The French Riviera and Monaco are the last stops on this 9-day itinerary across France. The beaches of the French Riviera and the buildings and harbor of flashy Monaco are stops you can’t miss in the area. Live it up for a few more days on your French vacation. If you have yet to read the first two parts of this France Itinerary, I encourage you to read Part 1: 3 Days in Paris and Part 2: Avignon and French Wine Country
Post Contents
Nice (Day 6)
Travel to Nice
To start the sixth day of the France itinerary, you will be traveling to the French Riviera and using the city of Nice as a base. As with prior travel between cities in France, the train is the quickest, easiest, and most economical means of making the trip. Plus by now you’re are a Franch train pro, why change it up?
On the route from Avignon to Paris there are multiple types of trains that operate. TGV (fast interregional trains) and TER (regional trains making more stops) train operate this route. Getting a TGV train is often the cheapest and quickest. The total trip is generally just under 3 and a half hours on a TGV train.
Nice Accommodations
Nice is one of the top 10 largest cities in France. As such the cost of accommodations in Nice will much closer reflect the cost in Paris, than the cost in the French countryside. In these situations, I often turn to alternative accommodations such as Airbnb. While I don’t recommend specific Airbnb listings, I would encourage you to try out Airbnb if you are interested. If you are new to Airbnb, using the link below will save you $50 on your first stay.
Explore Nice
Once you arrive in Nice and settle in, take some time to get to know the city. Nice will be a base from which you will explore the surrounding French Riviera over the next couple of days. While this means you will spend several nights in Nice, you won’t spend many daylight hours in the city. Some recommended things to go on the first afternoon when you arrive are:
Place Massena
The Place Massena is the public square in Nice. This square is surrounded by Italian architecture buildings (displaying the closeness of the region to the culture and influences of Italy). This is a great place to walk to absorb the essence of downtown Nice. There are many great restaurants around this area as well, so scope out options for the next couple of days as you walk. Finally, I personally choose to get accommodations near this area. The location close to the coast, restaurants, and public transportation connections make this I ideal place to call home for the next 3 days.
Nice Beach and Boardwalk
Taking a stroll along the Nice beach and boardwalk can be a pleasant way to stretch your legs and see some of the French Riviera coastlines after your train ride. The Nice beach is one of the rougher coastlines on the French Riviera containing almost no sand. As opposed to beaches you will see in the next couple of days, this beach is mostly black rock. Still, it makes for a nice time to walk along the sea and take in the sights and breeze.
Castle Hill
Castle Hill is a park set on a hill at a point on the Mediterranean. The views of the Nice skyline and coastline are superb from this location. If you time it right, the sight of the sunset from the hill would be an amazing way to end the day. The ascent up the hill is a little steep, so if this hike isn’t for you there is a free lift that transports you from the bottom to the top of the beachside of the park.
#ILoveNice
At the base of Castle Hill, as you head back toward Place Massena along the beach, there is a point overlook along the Nice coastline. Located at this point is an artistic 3D sign stating “#ILoveNice”. It makes a great spot to capture a picture day and night to make sure you truly remember where you were and how much fun you had.
Cannes (Day 7)
Cannes, France (most often pronounced “kan” or “can”) is most well known for the Cannes Film Festival that comes to this French city each year. The film festival runs about 10 days each year (most often in May). First, ensure you aren’t traveling to the region while this is going on. Once you have confirmed that, you may ask: “What else is there to do in Cannes?”
Cannes is a typical French Rivera city. While you are staying in Nice (another French Rivera city), Cannes is completely different. Cannes is much smaller, is more laid back, has a more historical feel, and importantly has nice sandy beaches. This itinerary combines some beach relaxation with Cannes sightseeing and shopping if you so choose.
Travel to Cannes
Following the same pattern as before, the regional TER trains are the best method to get between Nice and Cannes. Depending on the current routes and stops, this journey takes between 30 – 40 minutes and costs roughly €6/person.
Rue Meynadier
Rue Meynadier is a walking street only surrounded by French cafes and shops. This street contains some of the less-known French brands. Traveling through Rue Meynadier adds less than 5 minutes to the walk between the Cannes Train Station and Le Suquet (the next stop on the itinerary) and thus it is the optimal way to see a unique part of Cannes.
If you have not had breakfast yet or are in need of a snack, there are several great cafes along this road to stop in for a quick bite to each and a coffee or espresso. If there is something you can’t live without in a shop, make a mental note of the store location. Cannes has a small city center, and stopping back through prior to boarding the train back to Nice is easy.
Pro Tip: Don’t purchase anything large this early in the day. Save large purchases for just before returning to the train. Your arm will be tired from carrying large items all day and bags make you a bigger target for petty theft.
Le Suquet
Le Suquet is the old town of Cannes and is located high above the port and coastline. This castle hilltop is also known as Rue St Antoine due to St Antoine being the name of the winding street that climbs this hill.
While the hike up Rue St Antoine is all uphill and cuts back on itself a few times, the walk is actually very enjoyable. The street is lined with beautiful old homes and small cafes which make perfect spots to rest and recharge if required. There are several flights of stairs that are public and take pedestrians between switchbacks in Rue St Antoine. If you are on a time crunch you can take these for a more direct path from the city center to Le Suquet. However, if you have the time I recommend taking the street as it is a more leisurely ascent and you miss the scenery from the stairs.
At the top of Le Suquet is a small church (Eglise Notre-Dame d’Esperance) and the Cannes castle (Chateau de la Castre). I recommend exploring each of these from the outside. The true gem is the park and overlooks above Cannes. From this perch, you are able to see most of Cannes (especially the coastal areas where you spend the majority of the day). Take time to take in the vistas and capture a picture or two (or twenty…).
La Croisette
French Riviera Beach
After making your way down from Le Suquet, it’s finally time for some rest and relaxation. As long as you are traveling to France during a semi-warm time of year, the beaches and restaurants along La Croisette are a great way to soak in the sun along the Mediterranean Sea. This area is lined with numerous outfits that will rent you a beach chair, towel, umbrella, and provide food and beverage service. Depending on the time of year you are visiting and the demand, the cost of these amenities varies widely. Also, be warned that some of the beachfront areas take reservations and can be booked up at popular times. However, if you are traveling on a shoulder season and not during a holiday you shouldn’t have any issues.
There are about 16 private beach vendors, located along La Croisette. Renting a chair and/or umbrella from one of these locations and having the food and beverage service provided on a semi-private beach is luxurious. Each of the private beach vendors caters to different audiences and tastes, so I suggest you check out the options for yourself. During my visit, I chose to spend the afternoon at C Beach. I was traveling during the offseason and was able to secure two chairs and towels for a half-day for €50. If a semi-private beach is not your style or in your vacation budget, the public beach on La Croisette is located at the Southeast most section of the beach. Bring your own towel and enjoy the Mediterranean for free.
Shopping
In addition to the beachfront areas, La Croisette is known for its designer shops. You will find the likes of Gucci, Prada, OMEGA, Louis Vuitton, and Armani among the storefronts. While I don’t have the wallet to shop labels such as these, it can be just as much fun to window shop these stores. If you do choose to do any shopping, I recommend that you save time to do so after a beach trip to ensure you don’t have to keep up with the bags at the beach.
Rue d’Antibes
Rue d’Antibes is the final primary shopping street in Cannes you will visit.
This street is different than Rue Meynadier in that it is not only a walking street. It does contain wide sidewalks however making for a pleasant stroll. Rue d’Antibes possesses shops that most will be more familiar with such as Lacoste, Tommy Hilfiger, Zara, and Sephora to name a few. In addition, there are several pastry shops and cafes that make for a good treat. If you didn’t get your fill of macaroons in Paris, a Laduree is also located on Rue d’Antibes.
If you are interested in shopping for Cannes or French souvenirs, this is a great opportunity. This will be the last walk of the day prior to getting back onto the train to Nice.
Return to Nice via Train
Return to Nice on the same regional TER trains as you used this morning.
Eze and Monaco (Day 8)
The final day of this itinerary before heading back home will explore the village of Eze and the principality of Monaco. These two locations could not be more different yet represent the juxtaposition of the French Riviera and its neighbor Monaco perfectly.
Travel to Eze, France
Local Bus 82 
Uber or Taxi 
Train and Hike
There are three options to get to Eze from France.
- Local Bus Number 82
- Train + a Hike
- Uber or Taxi
The local bus is by far the cheapest way to get to Eze at €1.50/person. This bus takes roughly a half-hour and leaves once an hour. If you can catch the bus and it works for your schedule this is a good deal. The downsides of the bus are the numbers of stops that it makes and the low-frequency schedule. Also depending on the time of day and year that you are attempting to take the bus, it may be fairly crowded or full.
The regional TER train only runs to the Eze beach. Most would assume that the Eze beach is close to Eze, but it’s not. The beach and train station is approximately 2km (1.25 miles) from the center of Eze where the activities below are located. Before attempting this route be aware that the hike from the Eze beach to Eze is a very uphill hike. I only suggest this route if you are looking for the hike as an activity and not a method of transportation.
Uber (or a taxi) is generally the most convenient and is more economical if you have a large party. At the time of publishing the average Uber fare from Nice to Eze was €24. The drive takes approximately 20 minutes without stops.
The Village of Eze
The village of Eze is built onto the side of a hilltop and will take you back in time seeing the cobblestone streets and connected stone buildings. Wandering this community will transport you to another world. As with many things in Eze, the streets to explore this village have large elevation changes and the cobblestone streets can be uneven and difficult to walk on. I suggest walking with care in this area, but if you are able to experience this village I highly recommend it. Walking through many of the village streets is required to reach the next stop – Jardin Exotique d’Eze.
Jardin Exotique d’Eze
The foremost attraction in Eze is “Jardin Exotique d’Eze” or the Exotic Garde of Eze. This is a plant garden situated on the pinnacle of the hilltop on which Eze is situated. This garden has all manner of interesting plants (particularly cacti and succulents) to look at along the winding path in the garden. However, as these paths wind upwards on the hilltop, the views of the village below and the Mediterranean are amazing. While much of the paths are on the hills and have changes in elevation, the sidewalks are well maintained so hiking shoes are not required.
Bus to Monaco
Return to the bus stop in Monaco (this will be the same bus stop that you were dropped off at if you took the bus from Nice to Eze).
Monte Carlo Casino
The Monte Carlo Casino is perhaps the most well-known building in Monaco. It has been featured in many famous movies such as Ocean’s Twelve and multiple James Bond movies.The iconic building of Monaco can be admired from the outside (inclusive of the many exotic cars that are almost always housed in front). If you do choose to go inside, note that admission to any areas beside the atrium requires paying admission if you are not gaming. A dress code is also enforced which escalates with the time of the day.
Monaco Marina
Monaco is known for being the home or vacation spot to the richest people in the world. Because of this Monaco has become synonymous with the million-dollar yachts parked in its marina. Just strolling around the marina and observing these large yachts can be an excursion in daydreaming. Perhaps my favorite part of walking the marina was finding yachts for sale and looking them up online. I would try to guess the purchase price of the yacht with my travel companions before looking at the price online. If you also have a pleasant day, I recommend grabbing a drink and a snack at one of the restaurants located on the marina. Something about sipping a glass of wine while overlooking the marina lets you pretend that you are living the lifestyle for a few minutes.
Travel back to Nice
The best way back to Nice from Monaco is the TER train because you will not need to go back through Eze. The TER trains only go one direction from the Monaco station as that is the last stop of the trains coming from France. Going the other direction will have you going through Italy.
Heading Home (Day 9)
Unfortunately, your journey through the French Riviera and Monaco has come to an end. However, Nice is a great place to end the journey as the Nice airport (Aeroport Nice Cote d’Azur) is quite large and has flights to a large number of cities and countries. If you aren’t able to get back to your home airport from Nice or booked a round trip airfare to Paris, there are cheap flights from Nice to Paris. This is one case where I recommend taking the flight instead of the train back to Paris.
