Where to Stay

I would stay in Nice and make day trips out of Nice. It was the most affordable option with air b n b’s and the most options for restaurants. It’s also not big enough to be overwhelming even though it’s the largest city along the South of France. I’ll link the two air b n b’s we stayed at during our week. This way we didn’t have to worry about transporting our luggage.

However, if you do rent a car then staying at different towns could be more doable especially if you are making the trek to Gorges du Verdon, Provence, and St Tropez.

Air b n b’s split between 3 people was even cheaper than a hostel which is what I normally stay at. Hotels were way more expensive as well, but if you have a larger budget then this could be a great option for more amenities.

If you are wondering where to stay in Nice I would highly recommend anywhere near old town because it is the most lively place and walkable to everything. There is also public transportation that is easily accessible.

Air b n b # 1

Very charming and right in the heart of old town. It was a great base for our first few nights. The only complaint was there were no amenities like soap, shampoo, and hand towels. Not sure if that is normally how it goes or if they forgot to add it.

Air b n b # 2

This was our favorite air b n b we stayed at and was located right in old town as well. The amenities they offered were perfect and was comfortable for 3 people. The host even let us store our luggage there for the day since we had a gap. I highly recommend booking and he said they’re a newer air b n b!

Hostel Option # 1

Antares hostel runs from a dorm bed for 70 per night which in my opinion is a bit pricier for a hostel. If you’re solo or with one other person it could still be a cheap option. The location is right by the train station and a bit further from old town, but still is pretty easy to get around.

Hostel Option # 2

Villa Saint Exupery Beach is similar in price and seems like a very social hostel and great if you want to meet like minded travelers. It is located right outside of old town so the location is very prime as well.

Budget Hotel # 1

Hôtel & Appartements Monsigny is another traveler's choice by trip advisor and seems like an overall great bang for your buck. It has more than enough amenities and has a trendy and modern vibe.

Budget Hotel # 2

Ibis Styles Nice Centre Gare would be my top pick for a hotel because of the location, quaint vibe, and very solid reviews.

Mid-luxury hotel # 1

Hyatt Regency Nice Palais de la Mediterranee has won a trip advisor award and pops up with almost every google search when searching for hotels in Nice. This would be the dream to come back and stay for a couple nights. It is right along the promenade and seems so dreamy and romantic.

Mid-luxury hotel # 2

Le Negresco is one of the best hotels in all of Nice. This is way more luxury, but hey if you have the funds and want to splurge then this is the one for you! It’s literally rated as being thes best of the best, but the rates are high for good reason. This is a budget blog, but every once in a while it’s fun to see what else is out there!

Transportation

Renting a Car

It was recommended by so many people to rent a car, which we ended up doing for 24 hours to make the trek to the gorge. It was such a pain to try and park it by our air b n b and find charging since it was electric. I think it would have been more worth it to rent it for the whole week rather than a day, but the convenience of not parking and dealing with the safety of driving was nice to avoid

You can rent a car at the airport which has a ton of lines and other people renting so anticipate a long wait to receive your vehicle. There are places in old Nice which would have made more sense for the day.

Public Transportation

Bus vs Train

The bus was easy for towns like villefrance sur mer and saint jean cap ferrat! We bought our bus pass from a cigarette store/ convenience store. Otherwise you can use exact cash to buy a ticket.

We took the train when visiting menton, cannes, and antibes. There are train stations which we had no problems navigating. The schedule was so off and a local told me they are never on time so that’s something to keep in mind.

Uber

We used uber quite a bit when we didn’t want to wait for the bus and when we wanted to get places a bit quicker. It was more difficult to get accepted rides when it was further distances like Eze and Grasse, but eventually it worked out!

Weather and When to Go

Unfortunately it was pretty cloudy when we went so make sure to check the forecast to guarantee sun because it affects how blue the water is and makes going to the beach not as fun! The first week in July would be the absolute best week because it is almost guaranteed to have sunny hot weather. The lavender fields will be in full bloom and so if you go to Provence you will get some insane shots of the lavender fields. Anywhere from June to September will have the best weather almost guaranteed, unless you get unlucky like us.

What to Pack

The beaches are mainly pebble beaches so come prepared with a towel, shoes that can come into the water, and lots of sunscreen. Swimsuits, coverups, sunglasses, and anything else you’re comfortable wearing to the beach will cover the beach days on this trip!

We all brought linen pants, shorts, breezy sundresses, and tank tops because it is hot. I didn’t use a jacket while I was there at the end of june, but an oversized linen long sleeve wouldn’t hurt.

Leave the heels at home because comfortable walking shoes are way more practical and will save you space. All I brought was slip on sandals, tevas, and reebok sneakers! The tevas were awesome for swimming in the pebble beaches because people were literally falling, getting in and out of the water.

Bring a portable charger because we were out all day and didn’t have many phone charging opportunities. Also make sure to bring your camera gear with you. I had no issues with safety concerns with having my gear, but as always being smart and aware of getting your gear out is always helpful.

The last recommendation is a good tote type bag to be able to carry all your belongings since you will be doing so many day trips and not coming back to Nice until the evening time. I use the free people quilted tote and it can hold a solid amount of things.

Tips for Visiting/ Planning

I was almost overwhelmed by how many towns, beaches, activities, and different regions to visit there are. I watched so many tiktoks, blog posts, and youtube videos to try and break it down a bit.

We decided we didn’t want to rent a car for a week which in hindsight I wish we would have since everything is way more spread out especially if you plant yourself in Nice. Also having a car makes it more possible to stay in different areas and optimize driving time.

So, the first step is to decide whether you want to rent the car because this will determine where you stay and the itinerary. The public transportation was decent to navigate, but nothing was on time and it took way longer than we anticipated at some points.

Once you have this decision made then either book your stay in Nice and make day trips from there or have some places lined up in different regions. If it’s your first time in the South of France then I recommend just staying in Nice and making day trips.

The next step is to plan out a loose itinerary of the towns you want to hit in a day. You really can’t go wrong with any place along the French Riviera. Later on in the post I will lay out the itinerary we ended up with and the places I would add the next time we visit.

Locals were super helpful and gave us some suggestions so always ask around for some more off the beaten path places. We found a red rock beach from multiple locals suggesting it to us in Le Traya.

Must Visit Towns

Nice

Great base to stay at especially for day trips! Explore and try to stay in old town. It is the most historical with the architecture and the most lively. There are incredible coffee shops, eateries, and bars in this area. The promenade des anglais is a 5 minute walk from the heart of old town so it makes it so easy to go to beach clubs during the day. The colline du chateau is a beautiful park we walked to the very top. It provides panoramic views of Nice and we were even greeted with some live music. There are also markets and the best one is the market on cours saleya.

The coffee shops and restaurants I would recommend are - la claque, hobo coffee, frisson, and blend coffee. Bocca, mamma mia, type 55, and carmela for dinner! We also stopped by a woman owned bakery called pain aux bles anciens. I ate the best sandwich of my life there and you get to watch them homemake the sourdough.

Eze

It was so hard to get to, but SO worth it! The bus got canceled and the next one wasn’t for another hour and a half so we met some sweet canadian gals who split an uber with us. It took about a half hour for someone to accept the ride, but after a slight adventure and meeting new friends we finally made it to the most quaint and stunning village-like town. At the top you can pay for the jardin exotique for a lovely view. The Nietzsche path is also stunning. The best recommendation is to just wander and get a little lost in the narrow cobblestone streets of Eze.

Monaco

This is the best town for luxury shopping and you can see everything in a few hours. One of those places you want to check off the list, but once you do then there doesn’t feel like a need to see it again. We got lunch at an Italian restaurant called Maya Mia. We roamed around the plaza and inside the Monte Carlo Casino. After that we walked near the coast and then headed to Menton. Larvotto beach would have been great, but we went on another cloudy day.

Menton

Come on a sunny day and would be perfect to plan to be here before sunset and end the day with. It was cloudy when we went, but I still loved the beach and how colorful the buildings were. Les Sablette beach was where we hung out. You can walk the steps up to the basilica de michael.

Cannes

another place to shop and go to the beach. It was cool to visit, but didn’t stand out to me as much. They had their massive advertising festival in Cannes so it was filled with reservations for parties for major companies like Google, Pinterest, and Adobe. They were lined up along palm beach. I feel like an hour or two was plenty for me to feel like I saw it.

Antibes

I wish we had more time to explore more beach towns here. Once again it was cloudy the day we went and so we just grabbed dinner in town and walked around. I saw so many videos about baies des milliardaires. So be sure to check out this beach if you go. There’s also a little hike around the beaches which I also heard was lovely.

Le traya

This is known for its red rock beaches recommended by locals as well. We went on a cloudy day so it reminded me on the pnw for some reason. I found the most random spot and even our driver was like where is this??? Then when we pulled up he was like ohhh jk I’ve been here before, last week actually. It was a spot called Les Calanques de Maupas that took us to a small beach. It ended up being very cool and secluded. We packed a little sandwich, snacks, and drinks and just enjoyed the view until heading to Grasse right after.

Grasse

I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I loved Grasse. The museum of parfumerie was closed when we got there unfortunately, but it looked so amazing to learn about the history before making a purchase. We went to Fragonard, which seemed like the chain in the South of France. There were multiple shops in other cities we visited, but it was special to buy it in the perfume capitol. Stroll the umbrella-lined streets and pop into some shops before heading out!

Villefranche Sur Mer

This was my favorite beach town we went to and there was actual sand! I could’ve planted myself the whole day and been so content. We went to plages des mariners. The promenade is also a great place to take a stroll. We got a drink at one of the stands and layed out for a while until the sun started to set.

Saint Jean Cap Ferrat

Paloma beach is here and I loved the little town leading up to the beach. We took a bus from Nice which was so easy to hop on! We grabbed a pizza and aperol spritz and planted ourselves on the beach for a few hours. There is a beach club at Paloma, but it was around 50 per person so we decided since we bought our own food and drinks already to just lay our towels down and save our money.

Gorges du Verdon

The most insane place we visited. We rented a car for the day and it was quite the journey getting the car, but it was so worth it in the end. We drove from Nice for the day and didn’t get there until about 4pm. It was a 3 hour drive and was super curvy and not for the faint of heart. We made some stops for food and views along the way. We stopped by the bridge that overlooks the water first to take some photos. After taking in the view we rented a peddle boat for an hour and a half. I sincerely could’ve stayed on the water all day. We explored the canyon and took a dip. Rent from MYC Plage because their hospitality and kindness was incredible. They recommended the best gelato and cutest mountain town.

Moustier-Saint-Marie

After our time in the canyon we got changed and headed into the most DREAMY mountain town. I literally felt like I was in a fairytale. There were people playing live music, drinking, and dancing. We explored the quaint town and then made a small trek to the top of the notre dame beauvoir chapel for sunset. The yummy gelato we ate on our hike was called L’Etoile Givrée.

5 Day Jam Packed Itinerary! (excluding travel days)

Refer to the list above for some more in depth recommendations of each town!

Day 1: Nice

Explore old town, head to Colline du Chateau, and then a beach to cool off. Anywhere along the promenade you can’t go wrong! After cleaning up and getting ready make sure to reserve a rooftop table at Bocca.

Day 2: Eze, Monaco, Menton

Start the morning in Eze and explore for a few hours. After Eze I would spend a couple of hours in Monaco to see the iconic town, although you won’t need too much time here. Finish the day in Menton for a beach day and explore the colorful town!

Day 3: Antibe, Cannes, Le Traya, and Grasse

It is very lofty to hit all 4 in one day, but if you start early is it possible! In hindsight I wish we started in Antibes and spent the morning at the beach, but instead we ended here. We met my seatmate on the plane in Cannes and shopped around a little before grabbing lunch items and heading to a spot in le Traya. We had a picnic and left after it started raining. Since it was a rainy day and we all wanted perfume we headed to Grasse. We all picked out a special perfume and wandered the umbrella-filled streets.

Day 4: Gorges du Verdon and Moustiere-Saint-Marie

Rent a car for a day and enjoy the 3 hour drive to Gorges du Verdon. Stop at some viewpoints and take photos. Get into your swimsuit and rent a peddle boat for at least 2 hours. It was around 35 euros for an hour and a half so it was affordable! Swim and explore the canyon and then return the boat. Head to Moustiers-Sainte-Marie which is about a 15 minute drive from the gorge. Get gelato at L’Etoile Givrée. Walk to the top of the chapel at sunset. It was truly a spiritual experience being in a chapel at the top of a beautiful town in the south of France. Doesn’t get much better than this moment. Drive 3 hours back to Nice. (this was the worst part lol) if you can spend another night in town I totally would’ve!

Day 5: Villefranche Sur Mer and Saint Jean Cap Ferat

Spend your last full day relaxing with a proper beach day. Head to Paloma beach and indulge in the beach club there. It’s around 50 per person and doesn’t include drinks, but since it is a pebble beach it is nice to have a daybed. After Paloma I would take a short bus ride to villefranche sur mer. It has sand on the beach which was the best change from the pebbles. Walk along the promenade and indulge in drinks while relaxing! Spend your last night going out! We ended with Bocca Mar which turned into a small dance party with a dj. We were all beat from the trip and headed to bed before flying out the next afternoon!

Places I Would go if I come Back to the South of France:

Marseille
St Tropez
Aix en Provence
Lyon
Calanques National Park
Saint Paul de Vence
Provence for the lavender fields

Everything I Wish I Knew Before Visiting The South of France