical rarities - most of the time its fine. Then there's the one time it isn't - that may be only one in a hundred but I prefer nought in a hundred! Last late trip at Cannes station we saw two police armed with a muzzled rotweiller patrolling the platform!. Having narrowly escaped getting mugged once on South London suburban train and watched an opportunist passenger bag-snatch at Herne Hill station the other month, with that and the failed tube train suicide bombers trial, personally don't find any level of risk acceptable.I'm not ready to go yet!

Cheers