👙 SOUTH OF FRANCE
If you only read one thing for your first trip to the South of France, this will have you covered.
Table of Contents:
Destinations and their vibe
Nice - central, airport, I prefer not to spend time here
Saint-Jean Cap Ferrat - closest to Nice, quiet & expensive, relaxing stay
Antibes - beautiful old town, relaxing stay
Cannes - buzzy beach town, shopping
Saint-Paul-de-Vence - mountaintop village known for its art history & museums
Eze - medieval village built on the very top of a hill overlooking the ocean, breathtaking!
Monte Carlo - the scene! casinos! glitz! glam!
St. Tropez - bagatelle party scene, but also beautiful and relaxing, lively nightlife
If you’re planning a Road Trip
Land in Nice > 3 days in Cannes/ Antibes (stay in one, visit both) > 3 days in Eze Village/Monte Carlo (stay in one, visit both) > Fly out of Nice
Car Rental
If you’re traveling to more than one location on the French Riviera, it makes sense to rent a car. If you’re going from the airport straight to one hotel, not necessary, but note the rides from Nice are about 1-2 hours.
I recommend Avis
Pick-up & Drop-off: Nice Airport, NCE, Cote DAzur Airport, Terminals 1 & 2
CANNES
To Stay
Hôtel Le Cavendish - easy, central, affordable
Beach Clubs
If you plan to spend your day in Cannes at the beach, you have to make a reservation at a beach club (unless you find something super remote elsewhere). These are not actually clubby or a party; just beach chairs and a restaurant to have lunch at.
On the main strip (Cannes Croissette). Nice to go if you’re planning on shopping after/ walking around Cannes. Quick walk from Palais des Festivals (Cannes Film Festival)
Bijou Plage - more removed; MUST make reservations ahead of timeÂ
To Do
Walk around Cannes Old Town. Get dinner at any of the little restaurants in that area
Tredici <3
ANTIBES
To Stay
Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc - iconic, if you can afford to stay here
To Do
Musée Picasso
Walk around old town
If you can’t afford to stay here, go for lunch at Restaurant Eden-Roc for beautiful views & the best people watching
Absinth Bars
Beach clubs
Make reservations for these ahead of time; These are not actually clubby or a party; just beach chairs and a restaurant to have lunch at.
EZE
Medieval village built on the very top of a hill overlooking the ocean, breathtaking views and very different nature from many of the other stops along the Côte d'Azur
To Do
Le Jardin Exotique - botanical garden
To Eat
SAINT-PAUL-DE-VENCE
You do not need more than 2-3 days here. St-Paul is a beautiful mountaintop village, with a lot of art history to it. Among others, Picasso, Dufy, Matisse, and Marc Chagall have stayed here and created their works.
To Stay
- you can easily make St-Paul a day trip, but this hotel is worth a stay. One of my favorite hotels I’ve ever stayed.
Lay by the pool, read a book, and dine at the iconic restaurant
Art
Fondation Maeght - modern art museum