We can’t stress enough how much we adore the French Riviera! We couldn’t be happier to have chosen it as our honeymoon destination, and we can’t wait to go back.
Indeed, the Côte d’Azur has fully cemented itself as a “must-visit” place for us– a rare occurrence where both of us agree a place is an “absolute must-see!” The Côte d’Azur is beguilingly, astonishingly beautiful, and truly unforgettable.
In our 5-day itinerary for the French Riviera, we mapped out what we think the best itinerary is based on proximity and the amount of time you should spend in each place.
For the more “DIY” among you, we figured we would also just share the top 11 French Riviera towns we recommend.
Of course, the disclaimer here is that everyone has different tastes and travels at different speeds, but if you find yourself preferring quieter, more local places– we think you’ll like our list.
It can be pretty overwhelming to plan your French Riviera itinerary. Luckily, if you peek at a map, you’ll see right away that everything is remarkably close together.
This means that whatever your home base is, it’s easy to get between towns, and even easier to mix-and-match where you visit depending on your interests and time constraints. It’s so easy to be flexible here.
As a quick recap (see our itinerary post for more detailed info!) the main airport on the Riviera is Nice-Côte d’Azur International Airport.
From the airport arrivals area, you can take a red tram called the T2 that will drop you right in the city center. It takes about half an hour to get from the airport to an underground stop called Jean-Medecin.
- If you’re staying in Nice, go up the stairs and transfer at the street level to trams to other parts of town.
- If you’re immediately headed elsewhere, walk to Nice-Ville, the closest SNCF station and buy tickets to wherever you’re off to.
Where to Stay on the French Riviera
Despite having a distinctly “big-city” vibe, Nice is a fantastic jumping-off point for the region. It has loads of bus and train connections to the rest of the Riviera, and sort of reminded us of Como in Lake Como. We personally stayed by the Nice-Riquier SNCF station. While not a cute part of town particularly, it was a total godsend for regional travel to be so close to an SNCF station.
If you don’t want to stay in Nice, it’s a good idea to try to stay near an SNCF station, the national train service. If you’re planning to visit a variety of the Riviera towns (as you should), it’s sort of a slog to have to trek back and forth between your hotel and the station.
Getting Around the French Riviera
Definitely one of the best things about the Riviera is the transit system. It’s unbelievably interconnected. All local buses and trams cost just 1.50€ per ride, and it’s easy to buy a ticket at each stop and validate it when you enter.
Similarly, when riding any of the SNCF trains, you can either use the SNCF Connect app or buy your tickets at a kiosk: plug in your starting and ending stations, choose a date, and collect your printout.
Two tips here:
- If you know ahead of time where you’re going and you’re using the kiosk, buy your ticket in advance. Each morning, the lines for the kiosks got out of control. Unfortunately, the sun would regularly cause the machines to overheat and they’d be out of commission sometimes up to a day or two. Since some trains come more frequently than others, the peace of mind is worth it.
- Consider forgoing the car rental. You absolutely do not need a car unless you have your heart set on visiting Saint-Tropez or tiny towns like Saint-Paul-de-Vence. Given the reliability and ease of the train, why stress yourself out with a car?
11 Top Towns on the French Riviera to Visit
Check out our recommendations for the top towns to visit, starting with our favorites. We’ve also included a skimmable list of things to do in each one, as well as how long you’ll likely want to spend there.
Here’s our power ranking:
- Tegan’s top choice: Antibes
- Alex’s top choice: Èze
- Best beach: Èze-sur-Mer
And here’s our list!
- Antibes and Juan-les-Pins
- Èze
- Èze-sur-Mer
- Beaulieu-sur-Mer
- Cap-Ferrat
- Grasse
- Monaco
- Menton
- Nice
- Villefranche-Sur-Mer
- Cannes
1. Antibes and Juan-les-Pins | Full-Day
Antibes and neighboring Juan-Les-Pins have a more laid-back, almost “hipster” vibe with soft pastel-colored buildings and a more disheveled, shabby-chic appearance. Antibes is Tegan’s top “must-see” place on the Riviera.
Don’t miss:
- 16th-century ramparts enclose the Vieille Ville. Nearby, star-shaped Fort Carré also dates back to the 16th century.
- Covered Marché Provençal is one of the best Provençal-style markets in the whole of Southern France.
- Picasso himself lived in what is now the Musée Picasso.
- Lots of beach options:
- Plage de la Gravette
- Plage Juan-les-Pins
- Plage de la Garoupe
- Plage du Ponteil
- Plage de la Salis
- Walking path (5-kilometers) Le Sentier du Littoral’s gorgeous vistas of the peninsula.
A note for F. Scott Fitzgerald fans– he and his family spent a lot of time in Antibes and Juan-Les-Pins. Follow in their footsteps at their former villa, now the Hotel Belles Rives, and see the inspiration for Hotel des Étrangers in Tender is the Night at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc.
2. Èze and Èze-sur-Mer | Full-Day
Èze is an amazing example of a fortified medieval town. Èze is Alex’s top “must-see” place on the Riviera.
Don’t miss:
- Meandering around the town, checking out Église Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption, La Chevre d’Or hotel,
- (Must-see!) Jardin Exotique d’Eze botanical garden for unbelievable views of the surrounding water, Cap-Ferrat, and the coastline, with beautiful cactuses and succulents
- [If you are not going to Grasse] there is a location of Fragonard parfumeur in Èze
Note: get on the first available bus to Èze in the morning. You can take the #82 from the depot in Nice starting at around 8 AM– critical for beating the hordes of tourists visiting a very small place.
After you’ve finished in town, you can either
- Trek downhill for about 45 minutes on the gorgeous Chemin Frederic Nietzsche that ends at Èze-sur-Mer
- Take the bus back to the bottom of the hill, getting off at the SNCF station
Right on the other side of the SNCF station tunnel, walk down the street to the entrance to the public beach at Èze-sur-Mer: by far our favorite beach on the Riviera.
3. Beaulieu-sur-Mer and Cap-Ferrat | Half-Day
Another contender for our favorite day on the trip, Beaulieu-sur-Mer and Cap-Ferrat are super serene and quiet, with some of the best vistas of the coastline.
In Beaulieu-sur-Mer, don’t miss: a peek at Villa Kérylos as you begin the Promenade Maurice Rouvier, a 1.5 kilometer elevated beach path starting at Plage-Port des Fourmis.
In Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, don’t miss: the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, an unbelievable historic house with 9 gardens, prior to finishing the rest of the Promenade Maurice Rouvier.
4. Grasse | Half-Day
Grasse is considered the capitale mondiale des parfums (perfume capital of the world). Iconic parfumeurs Fragonard, Molinard, and Galimard all have a presence here. Grasse is quite different from the other Riviera towns, with a much less “beachy” vibe.
Don’t miss:
- Touring at least one perfume factory, probably Fragonard. They offer a fantastic free tour of their factory available both in French and in English. Warning: the free tour ends, unsurprisingly, in a large shop where you will be very tempted to buy something.
- Free museums:
- Art museum dedicated to the works of native son Jean-Honoré Fragonard
- Local Museum of Art and History
5. Monaco | Half Day
A hotspot for “the high life”, gamblers, car-racers, and fashionistas will love it here. A sovereign entity ruled by the house of Grimaldi since 1297, Monaco is the most densely-populated place in the world… something you will certainly notice when you visit.
Don’t miss:
- Panoramic vistas of the Monaco Yacht Club
- The Monte Carlo Casino, dating back to 1865. Main hall area is free to enter, but if you want to gamble, the minimum to enter is 17€. The Opera de Monte Carlo (designed by Charles Garnier of Paris Opera House fame) is located in the same building.
- The Monaco Grand Prix is just a normal road most of the time, but also where the Monaco Grand Prix has taken place each year since 1929.
Monaco’s Old Town, called Monaco City, is located at the top of a hill. The main things to see here are the official residence of the monarchy, the Palais Princier (and the changing of the guard daily at 11:55 AM); the Monaco Cathedral (AKA Saint Nicholas Cathedral) and the Oceanographic Museum.
6. Menton | Half-Day
Menton is a literal stone’s throw from Italy and definitely has strong Italian vibes. It’s mainly known for its lemons.
Don’t miss:
- Charming Vieille Ville and its jewel-tone houses and narrow little streets. Notably, the Musée des Beaux Arts (housed in the Palais de Carnolès), Musée Jean Cocteau, dedicated to native son Jean Cocteau (author of Les Enfants Terribles), and Baroque Basilica Saint Michel are all worth visiting.
- Up the hill a bit from the Vieille Ville, Old Château Cemetery is quiet and reflective with panoramic vistas of the coast.
- Great swimming at Plage Les Sablettes and a great view of the city if you swim out a bit.
Nice | Half or Full Day
It’s oddly easy for Nice to become an afterthought as you explore the other towns. It merits mentioning that Nice is a big city– the 5th-largest in France– which gives it a different vibe to the other towns. You may be a bit taken aback by the more frenetic pace there, but it’s to be expected for a city of that size.
Don’t miss:
- The Promenade des Anglais, arguably the most essential thing to do in Nice.
- Nearby Castle of Nice, best seen via walking up Castle Hill (Colline du Château)
- In the Old Town, start in the Place Masséna, and check out the Fountain of the Sun and black-and-white paving. Pick a central point like quaint Place Rossetti to explore the narrow streets and pop by outdoor covered market Cours Saleya
- Grab a bite to eat or a stroll through the Old Port.
- Museum options:
- Marc Chagall National Museum
- Musée Matisse
- Musée Renoir
- Musée du Palais Lascaris
- Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain
Villefranche-Sur-Mer | Half or Full Day
Villefranche-Sur-Mer is definitely one of the most popular beaches on the Riviera, and one of the few with sand rather than pebbles. Its skyline is popular on movie sets. It’s beautiful, but extremely crowded.
Cannes | Half-Day
Arguably the most famous of the Riviera towns, Cannes is famous for its film festival and celebrity sightings.
Don’t miss:
- World-famous Boulevard de la Croisette
- Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, where the Cannes Film Festival is held
- Le Suquet, the site of the first city of Cannes with quaint fisherman’s houses and Notre-Dame d’Espérance church with views of la Croisette below. Fort de la Castre is one of the only medieval buildings in Cannes
- Marché Forville, a provençal-style market
- Lérins Islands options of Île Sainte-Marguerite and Île Saint-Honorat, a short ferry from Cannes
Again, for a more detailed post, definitely check out our 5-day itinerary. It’s jam-packed with all the info you need for your trip, as well as some more personal recommendations.
As always, we hope you’ll save this guide for later on Pinterest by clicking here or on either photo below, and you can keep up with what we’re up to on Instagram or Facebook. Definitely comment below if you have any questions or memories to share!
Lastly, we can’t end a post about the French Riviera without an F. Scott Fitzgerald quote, of course!
As he wrote to Ernest Hemingway:
“With our being back in a nice villa on my beloved Riviera… I’m happier than I’ve been for years. It’s one of those strange, precious, and all too transitory moments when everything in one’s life seems to be going well.”
“With our being back in a nice villa on my beloved Riviera… I’m happier than I’ve been for years. It’s one of those strange, precious, and all too transitory moments when everything in one’s life seems to be going well.”
