South of France: The French Riviera Travel Guide (Côte d'Azur)
FRENCH RIVIERA (CÔTE D'AZUR), FRANCE
The Mediterranean South of France
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HOW LONG YOU’LL NEED IN THE FRENCH RIVIERA
Whether to spend one or two weeks in the French Riviera
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BEST TIME TO VISIT THE FRENCH RIVIERA
Avoiding Peak Tourism in the French Riviera
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HOW TO GET TO THE FRENCH RIVIERA
Flying or Taking the Train Into Nice
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DO YOU NEED TO RENT A CAR IN THE FRENCH RIVIERA
Taking the Train vs. Driving in the French Riviera
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WHERE TO STAY IN THE FRENCH RIVIERA
Staying in One Town vs. Taking a Road Trip Through the Region
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THINGS TO DO IN THE FRENCH RIVIERA
The Prettiest Towns and Beaches in the Côte d'Azur
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Bonjour!
If this is your first time on The Weithouse - welcome! My name is Taylor and I’m the girl behind the screen and camera bringing you resources to help you plan the trip of your dreams.
In January of 2022, my husband and I left our home in Atlanta, packed our bags and moved to Paris! Every day we wake up in disbelief that we get to call this incredible city our home, a city full of rich history, world-renowned food, and beauty hidden around every corner.
In this French Riviera Travel Guide, we’re sharing everything you need to know to plan a trip to the Côte d'Azur region of the South of France, including what to visit in the French Riviera, the best beaches in the French Riviera and where to stay in the French Riviera.
French Riviera (Côte d'Azur), France
The French Riviera, also known as the Côte d'Azur, is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. It is made up of roughly 550 miles of coastline, and includes popular tourist destinations like Cannes, Saint-Tropez, Antibes, Nice, Villefranche-Sur-Mer, Menton, St-Paul-de Vence and Èze. It is part of the larger Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France, which includes the area West of the French Riviera known as Provence.
The French Riviera has long been considered the vacation destination of the rich and famous, and many Americans and movie-stars have been flocking to the South of France to enjoy the stunning beaches, the delicious French cuisine and the charming villages scattered throughout the region.
HOW LONG YOU NEED IN THE FRENCH RIVIERA
The French Riviera is a subregion of the already larger region of the South of France. This means that the French Riviera isn’t a destination in and of itself, rather, it's a region made up of many smaller destinations.
That being the case, you could easily spend a couple of months exploring everything in the Côte d'Azur. However, odds are you don’t have a couple of months of vacation at your discretion.
So how much time should you spend in the French Riviera?
One to two weeks is an ideal amount of time to explore the French Riviera. If you really want to see everything within the Côte d'Azur region, two weeks would allow you to visit all of the amazing villages across the French Riviera while also giving you enough time to relax on the breathtaking beaches.
If you don’t have two weeks, then you could also spend one week in the French Riviera. One week will give you enough time to see all of the major highlights, though you might not be able to see everything while also enjoying some beach time. We personally spent one week in the French Riviera and were able to see everything in the remainder of this post.
Finally, if you want to do a full tour of the South of France, inclusive of both the French Riviera and Provence, then you’ll want to give yourself two weeks or more travel time to see everything across the South of France region.
BEST TIME TO VISIT THE FRENCH RIVIERA
The best time to visit the French Riviera is going to be outside of the peak tourist and summer seasons. It’s most crowded in the South of France during May-August, with July and August being especially busy. August is European vacation, meaning many local French and Europeans will be stationing themselves in the French Riviera to enjoy their summers.
July and August also have the highest potential of being extremely hot. Of course, there’s no better place to be when it’s hot than near the water, but this is a universal concept resulting in large crowds at all of the beaches.
If you’re looking to visit the Côte d'Azur without the heat and crowds, plan a trip during the months of May, June or September. May and June in the French Riviera will provide cooler temperatures and noticeably less crowds than July and August. September in the South of France still brings warmer temperatures, without all of the European travelers who had previously been on their holidays in August.
HOW TO GET TO THE FRENCH RIVIERA
To access the French Riviera, you can either fly or take the train (or drive if you’re coming from another region of France). The city of Nice acts as the centralized hub for accessing the region, and you can easily fly or take the train into Nice.
Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE) is the gateway to the French Riviera and is the most direct point to access the region. There are seasonal direct flights from the United States to Nice.
Nice Ville Train Station: From Paris, you can take a direct train from Paris Gare de Lyon to Nice Ville. The train takes roughly 5h 40 minutes. You can also take the train direct from Paris to many other destinations within the French Riviera. Here are a few other train options from Paris:
Paris Gare de Lyon to Antibes: 5h 30 minutes (direct)
Paris Gare de Lyon to Cannes: 5h 16 minutes (direct)
Paris Gare de Lyon to Saint-Raphaël Valescure: 4h 51 minutes (direct)
If you’re starting your trip in the Provence and heading to the French Riviera from there by train, you can also take a direct train from Avignon to Nice or Marseille to Nice.
renting A CAR IN THE FRENCH RIVIERA
You don’t necessarily need a car to get around the French Riviera. There are trains that run from the various destinations (Nice - Antibes, Nice - Menton, etc.) and then buses that can take you to anywhere the trains don’t run.
Also, if you plan to stay in one spot during your trip, vs hopping from place to place, you could easily get away without having a car.
However, if you want the freedom to choose when to go and to remove some of the hassle of having to wait on the train and bus schedules, then renting a car in the French Riviera will be helpful.
When we visited in July, I was worried about navigating heavy traffic and parking unavailability, but we ran into very little problems during our trip in both of these regards. We even rented an electric vehicle and although there wasn’t a great charging station infrastructure yet, we had no issues keeping our car charged throughout the trip.
WHERE TO STAY IN THE FRENCH RIVIERA
Where to stay in the French Riviera will depend on what you want out of your trip to the region. You can either plan your trip by choosing one French Riviera destination to use as a base during your travels or by creating a road trip and staying in different destinations along the way.
We opted to stay in two places (Saint-Paul-de-Vence and Antibes), mostly because I found it slightly challenging to book an Airbnb for less than three or four nights during the month of July. If you plan to stay in hotels versus Airbnbs, you shouldn’t have issues staying one or two nights in a destination before moving on to the next spot.
If you want easy access to the Côte d'Azur region without having to rent a car, I would recommend staying in Nice or Antibes. The only downside to Nice is that it’s a large city and might feel less relaxing than staying in another smaller city within the region. Antibes is an adorable French town bursting with charm, walking distance to the beach and accessible by train, making it a great alternate to Nice.
If you enjoy more of a luxury vacation, the French Riviera has some of the most beautiful luxurious hotels available for your travels. We’ve rounded up all of our favorites in this post.
If you prefer the Airbnb rental route (a better option if you have more than two travelers or are looking for a lower cost), then be sure to check out our curated list of the best Airbnbs in the South of France in this post. Below is the Airbnb we booked in Saint-Paul-de-Vence.
THINGS TO DO IN THE FRENCH RIVIERA
A trip to the South of France and the French Riviera is unique in that it’s not one full of famous landmark hopping. Instead, you will find yourself exploring all of the beautiful towns and villages in the region, eating delicious French cuisine, and swimming in the Mediterranean waters off all of the gorgeous beaches in the Côte d'Azur.
EXPLORE THE FRENCH RIVIERA TOWNS
The French Riviera is made up of a seemingly endless number of towns to visit, making it almost impossible to see them all in one trip. These towns range from medieval hilltop villages overlooking the coastline below and sandy seaside town with charming layouts and and bikini-clad beach goers.
Below are all of the French Riviera towns and destinations we were able to visit during our seven days in the Côte d'Azur. I also added a few other popular destinations at the end of the section that we didn’t have time for on this trip, but are great places to see if you’re staying longer than a week in the region.
St. Paul de Vence: Saint-Paul-De-Vence is a medieval hilltop village and worth the short drive inland from Nice to discover it’s romantic old charm and narrow cobblestone streets.
According to Saint-PauldeVence.com, the village has a history that started before the 14th century and more recently, the town became a popular destination for both artists and the cinema, with many celebrities and film directors visiting the village.
You can discover all the ways to enjoy Saint-Paul-de-Vence in this post, and below is a quick kind to enjoying the village:
Stroll through the village and discover the abundance of art galleries within the medieval walls.
Walk along the ramparts and take in views over the hills and the coastline.
Have a gastronomic experience at one of the village restaurants.
Photograph the beautiful façade of Maison de Jacques Prevert.
Vence: Vence is another medieval village in the French Riviera and is a short 11-minute drive from St. Paul de Vence, meaning you could easily see both villages in one day.
We drove to Vence in search of an antique market (that we found but was sadly underwhelming). Nonetheless, we thoroughly enjoyed walking through the tiny village and discovering the gorgeous streets and evening popping into a magnificent church.
If you are short on time, I would prioritize visiting St. Paul de Vence over Vence, as there is much more happening in the former. However, the little streets of Vence gave off a special charm that I didn’t find in St. Paul de Vence, so I highly recommend just walking through if you are nearby.
Villefranche-sur-Mer: The colorful seaside town of Villefranche-sur-Mer is right around the corner from its big sister Nice (18-minutes by car), and provides all of the peace and slowness that Nice lacks.
Villefranche-sur-mer would be a great base if you’re looking for a more peaceful and relaxing French Riviera trip, as the town is incredibly small and picturesque and also has walking access to the beach. When we were strolling through the colorful streets, we noticed many families with small children coming back from their beach day, and the town just gives off great overall beach vibes. The town is also located near some of the most beautiful beaches in the region on Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.
The good news is that it isn’t small enough to be lacking in restaurants, and as although we didn’t personally eat in Villefranche-sur-Mer, there are restaurants lining the bay where you can grab a drink or a meal with a beautiful view of the water.
Below is a link to an Airbnb I almost booked in Villefranche-sur-Mer with a lovely view overlooking the colorful village.
Nice: Nice is the French Riviera destination you’ve likely heard of, as it’s long been famous for both American and European travelers. The city gives off old-school glamour and has a beautiful beach running along its coast, making it a great destination for a long weekend.
Nice is, however, roughly the fifth largest city in France, meaning that when visiting Nice it’s helpful to remember that you are visiting a big city. Although beautiful and worth exploring, Nice isn’t going to give you French village vibes, so keep that in consideration when visiting.
As we currently live in a big city (the beautiful Paris), we didn’t really want to spend any time in Nice. We did grab a delicious lunch from Fish Bar Nice when picking up my friend from the airport, and explored the lovely Nice Cathedral (Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate de Nice).
Antibes: Antibes is a port town located 14 miles from Nice that sits on the stunning Cap d’Antibes, a peninsula jutting out into the Mediterranean sea. Living in Paris, I heard so many good things about Antibes from friends and Parisians and ultimately decided to use it as our hub during our week in the French Riviera.
Antibes is a perfectly sized French Riviera town, large enough to have great restaurants and a good energy throughout the town, yet small enough to be able to walk everywhere, feel charming and access the beach.
Antibes is a great spot to stay if you’re looking to have a relaxing beach vacation, as you can easily walk to two beaches from the old town: Plage de la Gravette and Plage du Ponteil. Both of these beaches are public and can get a little crowded from the families, but are still enjoying spots for laying on the sand and dipping in the water (and yes - they are both sand).
If you prefer a more exclusive beach experience, or something a little more off the beaten track, Cap d’Antibes is also full of stunning villas and both public and private beaches that you can easily access from Antibes. We spent one day at Plage de la Garoupe (with both public and private beach loungers) and a different afternoon enjoying Billionaires Bay Beach (which is pictured at the end of this post).
In the old town of Antibes, we loved walking to grab a coffee every morning from Copenhagen Coffee Lab, which was literally a two minute walk from the Airbnb we stayed in, and right next to the Provencal Market that happens in Antibes every day except for Mondays. Our Airbnb was on a quiet street in the old town of Antibes and I can’t recommend it more! We had three adults staying and it was the perfect spot for our time in Antibes.
Menton: Located on the French-Italian border, Menton is another colorful, seaside town worth visiting in the French Riviera. It was the most photogenic of all the towns we visited and has a very convenient beach to relax on.
After spending some time enjoying the beach, be sure to walk to the top of Menton to get amazing views of the entire colorful village. There is also a stunning cemetery at the top, Cemetery of the Old Château, where you can take in the views over the village and sea below. Walking down from the cemetary, be sure to stroll off into the various little colorful streets of Menton and enjoy getting lost in their beauty.
Grasse: Grasse is another inland destination to visit in the French Riviera and is famous for being the perfume capital of France. In Grasse you can visit the various Fragonard museums within the town, even visit one of the perfume factories, and of course purchase a few delicious smelling souvenirs.
If you’re interested in creating your own perfume or learning more in depth about the perfume process, book this experience with Get Your Guide.
We spent an early afternoon exploring grass before grabbing a delicious lunch at L'Imprévu and heading back to the beach because it was unbearably hot outside.
Èze: Oh Èze. I had read and heard so many good things about Èze, so maybe I hyped it up too much in my mind, but we really didn’t end up loving it as much as I expected.
Èze is another hilltop village, more famous than Saint-Paul-de-Vence, and sits just 7.0 miles East of Nice. The village is incredibly small, very high up on a hill and very famous, making it a little bit like visiting Disney World.
Not to say the village wasn’t beautiful - it absolutely was. But when driving to Èze, we had to park almost two miles away from the village, then wait 30-minutes for a shuttle bus to drive us to the base of the village. From that point on the experience was fine, and we had a great lunch at Deli' and then walked to the top of Le Jardin Exotique. The garden itself is really small and you can see the entire thing in around five minutes. Sadly it was overcast the day we visited, so we didn’t get incredible views over the water, but supposedly on a clear day you can see the French island of Corsica.
From our experience, driving all the way to Èze from Antibes (almost an hour), waiting for the bus and dealing with the number of tourists in the village, it was one of our least favorites destination from the trip. I also much prefer the medieval villages in Provence to those in the French Riviera, as they are less crowded and more beautiful (in my opinion), but I think in a more off-season time of year it could be a beautiful and enjoyable experience!
my favorites from the french riviera
Of course, what I loved about places and what you will love could be totally different, but below are my top three destinations to see in the French Riviera. If you’re short on time or are trying to narrow down an itinerary, this top 3 list will hopefully help you do so.
Top Destinations in the French Riviera (in my opinion):
Antibes: The longer we were in Antibes and the more we saw of the other towns in the French Riviera, the more quickly I fell in love with this little French town. It really has a charm different from all of the other destinations and is the perfect size and atmosphere for spending a week enjoying the South of France.
Villefranche-sur-Mer: This colorful little French seaside town would be the perfect base for enjoying the beach as well as discovering the other beaches on Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. The town also has stunning views over the water and is an easy access point from Nice.
Menton: Although I wouldn’t necessarily stay in Menton (it’s a bit far from everything else and the beach there is rocky), the town itself is the most picturesque of all the French Riviera towns, so I highly recommend prioritizing a visit to this little lemon town near the Italian border.
Although we didn’t have time to visit these during our French Riviera travels, here are a few other popular destinations along the Côte d'Azur:
Cannes
St. Tropez
Saint Raphael
BEACHES TO VISIT IN THE FRENCH RIVIERA
You’re likely heading to the French Riviera in order to get some beach days in, and the region has no shortage of stunning beaches to discover during your travels. If you’re staying on the coast, you’ll find beaches in almost every French Riviera town, including Nice, Menton, Villefranche-sur-Mer and Antibes.
In addition to those beaches, you can find smaller beaches throughout the coastline, and here are two beautiful beaches we enjoyed during our travels.
Plage de Passable: Located on Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat near Nice and Villefranche-sur-Mer, this little beach has stunning views overlooking the bay and Villefranche-sur-mer off in the distance. There is both a public beach and a private beach club at Plage de Passable, and we spent our day enjoying the public beach.
Be sure to call in advance if you want to rent one of the private beach loungers (which were pretty pricey in my opinion). There is a restaurant associated with the beach club that you can eat at regardless of whether you’re on the public or private beach and we enjoyed a delicious focaccia pizza and salad during our beach day there.
Baie des Milliardaires Beach in Cap d'Antibes (Billionaires Bay): Located on Cap d’Antibes, Billionaires Bay is a small, very rocky beach that used to only be accessible by boat (hence the name). Today, you can access the beach through a staircase that leads down to the beach.
The beach itself is pretty small and is covered with large rocks, making it a bit tricky to get comfortable on. However the setting is absolutely breathtaking and we really enjoyed the few hours we spent there. If you plan to get in the water, I’d recommend packing some sort of water shoes as it’s a bit challenging to navigate barefoot.
From the beach, you can also access the stunning hike on Cap d’Antibes, the Sentier de Tirepoil, which will lead you to more hidden beaches and breathtaking views of the Mediterranean.
STICK AROUND FOR A WHILE
Need help planning the rest of your South of France trip?
We absolutely love the South of France and think you will too. Here are some other posts to help you plan your full South of France itinerary.
The Prettiest Airbnbs in the South of France
A Mini Travel Guide to Saint-Paul-de-Vence
Our experience staying at Le Galinier in Lourmarin
What we think is the prettiest village in Provence: Lourmarin.
Or if you’re visiting more of France, discover all of our France Travel Guides.
FOLLOW ALONG
For all of our live travel content and BTS, be sure to follow us on social media. You’ll get to see what our life looks like as expats in Paris and get to virtually come along with us whenever we are exploring somewhere new.
Heading to Provence and looking to discover the most beautiful villages in the region? Discover the most charming and breathtaking villages to visit during your Provence travels in this curated list.