On a five day European cruise, Villefranche was the first port on the itinerary.

Have you ever had the thought when travelling, “well we’re here, so why not?”

That was the exact idea we had when we realized we were arriving in Villefranche. Villefranche was a smaller town but accessible by train to many nearby cities. Cities such as Nice, Eze and Monaco were only a 15-30 minute train ride away.

Only having approximately seven hours until we had to be back on board, we decided to take a pit stop to Monaco. Looking back, it was a Sunday at 12pm when we arrived, so the Hollywood blockbuster depicted Monaco was a little quiet in comparison. Nonetheless, the goal to see the Monte Carlo Casino was the main attraction of our plans. Roaming the grounds until the main attraction opened was peaceful. It was hard to believe the area, let alone the casino populates a huge nightlife.

Villefranche to Monaco

Monaco to Nice

Spending majority of our day exploring Monaco, we still needed to make our way to Nice. With our time dwindling and only hours remaining, we hopped on the train towards Nice.

From the “gare,” we walked towards Old Town Nice until we were met by the sea.

Departing from New York less than 48 hours prior, my brain could still not grasp the idea of being in France, With water so clear and the weather at a moderate 70°F (20°C), this was definitely not Coney Island.

Aside from the many cups of espresso, I had my tastebuds catch up to a taste of France by trying the infamous ice cream from Fenocchio. My goal for this European exploration was to order “stracciatella” without a pronunciation hesitation.