Day trips from Nice
 

I tried a search, but of course I got a lot of posts about "nice" hotels in Paris. :)

I plan to spend about 9 days in Nice in mid-March; I'm considering taking an MBA at EDHEC and want to visit the school for a day, but the rest of my time is free. I'm sure the city will take up much of my time, but what car-free day trips would you guys recommend? I will have an apartment, so I'm limited to day trips. Monaco is definitely on the list; I'd love to explore Provence if I can find a bus tour or something. I am very into wine but would prefer to avoid renting a car if possible. (Wine tasting is always better when someone else is driving, eh?)

Any opinions about EDHEC are also welcome!

There have been a number of threads regarding day trips and things to do around nice this year. For a start a search for nice in this thread with something like day should bring up a few like these:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/franc...nnes-nice.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/franc...light=nice+day
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/franc...-planning.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/franc...-provence.html

I haven't done it yet, but something I would like to do is take the Train des Pignes which runs from Nice to Dignes and is apparently very scenic. I haven't done the proper research on it yet, but I think is possible to do a day trip. In the summer they run a steam train. I think a little bit of planning is needed because there are only four trains a day, particularly since you will be there in March rather than the summer, but it could be nice day out that doesn't require a car.

Mid-March can be a wonderful time in Nice : you can go skiing in the morning (Valberg, Isola 2000, Auron) and ride a Hobie Cat in the afternoon at Antibes.

I recommend you : hiking in Mercantour regional park, rafting in Gorges de la Roya, drinking at sunset at Hotel de la Chevre d'Or in Eze or at La Reserve in Nice, visiting the perfumeries in Grasse, going to Abbaye de Lerins on the islands in the Bay of Cannes, going to Cassis, the Calanques and Aix-en-Provence...

You will definitely need a car.

Without a car, explore the local trains to nearby towns from Nice as well as the longer distance trains that are less oriented toward daily commuters. There is very good service to major towns along the coast that make it easy to see museums, etc. There are also some ferry and hydrofoil services in the area, for example between Antibes and St Tropez. With a longer distance express train, possibly including the TGV, you could go to Marseille for a long day.

I don't know about the scenic train route that someone suggested, but I suspect that it follows the Napoleanic Route road for cars, which is indeed stunning although it can be a slow and tedious drive.

Some like to go to Grasse, an inland city where perfumes are made, but I was not impressed.

I'm not a fan of Monaco, but it certainly gets a lot of hype. Of the 20+ museums in Nice, do not miss the Matisse and the Chagall. The coastal train that runs from St Raphael to the Italian Border is cheap and fast. From Nice-Thiers station you can go East or West and have a good time.

My favorites are East: Villefranche, Beaulieu, Menton, and do not fail to go to Ventimigilia, the last stop, which is in Italy. It's got a different look, different food, and a totally different culture even though it's just over the border, only 20 mins on the train from Nice.

Day trips from Nice
 

we only stayed in Nice for one day (1/2/12) and we decided to book a half day to Monaco, but also with a stop in Eze (a cute village in the middle of Nice and Monaco), and we were so happy with this decision.

overall the trip was about 5 hours and the tour picked us up from the hotel and also dropped us off at the end, to people who are really easy to get lost it was great. we booked the half day tour from viator and did not know what to expect but turned out great :)

be honest I am not a fan of Monte carlo but a trip to monaco to see the palace and the casino was interesting, I certainly enjoyed Eze though and wish we could stay longer there.

some pics from the trip here
http://www.lulufun.com/2012/01/monte...-day-tour.html