A Week Exploring the French Riviera – Cote d’Azur, France

July 2024

A Week Exploring the French Riviera – Cote d’Azur, France

Falling in love with eurosummer has changed the focus on summer travel. Beach clubs, spritz, evenings dressed up – finding new locations throughout Europe to tap into this eurosummer culture is tremendous fun. After two summers in Italy, we shifted this year’s trip to the neighboring country of France, specifically the French Riviera or Cote d’Azur, meaning blue coast. This portion of the south of France along the Mediterranean sea spans 550 miles where with over 300 days of sunshine a year, there is so much to see and do.

Nice is the largest city in the French Riviera and the third busiest airport in France. With direct flights into Nice from the east coast and an airport that is just minutes from downtown, this makes travel very easy and accessible. We were so ready to be transported to the French Riviera and with a full week to explore, we were going to try and be as complete in our trip as possible. Instead of moving locations on this trip, we decided to stay in Nice the entire trip since it is central to the entire Riviera and there is so much to do in the city of Nice itself.

The travel on a red eye directly into Nice was very easy. There are several ways to make it from the airport to the destination where you are staying. For us, downtown Nice is a few miles away from the airport. There is a tram, a train, a bus, or a taxi/ride share (Bolt) option to choose from. Most visitors take the tram as it is directly outside the airport but if you purchased your tickets at the airport kiosks, the 1.70 euro journey turns into 10 euro (a tourist tax, if you will). The train is a short walk away and the stop in Nice will require either a second tram or fifteen minute walk to downtown. So we opted for the bus – the stop is across the street from the airport, the fare is 1.70 euro, and the line #1 goes along the coastline which is where most visitors will be staying. Our Airbnb stop was just a block away from the bus stop. So for us, the bus was certainly the way to go. To save time, investigate which route makes most sense for your arrival and what is required for purchasing tickets.

Since our Airbnb would not be ready for our arrival time, we tried Nannybag for the first time. The concept is simple – local businesses offer to store your luggage for a period of your choosing at a set fee and there are reviews of the establishments as well. I picked a clothing store located just across the street from the Airbnb and reserved our spot. When we arrived, the clothing store was closed. While we did arrive later than our booked time, there were no black out times for bag drop off when I went to book that would indicate a closure time. I reached out to the number posted on the door as instructed but did not reach the owner. Luckily, our Airbnb host reached out that our room would actually be ready so the time with our bags was limited. It was disappointing that our first time with this service was negative but I do think we would try again in the future since it is useful, maybe I will pick something that is required to stay open all day to give a better chance of success.

The Airbnb is located just outside of Old Nice and one block from the beach which made it perfect for accessing whatever we wanted to do around Nice. It was a fifteen minute walk to the train station for our day trips and about a half hour walk to the marina on the other side of Nice so we were really pleased with where we were staying. It was also quiet which was important since summer in Nice is exceptionally crowded so it was a nice escape to retreat to each day.

Eager to start exploring, we settled into the Airbnb and set off to wander the streets of Nice. It was funny to remember we were in France and not Italy as the buildings and streets certainly felt Italian. We learned this region of France was actually part of Italy up until the late 1800s which influenced the architecture and feel. On the shore side of Old Nice is a long and wide promenade where people walk, run, bike, rollerblade, scooter, etc. This set up really leans into the coastline allowing for incredible views at all times. It is amazing how walkable everything is – if you had the time, you could even walk to neighboring towns. 

Food was a high priority after a long travel stretch and terrible airline food – what the heck American Airlines – and were lucky to grab the last two seats at Rouge Wine Bar for an epic wine list and tasty tapas styled food. We sampled multiple glasses of wine and ordered the following dishes:

• Zucchini flowers in tempura 
• Octopus, candied potatoes, rocket foam, and candied garlic ream
• Razor clams in parsley
• Cheese of the day 

Everything was fantastic and if we did not have dinner plans in a few hours, I think we would have eaten the menu. The dishes were all excellent and the vibe here was casual and fun. This was the perfect spot to be welcomed back to France and I highly recommend stopping here on your trip.

Since we were nearby, we wanted to check out Colline du Chateau park for the panoramic views of the coastline. After a short climb up, we got to see a sneak peek of the marina on one side of the park and then the waterfall before visiting the two view points (Panorama sur la Vieille Ville de NIce and Point de vue Colline du Chateau). The view from all these locations is stunning and a great way to see all of Nice and beyond. 

After all those stairs, we treated ourselves to gelato at Papilla. Due to that Italian influence, proper gelato can be found everywhere and it is the perfect mid day summer snack. It certainly felt like we were back in Italy and even felt compelled to order in Italian. The gelato here was wonderful and the perfect accessory to stroll the streets of Nice.

Our walk took us through more squares, side streets, the cathedral, and into one of the pharmacies. With lots of beach time ahead of us, I wanted to purchase the famous French sunscreen and with so many choices, I ultimately went with Bioderma. I can say now that it is indeed life changing and I will exclusively be using French sunscreen from here on out. I laid in the sun all day and barely tanned, which is a true testament. You can purchase at Care to Beauty which is what I did as soon as we got home!

When traveling to a popular destination during high season, having dinner reservations ahead of arriving is important for ensuring a seat at a well rated restaurant. I booked our first dinner at Le Panier and we were very excited to embark on this culinary journey. 

Read the full dining review of this must eat restaurant, Le Panier, here!

What a fantastic meal to end our arrival day to the French Riviera! A walk was critical after this meal before laying down for the night so we cut through Old Nice to the promenade and wow, the night action just blew us away. There were so many people and so much going on, every restaurant was overflowing with people, street performers in their prime, people still hanging on the beach, in the ocean, playing volleyball – it was endless activity. This was a great way to get our evening stroll in before heading to bed. 

Day 1

Our day had one goal – beach club. After our Sicily beach club experience, we were hoping Nice could equal or top that so we were so excited for our day of relaxation. The beach clubs along Nice do not take reservations so I vetted a few options so we had choices if one was full. We stopped at one of the beach clubs when we arrived to see if we could reserve a spot for today in person and was told they do not accept reservations and to arrive early as a line does form. The beach clubs open at 9:30AM and when she told us to queue around 9AM, we knew that meant earlier for us. 

We stopped at Cafe Vergnano to grab coffee and croissants before arriving to a long line at our first choice beach club, Le Galet. We got in line immediately and may have been fifteen or twenty in line and by looking at all the beach chairs and umbrellas, we knew we would definitely get chairs as the line continued to build behind us. And as we approached the host stand, we were shocked to find out we were some of the last people to even get a chair. Come to find out that only the back row was available. Somehow, the first two rows were fully reserved. Everyone else in the line was notified Le Galet was full for the day and while I was ecstatic we were lucky enough to be here for the day, I looked around baffled at how a place that does not accept reservations, was booked. A mystery I may never solve but in any case, make sure to arrive at the beach club of choice super early to best enjoy your day. 

Read our full review of Le Galet Beach Club, including how to plan your day at the beach, here!

On our way to dinner, we admired all the narrow alley ways that are jammed packed with activity. Outdoor dining is one of the best parts of eurosummer.

Dinner tonight was reserved at Peppino. With an excellent rating, this Italian spot with wine bottles on the walls, red checkered table cloths, and music playing – this was a meal we were excited for. The menu is simple, just a few options to choose from written on a chalk board for what is fresh for the day. We ordered two entrees – the octopus salad and the lasagna. And while the octopus salad was great, this lasagna was legendary. I honestly wished we both ordered it so if you get the chance to dine here, someone in your group must order the lasagna (as I understand it, the lasagna is a staple on the menu and rightfully so). For dessert, we ordered the tiramisu which was quite tasty, We really enjoyed our meal at Peppino and would certainly recommend it! 

Our evening stroll took us through parts of Old Nice we had yet to explore and stumbled into the gelato staple of Nice – Fennochio. The crowd outside was several people deep and the list of flavors was certainly more extensive than a traditional gelateria so I was a bit skeptical. But to my surprise, the gelato was great and ended up being one of the favorites of the trip that we repeatedly visited.

We took our gelato on a long walk along the promenade but this time, up towards the marina. The view from the top is simply amazing, especially as the sun sets in the distance. There is an I LOVE NICE sign that is very popular photo spot and there is opportunity to sit and enjoy the area as well. 

Our walk continued down around to the marina passing a massive war memorial – we could not believe the size as it memorializes years of history (I took a photo of Kevin for scale for just how big it is). The walkway continued down around the Port Lymphia marina where yachts are parked – this area of Nice is awesome and would be another great spot to stay. There was an election during our visit and news coverage overtook the street so of course we had to stop and see what was going on. This direction is also where the Instagram restaurant Le Plongeoir which while has great reviews about the view does not share similar favor to the food and the prices so this was a skip for us, especially since there are so many great places to get the views for free. 

While we could have taken the tram, instead we took a long walk back across the entirety of Old Nice – we definitely made up our step count for the day despite spending most of the day on the beach.

Day 2

The start of our day took us on a long walk back to Port Lymphia and with a long day ahead, we stopped at Le Lunel for breakfast. While it was certainly different than we normally go for, it included coffee, orange juice, a croissant, and a baguette with butter and jelly (for those that know me, Kevin got two coffees out of this deal. And the spread was actually really great (though Kevin’s was sans croissant cause they did not have enough baked off despite this being peak breakfast time?).

Anyway, we hurried over to our meeting spot for our day wine tasting through Provence! 

Read about our day trip wine tasting in Provence with Grape Tours here!

We returned to Nice around 6:30PM so this wine tasting experience is truly is an all day tour. Our dinner tonight took us north of Old City to well rated Les Sens. Since we had been wine tasting all day, our mood to over indulge was less appetizing. Les Sens is a larger restaurant with the ability to accommodate more people than many of the restaurants in Old Nice. That being said, it was certainly packed. There were many menu options but we chose to keep it simple and select our own dishes.

• Pea soup with foie gras – This was fantastic and Kevin was nice enough to share as this combination of flavors was super
• Cheese plate – I enjoyed by no one told me what any of the cheeses were so can’t comment on what I had, but the cheese were great.
• BBQ Chicken – Kevin’s choice for an entree was delicious and reminded us of home.
• Risotto – I ordered this for my entree and it was very basic and bland. I was shocked that all it was was a dish of risotto with nothing else going on despite the truffles on top. 
• The famous souffle – Les Sens dubs themselves as having the best souffle in the world so we had to try it. And it was good but maybe I do not know souffles enough to know it is the best.

Overall, while Les Sens is super well rated, I do not think it is a must eat on your trip to Nice. I think I ordered wrong, as Kevin’s selections were great. Stuffed, we took a longer way home so we could digest a bit for heading to sleep. On our way home, we spotted many restaurants that had TVs propped up so guests could watch the EuroCup – so much to love about Europe.

Day 3

Today we had rented a car to explore the Verdon Gorge and the Lavender fields but through a series of events, we ended up canceling these plans. Sometimes when planning a trip, things look way better on paper and plans need to be flexible for various situations. For this, the traffic in this area is bonkers adding an hour to the journey which is not something I knew about when planning this day. The drive to the gorge and lavender fields totaled three hours one direction which would be six hours of driving for three hours of an activity and that did not seem like a good use of vacation time. 

So with the change of plans, we made our way to the Flower Market. Marché Aux Fleurs at Cours Saleya featured many market favorites included various food items, crafts and arts, and of course, flowers. The flower market is open Tuesday through Sunday all year long from early in the morning until 1:30PM. One Monday, instead of the flowers and produce, the marché à la brocante arrived which showcases antiques like a flea market. The reason the market is dedicated to flowers is because there is a historical significance. In the late 1890s, Nice served as a wholesaler for flowers shipping by train to locations around the world.

Our plan for the day would be to explore just west of Nice to explore the French Riviera towns of Èze, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, and Villefranche-sur-Mer. Traveling throughout the Riviera is so easy with public transport so we started by taking a bus to the hillside town of Èze. 

Read about our time in Èze here!

After a beautiful morning in Èze, we traveled to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat for a visit to Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild – a 20th century villa with exquisite gardens and sweeping coastal views.

Read about our visit to Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild here!

I could not wait to spend more time exploring Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. We had plans to visit the downtown area later in the trip so after we completed the visit to the Villa, we took a bus #15 to our last town for the day, Villefranche-sur-Mer.

Read about our evening in Villefranche-sur-Mer here!

After an exceptional day, we made our way back to Nice by way of the train. Four days in and we had not yet taking a train but as expected, it was quite easy to navigate. A six minute train ride sent us right in Nice for a relaxing walk home. While the day did not go as planning on the itinerary, it was a fantastic day exploring the French Riviera. 

Day 4

We had another day of exploring more of the French Riviera today and we wanted to make sure we got an earlier start than yesterday and while we tried, we were successful by only beating our time yesterday by a little. On our way to the train station, we stopped at a boulangerie Le Clementine and would recommend it if you need a spot close to the train station. 

Our goals today were to visit the towns of Menton and the country of Monaco which would complete our journey of the towns west of Nice along the French Riviera. We hoped abroad our train and arrived in Menton in less than an hours journey. 

Read about our time in Menton here! 

Unfortunately, we ran out of things to do given that places on our visit list were not open and the rain – crazy lemon loving microclimate. Upon looking at the radar, Menton seemed to be the only destination on the Riviera experiencing the rain so while we were only here for two hours, we made the decision to move onto Monaco. Though our time in Menton was short, we did enjoy our few hours there.

Read about our time in the country of Monaco here!

I have to say, Monaco certainly impressed us! The train back to Nice was quite easy, as all uses of the public transit in the French Riviera and in Europe is – and made it back to Nice just before 8PM. This was a tricky time to navigate dinner with no reservation. I would recommend the best chance of getting into a good spot is to be at the door for opening as any open tables will be given away then. But Kevin was optimistic so we started going through my stars – Bistrot d’Antoine and Chez Acchiardo – were all a strict no go. But around the corner was a small pasta spot – Cose Cosi that ended up being one of our favorite finds in Nice.

Read the full dining review for Cose Cosi here!

I still can’t believe how lucky we got finding this spot – it was such a great and memorable dining experience. On our walk home today, we stumbled upon a dance party in the square, a night market, and set up for the Tour de France – I just love summer nights in Europe!

Day 5

Today was dedicated to exploring the towns to the west of Nice – the famous Cannes and Antibes. I had hesitations about our day to Cannes and Antibes – part of me really wanted to hit up Le Galet Beach Club again – but to come to the French Riviera without visiting Cannes and Antibes would be a disservice. I wanted to be a French Riviera completionist and that meant seeing what these towns had to offer. The trains make everything in the Rivera accessible, so we made our plans for the day and headed out with a stop at Armand for breakfast (amazing pastries!). 

Our first stop was Cannes, less than an hour by train from Nice. And based on traffic patterns, I would advise to avoid driving in this direction – it is a parking lot on the highway so the train really is superior. We had high expectations for the destination that hosts the famous film festival.

Read about our day in Cannes here!

Well, Cannes was a disappointment which was disappointing in itself. We finished our time here quickly so we progressed to Antibes hoping for a fuller experience.

Read about our day in Antibes here!

Ahead of schedule, we once again found ourselves back in Nice with no dinner reservation. While we never repeat dining experiences, we enjoyed ourselves so much at Cose Cosi and there were more dishes we wanted to try that we learned in and returned.

Read the full dining review for Cose Cosi here!

Well, what an amazing surprise how this evening worked out and a fantastic meal! That is why we love bigger towns like Nice cause while people flock to the staples, there are hidden gems like this all over that are doing something delicious. Just wait until they are discovered. 

It was a beautiful night for an evening stroll just as the sun was disappearing from the sky, taking in every scene.

Day 6

We were so looking forward to this day – a day where we had a full beach day ahead of us and at on of the most exclusive beach clubs in the Rivera. Our first stop was at our new favorite patisserie, Armand, before making our way to a bus stop for the day where we stopped a scooter store where we simply had to window shop.

After a sneak peek of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat at our visit to Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, we were excited to explore more of this iconic area of the French Riviera and visit one it the most exclusive beach clubs, Paloma Beach.

Read about our time at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and the famous beach club at Paloma Beach here!

The bus ride back to Nice was as easy as the way here. We made sure to sit on the side of the bus to enjoy the views of the coast for the last time as our trip was coming to a close. 

Once in Nice, we took the long way home by stopping for gelato at Fennochio and enjoying watching the Euro Cup from the streets where Spain advanced to the semi-finals and France was getting ready to play. The streets were full of France pride, flags, and chants and the match was preparing to air. Almost every restaurant had a TV rigged up to attract diners so they would not miss a minute of the match. We also noted the Tour de France set up was getting close to completion as they prepared to host the final stages of the race. Our last walk along the promenade was met with the joy of discovering this beautiful place in the world and the sadness to be leaving it.

Day 7

We woke up early to finish packing and grab plenty of food and snacks from Armand to fuel our journey back home. We heard lots of commotion and saw streets closed with police presence. We had planned on taking the bus to the airport like we did on arrival but had concerns about accessibility. We wanted to walk Old Nice anyway so we set out to see what was going on. 

And here, there was a full on bike race going! I am not sure how we missed it but all the signs up until this point were indicating the Tour de France starting at the end of July. Typically, areas hosting a leg of Tour de France will have local races as well for participation and we were lucky enough to catch the action. The course was set up to start right at the promenade so we saw hundreds of riders in their coral ready to go. We walked as far as we could towards Old Nice but there was no way to access it. Instead, we watched as the bikers began their 140km journey into the countryside. I cannot even imagine the logistics of a one way race of this scale. It was so fun to watch these bikers start their journeys and get a glimpse of what watching the Tour de France is like. 

Since taking the bus was a no-go, we left earlier for the airport that we intended. Plus, the airport seems like a bit of a hot mess after seeing just how many planes arrive every day – it is the third largest airport in France after all. We ended up taking the tram which while going from the airport to Nice is 10 euro, going from Nice to the airport is only 1.70 euro and it is very easy – literally takes you right to the airport door. Our time at the airport was actually much easier than I anticipated and with time to spare we ended up relaxing at a lounge (thank you priority pass!) before our flight. 

And with that, our journey home began after a fantastic week in the French Riviera. I cannot believe how easy it is to get here from the USA east coast and the paradise that awaits! This is a wonderful location to Eurosummer where you can make the trip as active or relaxed as you want.

Read all blog posts for French Riviera here!

See our complete itinerary here!

Planning your own trip? Read the Perfect Itinerary for French Riviera here!

Review our complete carry-on packing here!