Ask ChatGPT for a French Riviera day trip and get a bus that does not run

FailureEvidence: Described by posterPosted Mar 22, 2026Last checked Nov 5, 2026

Tania's ChatGPT French Riviera day trip listed a wrong 9:05 AM Èze bus; Perplexity was partly right and Gemini gave no bus times.

Source checked Nov 5, 2026
Results shared
Limitations noted

How to use this

Tap Copy prompt.
Open ChatGPT.
Paste it into the message box.
Replace anything in [CAPITAL LETTERS IN BRACKETS] with your own details.
Send it, then read the answer before acting on it.

New to this? What's a prompt?

A prompt is the message you send to the AI tool. Copy the one on this page, put your own details where it asks, and read the answer before you act on it.

Prompt

Improved prompt

Our fuller version of the source's prompt, with fill-in details and rules, or one written to avoid what went wrong. Not tested by the poster.

What the prompt labels mean

Our fuller version of the person's prompt. They didn't use this version, and we haven't tested it.

Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about the details below and wait for my answers. Once I've answered, confirm the plan in one line and run the whole task start to finish.

Goal: Plan a realistic French Riviera day trip where every bus and train time is current.

Questions to ask me first:
- Which date and season are you traveling?
- Where do you start, and when do you need to be back?
- Which stops are must-sees, and which can be dropped?

Inputs (fill in or confirm):
- Travel date: [DATE]
- Start point and return time: [DETAILS]
- Must-see stops: [LIST]
- Pace and walking limits: [NOTES]

Rules:
- Give a source and date for every bus or train time, or mark it 'verify locally'.
- Flag seasonal schedule changes.
- Explain trade-offs when a stop eats too much time.
- Never present a remembered timetable as current.

Checkpoint: List every timed connection with its source before writing the full day.

If you get stuck: If you can't confirm a schedule, tell me where to check it (operator site or station).

Verify before you finish: Recheck the first and last connections against the operator's current timetable.

Output: A timed day plan with sources, backups for each connection and a list of times to confirm.

Done when: I can follow the plan without waiting at a stop for a bus that isn't coming.

Customize this prompt

Answer these questions and we'll put your answers into the prompt for you. You can leave any of them empty.

Travel date

Start point and return time

Must-see stops

Pace and walking limits

Your prompt

Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about the details below and wait for my answers. Once I've answered, confirm the plan in one line and run the whole task start to finish.

Goal: Plan a realistic French Riviera day trip where every bus and train time is current.

Questions to ask me first:
- Which date and season are you traveling?
- Where do you start, and when do you need to be back?
- Which stops are must-sees, and which can be dropped?

Inputs (fill in or confirm):
- Travel date: [DATE]
- Start point and return time: [DETAILS]
- Must-see stops: [LIST]
- Pace and walking limits: [NOTES]

Rules:
- Give a source and date for every bus or train time, or mark it 'verify locally'.
- Flag seasonal schedule changes.
- Explain trade-offs when a stop eats too much time.
- Never present a remembered timetable as current.

Checkpoint: List every timed connection with its source before writing the full day.

If you get stuck: If you can't confirm a schedule, tell me where to check it (operator site or station).

Verify before you finish: Recheck the first and last connections against the operator's current timetable.

Output: A timed day plan with sources, backups for each connection and a list of times to confirm.

Done when: I can follow the plan without waiting at a stop for a bus that isn't coming.

Scroll to see the whole prompt. Your answers show in green.

4 blanks are still empty: Travel date; Start point and return time; Must-see stops; Pace and walking limits. They'll stay in brackets in your prompt, so the chat tool may ask you about them.

What you type stays in this browser tab. We don't send it or save it, and it's gone when you leave the page. If you use a "Try this in" button, your answers go to that tool as part of the prompt.

Try this in:

ChatGPT Used in source Gemini Used in source Grok Claude

This prompt has blanks to fill in, like [DATE]. We'll copy it instead of filling it in, so you can edit it before you send.

Opens in a new tab. We don't see what you send.

These links are only a shortcut. We're not affiliated with OpenAI, Google, Anthropic or xAI, and your results may not match the source.

The prompt they actually used

The exact prompt from the source.

What time does the bus from Èze-sur-Mer train station to Èze Village run in the morning?

AI tools

ChatGPT Perplexity Gemini

Outcome

Tania, who writes French Riviera itineraries at Clever Escapes after three years of testing routes, asked ChatGPT to plan a perfect Riviera day trip. The itinerary was chronological, detailed and confident but wrong in subtle ways. Asked when the morning bus runs from Èze-sur-Mer station up to Èze Village, ChatGPT said bus #83 at 9:05 AM; Tania says no bus runs then and the first reliable 2026 bus is around 9:56, a 51-minute wait. Perplexity said every 30 minutes from 8:45 AM, partly right but missing seasonal changes, and Gemini suggested walking the Nietzsche Path with no bus information. Tania also found the AI plans didn't weigh trade-offs, such as the Oceanographic Museum eating up a short Monaco visit.

Evidence: Described by posterThe person describes what happened in words, without screenshots or video.

Known limitations

FailureThe source says the AI did not get the job done.

What went wrong: ChatGPT gave a 9:05 AM bus that Tania says doesn't run; Perplexity was partly right and Gemini gave no bus times.

Source

Posted: Mar 22, 2026 by Tania (Clever Escapes)
Last checked: Nov 5, 2026
Method:: How we verify

https://clever-escapes.com/chatgpt-french-riviera-planning/

Context: The author sells paid custom itineraries and promotes them in the post. Schedule claims are the author's own checks, and we omit the post's unsupported error-rate figure. Improved prompt expands the quoted bus question; not tested.