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5 days on the

FRENCH RIVIERA

From adorable seaside villages, medieval mountain towns, beautiful wineries and bottomless rose, we had the most AMAZING time in Southern France. To limit our amount of moving around, we stayed in Nice for 5 nights and then took day trips to the other towns on the Riviera each day. You could definitely extend this trip to a full week or two and fit in Provence and much more of Southern France, and we will probably end up doing that on a future trip since we loved it so much. It was really Nice.

GETTING THERE & GETTING AROUND

We chose Nice as our home base because of the size of the city and it's close proximity to the Nice - Cote d'Azur airport. If you're staying in Nice you definitely don't need to rent a car to get between the towns along the coast and it would have been a huge hassle in downtown Nice. In fact, a portion of the city doesn't even allow cars to drive in it.​

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We took a taxi from the airport and it was a quick 15 minute drive and pretty cheap. They also have Uber as well, so it's pretty easy to get around in general.

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BY TRAIN & BUS: ​

  • For some of our adventures to other towns, we took trains and/or busses depending on where we were headed. Google Maps was accurate and easy to use to plan our trips. You purchase train tickets at the kiosks inside the stations before boarding the train and bus tickets can be purchased on board the bus. 

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BY CAR & UBER: ​​

  • Had we been staying longer and wanted to do some longer trips inland to Provence, we could have rented a car, but since we stayed primarily along the coast this was not needed at all.

  • The one day that we did go explore wineries, we hired a driver for the day to transport us between the wine tastings and mountain towns which I could not recommend more. 

WHERE TO STAY

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The French Riviera and Nice especially have a huge AirBnB scene. You can find adorable places to stay run by the most delightful people that literally just run AirBnB's for a living. We stayed at an AirBnB right on the Promenade which had sweeping views of the sea and the cutest balcony to enjoy some early evening sunset rosé. Our hosts met us at the apartment to show us around and gave us a guide book of recommendations all around the city.

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If not staying near or on the Promenade, I'd recommend staying in Old Town, Le Port, or Jean-Médecin. All of the restaurants and nightlife happen in these three neighborhoods and they are all walkable or easy to reach via a quick uber or taxi.

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It was really Nice (hah!) to have a home base for all 5 nights that we could take day trips from and then return to without unpacking every other day. Alternatively, you could shorten the stay in Nice and move on to another coastal town or inland to explore Provence and the surrounding towns.

ITINERARY

We're admittedly not great at sitting and relaxing in one place for too long so we packed a lot into our time in Southern France. There was so much to see, but we made each day an adventure at a leisurely pace so it never felt like too much. Each day we picked a new town to go explore, always returning home to Nice for an amazing dinner each night. Our AirBnB was really centrally located so it made getting around really easy regardless of that day's destination. 

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When we went (late September), the Summer season was beginning to die down, but the days were still sunny and warm (75-80 degrees). We expected everything to feel more crowded with tourists but never felt that way thanks to missing the busy season. If you come in the Summer, the amount of walking around outside we did might be a little uncomfortable but you could certainly swap a day below for some beachside relaxing at one of the many full service beach clubs along the Promenade.

DAY 1: Settle in to the AirBnB & explore Nice!

DAY 2: Hike to Villefranche-sur-Mer for Lunch, Dinner in Nice

DAY 3: Train trip to Antibes (you could add on or swap this with Cannes)

DAY 4: Winery tour & Lunch in Saint Paul-de-Vence

DAY 5: Sailing Trip from Menton to Monaco

DAY 6: Off to Lisbon for a couple of days before returning home

DAY 1: 

  • Check into your AirBnB, and then go explore Nice!

  • We spent our first day in Nice getting acclimated to the city by walking all around it. We stopped for a drink on the promenade at happy hour and hiked up to the top Mont Boron (the big hill on the Promenade point) to see the view from above. This is the site of an old castle that is now a recreational park with sweeping views of the sea. 

  • Since our AirBnB was in Old Town, it was easy to find a place to eat - however there are many really delicious restaurants that do require reservations. If you're on the earlier side, you may be able to snag a table before it gets busy, but many of the restaurants in this area are only open from 7-9:30pm so plan accordingly. 

  • An awesome guide we use in every city we go is the Michelin Bib Gourmand list - which is a list of restaurants rated by Michelin as high quality at affordable prices

  • We had a lovely dinner at Fine Gueule our first night and it didn't disappoint. We were able to get in on the early side of dinner before it got busy, but I'd recommend making a reservation. They have a small patio out front which was perfect for the weather, and our waiter was the most friendly man ever, even giving us a list of all of his other favorite restaurants to try on the other nights.

DAY 2:

  • Hike to Villefranche-sur-Mer!

  • If you're not in the walking mood, you can also take a bus or train - but we absolutely loved the leisurely mid-morning walk that had amazing views of the Nice Port as well as the bay in front of Villefranche-sur-Mer. 

  • Villefranche-sur-Mer is an adorable sea side town with a pictureesque harbor that has numerous shops and restaurants, and we stopped for lunch to enjoy some spritzes and moules frites right on the water for less than €30 total. We explored the town a bit and then continued our walk on through Beaulieu-sur-Mer right next door. Since we missed the Summer high season, this town was more residential and was mostly closed and empty - you could certainly skip it.

  • From there we grabbed a bus up to the medieval town of Eze. There isn't much here except a couple of shops and overpriced mediocre restaurants - but it was still cool to see and walk around the almost castle-like town overlooking the mountainside. There is a perfume factory right outside Eze that was a popular tourist destination - but we just opted for exploring the shops that carried all of the perfumes instead. (If you plan to go a little further on any of the days, I would suggest skipping Eze all together and trading it with more time in Saint Paul-de-Vence, which was a another medieval town with similar vibes, but much cuter and less touristy.)

  • We returned to Nice in the evening for dinner. We started at a little wine bar for a drink before our Michelin dinner at Jan - which I cannot recommend more. We did the 10 course tasting with wine pairing and it was an incredible.

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DAY 3:

  • Rain day trip to Antibes!

  • If the weather is nicer, you could definitely spend more time here exploring and either add-on or swap for Cannes.

  • In the summer season, St.Tropez would have also been nice to explore, but since it was a bit cooler this day and pretty rainy we wanted to stay a bit closer to our home-base so that we didn't get trapped. 

  • We started our day with some comfort food of old-fashioned bagel breakfast sandwiches in Nice at Emilie & the Cool Kids (the name was a big factor in our breakfast choice tbh) and then hopped on the train from Nice to Antibes.

  • It was a quick 30 minute ride and luckily the rain let up a bit for us to be able to walk around and explore. This town may have been even cuter in the rain with all of the wet and glistening cobblestone streets.

  • Alas, we got caught in a major downpour and ducked into a nearby restaurant for lunch and afternoon wine. From there we walked to the coast and took a nice stroll by the water before heading back to Nice for dinner. All in all, a very relaxing and cozy French day

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DAY 4:

  • Winery time! Plus lunch in a medieval town!

  • If you do one full day trip while you're in the French Riviera, make it this one! We had the most amazing time exploring small local wineries and we learned (and drank!) so much.

  • We hired a driver for the day who didn't specialize in wine trips previously, but through my own research and some recommendations of his own we put together a lovely little agenda for the day. Our driver's name was Dany and he was awesome - could not recommend him enough.

  • First Stop: Domaine Saint-Joseph

    • A very informative private tour and tasting by the owner, producer, seller (sort of a one-man show here!) He spoke to us for over an hour (excellent English) about the details of the process of organic wine making which includes following the moon cycles to harvest at the right time for optimal vine production, (not the ideal tour for those not interested in the details of wine-making!) But we learned a lot that helped inform the rest of the day.

  • Second Stop: Château de Bellet

    • This was the only tour of the day that wasn’t just the two of us. It’s great to stop for a picture, but if you have to cut one, two this one out as it ended up feeling way less personal than all the others and we liked the wine the least.

  • Third Stop: Saint-Paul-de-Vence (medieval town for lunch)

    • We wish we would’ve had a bit more time here to walk around because it was THE CUTEST. We stopped for a lunch of salad and crepes at The Artiste and it was lovely. I would recommend skipping Chateau and giving more time to this cute little town.

  • Fourth Stop: Collet de Bovis

    • Jean is the cutest little old man who gave us a walking tour of his vineyards and then a tasting of all his wines. He spoke very little English, but with the background we got in our first stop and Dany as our translator, we did just fine following along! He was the sweetest.

  • Fifth Stop: Vineyard Saint Jennet - Domaine Des Hautes Hills

    • Jean #2 was another amazing old man who explained his entire unique process and even let us taste wine at various stages of the process. Also very little English but Dany was a great translator. All of the wine labels are his brother’s artwork which is also on display and for sale. We ended up buying a painting along with some wine to take home as a souvenir!

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DAY 5:

  • Sailing trip from Menton to Monaco!

  • We booked an Air BnB Experience for a small sailing trip that left from the harbor in Menton and took us out past Monaco and back again - it was a really fun way to see Monaco from a different vantage point and spend some time in the sun out on the water.

  • You can take the train from Nice straight to Menton, and walk along the boardwalk to the harbor. Menton is an adorable little retirement town with a bunch of cafes along the beach/boardwalk.

  • It just so happened that there was a Yacht show in Monaco the day of our trip which meant all of the Yachts were anchored right off the Monaco coast. We cruised around them for our own private Yacht show, such a fun surprise!

  • Once we returned to the harbor, we caught a bus to Monaco to round out our vantage point from the other side. We stopped for a Spritz and a quick bite on the patio of Cafe De Paris right outside of Monte Carlo (insanely overpriced but worth the ambiance) before heading inside to play Bond at the blackjack table.

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EAT & DRINK:

  • Nice -

    • Fine Gueule (Michelin Bib Gourmand) - had some amazing burrata and pasta on their patio

    • Jan (Two Michelin Stars) - incredible tasting menu & wine pairing

    • Flaveur (Two Michelin Stars) - would NOT recommend. Worst service of our lives

    • BiBoViNo wine bar - They box their own wine from vineyards in the area

    • Delí Bo - amazing spot for breakfast on the patio

    • Le Panier - cute little outdoor spot for dinner with a chalkboard menu

    • Etna Rosso - amazing mediterranean and pasta. Cute little family run spot

    • Citrus - cute little spot in old town, reservations needed

    • Olive & Artichaut (Michelin Bib Gourmand) - cute little spot in old town, reservations needed

    • Babel Babel - tapas and nice cocktails overlooking the promenade 

    • HOBO Coffee - coffee to go is hard to find, and theirs was awesome

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  • Villefranche-Sur-Mer - 

    • Lou Bantry - Moules frites right next to the harbor. Can't beat it!

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  • Saint Paul-de-Vence-

    • Le Artiste - little hole in the wall with fresh crepes. Our table was outside under a medieval arch. 

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  • Wineries (with driver!)​

    • See Day 4 above!​

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