French Riviera Travel Guide
The Côte d’Azur Travel Guide: Where to Visit along the French Riviera
First published: May 4, 2023
Imagine for just a moment:
slow, warm walks through winding cobblestone streets. Small towns filled with hillside buildings painted in every shade of yellow, orange and pink… and vistas overlooking terracotta rooftops, wild and rocky terrain, giving way to the gorgeous turquoise blue water of the Mediterranean sea…
If this has you swooning and dreaming of visiting such a beautiful place yourself, the French Riviera is for you, my friend!
I am so grateful to have visited to this beautiful region of France multiple times in the past few years. Often called the French Riviera by English-speakers, the Côte d’Azur region of France is absolutely stunning - and I’m here to share all about when, where and how to visit the beautiful Côte d’Azur region in the South of France.
In this slow travel guide to the French Riviera, I’m sharing how to get to the Côte d’Azur and specifically where to go in the South of France: I’ve included details on five of my favorite towns to visit along the Côte d’Azur.
I also share a bit about transportation options in Le Sud, how long to stay to explore the places listed in this guide, and where I recommend you stay when visiting this gorgeous stretch of coastline along the Mediterranean Sea. Allons-y (let’s go!).
Your Travel Guide to the South of France
Featuring 5 gorgeous towns to visit along the Côte d’Azur
Is the French Riviera worth visiting?
This answer is easy: a resounding YES! The French Riviera is stunningly beautiful, easy to navigate, and is absolutely worth a visit.
But…is the French Riviera expensive?
Contrary to what is often depicted online and in movies, you do not need to have a luxury budget to have an amazing vacation in the South of France. Yes, there are plenty of expensive places to stay and some activities, like private boat tours, are expensive. But there’s so much to do that costs little to nothing at all! I am a mid-range traveler, and I’ve stayed well within my budget while visiting the South of France.
To give you an idea of what I mean by mid-range traveling: I typically stay in 3 or 4 star hotels in convenient locations: central locations with plenty of restaurants, cafés and grocery/pharmacies nearby, and ideally a 10-15 minute walk to the nearest train station. I prioritize local restaurants and good quality food, and I blend a mix of free sightseeing activities with low to mid-cost options (between €5-20/person). I “splurge” on a few little luxuries each trip, such as an upscale meal or two at a fine dining restaurant, or one special excursion or activity at some point during my trip. If this sounds like you, then you will be absolutely delighted with all of the amazing places you can explore and the things you can enjoy with a mid-range budget when visiting the French Riviera.
Where is the French Riviera?
The Côte d’Azur, or the French Riviera as it’s known by many English-speaking travelers, is a breathtaking, rocky area of France stretches along the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea.
The governmental area containing the Côte d’Azur is known as the Alpes-Maritimes department. It stretches from the Italian border in the east to just beyond Cannes in the west, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the south up through the southern area of the French Alps, including the Mercantour National Park.
Some of the most famous cities and towns in the Côte d’Azur include Nice, Cannes, Antibes, Grasse, and Menton. There are many small towns and communes that dot this rocky coastline, each with their own charm (think brightly-colored walls, narrow streets, rocky views of the Mediterranean sea, and loads of sunshine).
How to Get to the French Riviera
Getting to the French Riviera by Train
From Paris to the Côte d’Azur: the national French train line (SNCF) operates a high-speed train from Paris to Nice. You can travel from the French capital to the heart of Côte d’Azur in just under 6 hours.
From Milan to the Côte d’Azur: Italian intercity and regional trains operate regularly from Milan to Ventimiglia, the last town on the Italian side before the French Riviera begins. From there, a regional train line makes it an easy hop over to the Côte d’Azur on the French side of the Riviera.
Getting to the French Riviera By Air
If you are flying into the area directly, Nice is the largest airport in the region. Alternatively, consider flying into Marseille France or Genoa Italy, and then taking a regional train to your destination within the French Riviera.
French Riviera Travel Itinerary
There is truly an abundance of stunningly beautiful small towns, communes and cities dotting the coastline of the Côte d’Azur. Based on my own travels in the region, I’m sharing my suggested French Riviera itinerary, along with a bit about each of my five favorite towns to visit in the South of France.
How many days should I spend in the French Riviera?
To slow down and get to know this beautiful region a bit, I recommend between 5-7 days to visit the French Riviera (ideally more, if you have the time!). The Côte d’Azur is certainly not meant to be rushed, and you’ll be glad that you have the opportunity to take your time and stop at unexpected gems along the way.
Here is a suggested itinerary for 7 days in the Côte d’Azur:
1 WEEK ITINERARY: THE FRENCH RIVIERA
2 DAYS | NICE
1 DAY | MENTON
1 DAY | SAINT-JEAN-CAP-FERRAT & BEAULIEU-SUR-MER
1 DAY | EZE
1 DAY | ROQUEBRUNE-CAP-MARTIN
1 DAY | VILLEFRANCHE-SUR-MER
Simplify your travel planning: grab your copy of the French Riviera Explorer Guidebook. I share exactly where to stay, what to do, and outline the trip logistical details…
So you can spend less time figuring out how to piece it all together, and more time enjoying the anticipation of your trip to the South of France!
Five Beautiful Towns to Visit along the French Riviera
French Riviera Town No. 1: Nice, France
Number of Days to Visit: 2 Days
Nice is the 7th most populous city in France, and the largest in the Côte d’Azur cultural region of France. There is a lot to do in this gorgeous port city, from the iconic Promenade des Anglais, which stretches over 4.3 miles / 7 km along the curve of the Mediterranean, to beautiful neighborhoods like Old Nice, Cimiez, Gambetta, the Quartier du Port/Port Lympia area, and of course amazing museums like the Musée National Marc Chagall and the Musée Matisse.
When in Nice… Don’t Miss: Castle Hill
Castle Hill (Colline du Château) spans much of the area between Vieille Nice and Port Lympia, and offers beautiful vistas of the city, harbor and the coastline. Climb the steps or queue for the elevator (ascenseur) to wander atop the hill. Once you are on the hill, there’s much to explore, including a waterfall, parks, an archeological site, and in my experience, some sort of live music too.
Be sure to walk around as much of the perimeter as you can, in order to take in the views of the Promenade des Anglais, and there are multiple vistas overlooking the center of the city to the mountains beyond, and of course views of the harbor and bright Mediterranean Sea.
Since Nice is a large city with over 1 million inhabitants, I recommend balancing your time in a larger city like Nice with visits to many of the small towns and communes nearby, many of which are easily accessible by train, bus or car. For more on transportation, see my French Riviera transportation overview, found later in this guide.
French Riviera Town No. 2: Menton, France
Number of Days to Visit: 1-2 Days
Officially one of my favorite places on earth, Menton is the French last town along the rocky coastline of the Mediterranean Sea before the Italian border.
Much smaller than Nice, Menton is still a small-sized city. It has beaches, gardens, beautiful streets, plenty of local shops, a harbor, and laid-back Italian charm. Because of its location along the French-Italian border, Menton is an amazing blend of French and Italian cultures.
Menton is also known for its citrus fruits. The lemon-flavored items are hard to miss, and I’d be surprised if you’re not addicted to lemon-flavored desserts by the time you leave!
Don’t Miss: the Vieille Ville de Menton
The crown jewel of Menton is the old city, called Vieille Ville de Menton (meaning the old town of Menton or Old Menton). It is full of winding pedestrian streets and colorful stucco buildings in yellows, oranges and terracotta reds with green and blue contrasting windows and doors. The buildings are rather higgledy-piggledy, especially to accommodate the steep decline toward the beach. You will find yourself climbing stairs on some of the “rues” (streets), many of which are pedestrianized.
For more about this lovely town, aptly nicknamed “The Pearl of France,” read my Menton Travel Guide:
French Riviera Town No. 3: Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
Number of Days to Visit: 1 Day
Although we didn’t know it at the time of our visit, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat is one of the most expensive residential locations in the world (!). This beach resort town is filled with (relatively) understated, extremely luxurious vacation homes, small beaches, and a harbor with restaurants and shops. It feels much less touristy than other nearby cities and towns and makes a perfect day or half-day trip. Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat is a small peninsula nestled between Menton and Monaco. Everywhere you look, there are stunning views of cliffs and bright blue sea. We chose a restaurant at random and enjoyed watching the fog roll across the cliffs in the distance to the bright blue Mediterranean just before us.
Don’t Miss: Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild
Be sure to make a visit to Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, which was built by the Baroness Béatrice de Rothschild and bequeathed to the Academie des Beaux-Arts. The gardens of the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild are stunning: there are nine in total, that form a winding, beautiful path along the isthmus of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, so you get views of incredible rolling hills and the beautiful Mediterranean on all sides.
The gardens are themed, such as the Japanese Garden, a Rose Garden, Spanish Garden, and of course ending with the French garden: a South of France-meets-Versailles manicured garden that stretches along a large pool with a musical fountain show (yes, really). The details in the gardens are incredible, and we found ourselves referencing the tri-fold paper map that was provided upon entry to make sure we didn’t miss anything during our self-guided wander through this slice of paradise. The views alone are worth the entry fee.
French Riviera Town No.4: Èze Village
Number of Days to Visit: Half Day - 1 Full Day
For a glimpse back in time and to experience the immense beauty of your surroundings, there’s no better place to visit on the Côte d’Azur than Eze Village. This medieval village is just a dream: situated on top of a hilltop, historic Eze Village has incredible panoramic views of the Mediterranean Sea, the green slopes of the Alps, and the twisting mountain roads that guide travelers between these gorgeous small towns and giant cliff sides.
When to Visit Eze Village
Eze Village is primarily a pedestrian-only enclave, especially as you enter the medieval stoned portion of the village. The historic village of Eze is sometimes called a “museum village” - few people actually live in this part of the town - most live down the mountain in the more populated part of the town, Eze-sur-Mer. As a result, Eze Village has very very limited parking (I am not joking!). I strongly recommend arriving no later than 9am by car, or taking the bus to the Eze Village stop, served by line 82. The Eze Village tourism office can provide a printed bus timetable for your return trip.
Don’t Miss: The Jardin Exotique
There are plenty of winding, cobblestoned paths with hints of the Mediterranean below, but you’ll want to make your way to the top eventually. My recommendation: arrive early to avoid crowded cobblestoned streets (especially in the high season) and enjoy the serenity of a quiet morning. The Jardin Exotique (exotic garden) at the summit is absolutely worth the price of admission. The cacti are beautiful and the winding path gives you many unobstructed views of your surroundings.
The very top of the Jardin Exotique sets you on top of the remnants of an old fortress, called le nid d’aigle (the Eagle’s Nest), with stunning panoramic views of this corner of the South of France.
French Riviera Town No. 5: Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
Number of Days to Visit: Half Day - 1 Full Day
I stumbled across Roquebrune-Cap-Martin while doing one of my google map deep dives, and the old medieval fort plus gorgeous views seems like the perfect quick stop for me and my husband. We thought it would be a brief stop for an afternoon espresso and gelato on our drive back to Menton, but we ended up spending all afternoon there.
This picturesque village was much larger than we imagined, and unlike Eze Village, people live (and/or vacation) in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. We visited the part of the town that is up on the hillside - the Vieux Village (old town), and spent hours wandering through the cobblestoned streets.
We even had to run back to the parking area at one point to add more time to the meter - it was an unexpectedly terrific place.
Don’t Miss: The Château Médiéval de Roquebrune
We started our impromptu visit to this beautiful hilltop town with a visit to the Château Médiéval de Roquebrune, which has incredible views and provides a great educational history of the fortress too. Up until the invention of cannons, the fortress was virtually invincible, as it is perched atop a very steep hill and offers unobstructed views of every entry point an enemy could possibly attempt to make. In fact, the fortress used to only house fewer than a dozen soldiers, due to its prime location.
Today, you can visit the remnants of this fortress, which is very well-preserved. The exhibits are simple but very well-done - my husband especially liked the visit to the dungeon (...). The fortress has clear signage and helpful pamphlets (available in French, English and Italian). Because of the prime location as a fortress, it goes without saying that the views were absolutely breathtaking - some of the best of our entire trip.
Where to Stay on the French Riviera
I recommend Menton as your home base for exploring the Côte d’Azur.
Why Stay in Menton?
I like staying in Menton because of the down-to-earth attitude you will encounter with all of the locals who call this place home, and the perfect blend of French and Italian cultures. I also love staying in Menton for its convenience: it’s bigger than many of the surrounding towns, so you have plenty of grocery stores, shops, restaurants, and many hotels to choose from. However, it’s not as big as Nice or Cannes so it feels like you can actually get to know the town a bit during your stay, and there’s less hustle and bustle than you’ll find in these bigger cities like Nice, Cannes, Antibes, or Monaco.
I also love staying in Menton because of the ease of transportation options: there are two stops on the regional train line (TER), which is easy to navigate and stops at many of the small towns along the coast, as well as the bigger cities of Nice and Cannes.
Our experience with parking a car in Nice was okay, but not ideal - there were of course plenty of garages to choose from, but it’s a fast moving, bigger city and the spots really do fill up quite quickly. Menton of course is a popular location as well, but navigating the streets and parking garages was much easier for us (well, specifically my husband 😉 ) than in Nice. We never found parking to be a problem. Please note I’ve visited only in the shoulder season months of May and September - parking is likely much more challenging everywhere June-August!
Transportation in the Côte d’Azur
Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Côte d’Azur, France
I’ve taken a trip to the South of France without a car and relied solely on public transportation. I’ve also taken another trip where my husband drove a rental car along the Côte d’Azur. Both are great options. For the towns listed in this guide, use the regional train line (or car) to access Nice and Menton. Use the bus lines or a car to access Eze Village, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.
Option 1: The French Riviera by Train
The regional train, called the TER, primarily hugs the coastline from Cannes to Menton (and Ventimiglia, just across the border in Italy). There are also routes on the TER line that go inland toward Grasse and all the way up to Tende. There are regular train stops along small towns, communes and the large cities that are along the coast. Except for those served by the TER line toward Grasse or Tende, most towns that are even slightly inland or uphill are typically best accessed by car or bus.
Option 2: The French Riviera by Bus
There are three main operators for bus routes in the Côte d’Azur region:
Zou operates express lines and lines with stops throughout small towns and major cities in the Côte d’Azur.
The Lignes d’Azur bus lines serve the city of Nice and the broader metropolitan area around Nice, including the general area east toward Monaco..
The Zest bus lines serve the city of Menton and the broader metropolitan area around Menton, including the general area west toward Monaco.
The Zou website, which is available in English, has a helpful horaires (schedules) tab where you can put in a specific bus stop - I usually find the name of the bus stop on google maps first and then type it into Zou. In the results, you will see which line the stop is on, and who operates the line (Zou, Lignes d’Azur, or Zest). The results also display the timetable (grille horaire) for the line too, so you can understand when the next bus is coming.
Option 3: The French Riviera by Car
My husband and I have rented a car to explore the French Riviera. It was very convenient, especially in navigating to the smaller towns and villages. If you are not comfortable with mountainous driving (think switchbacks and cliff-side highways), then renting a car might not be for you. We rented a car in Nice, where it was quite easy to get the type of car we wanted (Americans who don’t drive manual transmission - there are certainly options for you! :) ), and the process was straightforward as we had reserved online well in advance.
Finding a parking garage definitely took a second person to navigate when in Nice (and it was helpful in Menton too). For the smaller towns, you will see parking lots clearly marked, usually on the outskirts of each town or near the tourism office. Depending on where you are visiting, the parking can be expensive (although much less so than typical rates for big cities in the US!).
Note: I’ve visited the Côte d’Azur only in the shoulder season (May and September), so I would imagine that finding a parking space is quite a bit harder June - August. The roads are likely much more crowded during this time as well, so the trade-off may not be worth it (and you may be better off with the train and bus routes). Regardless, you certainly have a choice on how you’d like to navigate around the French Riviera during your stay!
The Best Time to Visit the French Riviera
I personally love to visit in the shoulder season: mid April through May, or September through mid October. The high season is June-August, especially July and August which is when the vast majority of the French (and those in neighboring countries) take their summer vacations. I recommend avoiding July and August if at all possible.
However, if you have commitments and can’t make the shoulder season happen, go when you can! If you must go during the high months, know that yes there will be lots of traffic (and lots of people on public transport), but it’s a great place to be for a reason! You’ll have a wonderful time. And if you go in the off-season, you’ll likely love the relative quiet and the affordable accommodations. It’s one of the sunniest areas of the country, so even if you choose a “rainy” month, you’re likely still in for plenty of lovely weather.
Regardless of when you visit (or even where you’re traveling), I can’t recommend enough the power of setting reasonable expectations and adopting a positive travel mindset. For me, I like to focus on the wonder and joy of such a beautiful place, rather than if something like the weather or crowds aren’t “perfect” - there’s plenty to enjoy and you can have a positive experience no matter when you visit.
Bottom line: I truly don’t think there’s a bad time to visit such a beautiful part of the world 🇫🇷
What did you think of this travel guide? Have you visited any of the places listed above? I’d love to hear from you, with your comments or any other questions for me on the French Riviera - please drop me a note below. I’d love to hear from you!
Bon voyage!
~Lauren
