We are back in one of my absolute favourite places in the south of France, on the beautiful French Riviera. When you think of this part of the world, you probably think of big yachts and fancy casinos and maybe even topless beaches. While you can find all of those things here, but there is so much more to explore.
First of all, if you want to do your trip by car, we strongly recommend car rental. Check it out!
And in this article you’ll find out everything you need to know about travelling in the south of France, starting with Castle Hill.
South of France
This article is mainly focusing on the French Riviera, but there is so much more that the south of France has to offer. The different names in the region can get confusing, from Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.
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It is a fairly large region divided into six sub-regions in south-eastern France. The itinerary I outline here takes place in what is commonly called Provence, which contains the southwestern part of the region, while other destinations such as Nice, Cannes and Sain Paul de Vence are located along the Cote d’Azur. Now on the French Riviera, in the eastern part of the region.
Nice
Upon arrival in France, you should fly into Nice. If you are travelling on a budget or are intimidated by the idea of driving France’s skinny roads and endless blind corners, you can travel most of the region by train.
Rent a car in Nice
We personally recommend renting a car in Nice, especially a convertible for road trip because it gives you the freedom to stop anywhere. But the cost of the rental car and any parking fees can add up quickly, be sure to increase your budget for, petrol and tolls, book your accommodation based on parking availability and be sure to rent the smallest car possible.
There are many car rentals in Nice, but we recommend you follow this link.
Train
Alternatively, the train is not only a very affordable option, but it is also incredibly scenic and you can actually see many unique sights as they have built the tracks along the coastline.
Train fare from Nice:
- To Antibes: 3€
- For Cannes: 5€
- To Villefranche: 1.90€
- To Monaco: 3€
The train connects the vast majority of the best destinations, but it doesn’t always get you exactly where you need to go, so you may have to compensate with buses, taxis or long walks.
Every great trip to the French Riviera usually starts in Nice. There you can find plenty of sunbathers and parasols, you can also walk the Promenade des Anglais, which stretches for about seven miles along the coast.
What is the best time to visit Nice?
Bear in mind that when you are planning your trip to the south of France, the weather and peak season is in July and August of course, when is the busiest peak season to head anywhere in Europe, but especially the south of France.
We recommend going anytime between May and October to get the best weather, and also June is probably your best bet to get the summer weather with a little less crowding, and also an amazing part of travelling here in the summer is that there are so many festivals, outdoor markets and fairs that you can go and see.
Nice is by far the best place to use as a home base while travelling through the south of France.
The average cost of the hostels is around 15 to 20 euros per night.
While mid-range hotels cost on average between 100 and 300 euros.
Of course, the sky is the limit with how much money you can spend on travel in this area, especially in Monaco.
Monaco
Monaco is famous for being where some of the richest people in the world live to avoid income tax. You can take a train to Monaco from Nice.
Monaco is recognised as a sovereign country and stretches less than two square kilometres or just one square mile. Here it is not so easy to experience unique aspects of the local culture compared to the neighbouring French villages. By far the most famous attraction is the Monte Carlo Casino and Hotel.
Monaco Grand Prix Formula One
The most popular event is the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix Race, which is held annually in May/June.
If you’re short on time in the south of France, I wouldn’t necessarily prioritise a visit to Monaco. If luxury shopping, expensive hotels and gambling in a famous casino are on your bucket list, a one to two night stay in Monaco could do the trick. If you find yourself in this area, I would highly recommend travelling through Menton, which is a beautiful coastal town near the Italian border and Èze, which is a medieval hilltop village overlooking Monaco and stunning panoramic views of the French Riviera.
Cannes
Another popular destination just 30-45 minutes drive from Nice is the Beverly Hills of France, Cannes. The most famous annual attraction here is the Cannes Film Festival, unfortunately the public cannot buy tickets to this event as it is an exclusive event for the stars of the film industry. The film festival is in May and if you are interested in seeing the city full of red carpet celebrities, but I recommend avoiding it during this time as it is too expensive to stay in a hotel nearby.
The main activity in Cannes is window shopping, the main luxury shops and sunbathing along the seaside walkways of the Promenade de la Croisette. If you want to eat on the beach, there are plenty of beach club restaurants, but you can expect a big mark up in price for the scenic beach setting rather than eating a few blocks inland.
Also keep in mind that there are seasonal fireworks during the summer months and they are so beautiful that you can check the festival website-pyrotechnics-cannes.com for specific dates and times so you don’t miss out.
Saint-Paul-de-Vence
A small village called Saint-Paul-De-Vance, about 30 minutes from Nice.
This place is amazing, we highly recommend this village in particular for any kind of shopping, there is so much art there, there is actually a restaurant that is famous for having artists like Pablo Picasso. There is so much to see in these different villages, it can be a bit crowded as it is during the August and July season, but it’s definitely worth a bit, it’s worth a visit if you hire a car and explore all these lovely villages in the countryside.
In Provence you can see a lot of Roman influence in the tourist sites of this region, you can cross the famous 2,000 year old Pont du Gard aqueduct bridge and travel from village to village on family wine tasting excursions, if possible you should book your trip on market days. The open air markets in the villages of Provence are some of the best in the world, you can find everything from clothes to antiques, to amazing food and produce at the different flea markets that are open one to three days a week.
We recommend travelling to Aix-en-Provence on a Thursday, when the town has all three markets on the same day. If you are visiting during July, you absolutely must see the famous lavender fields, but respect the landowners, don’t venture onto private property and avoid touching or trampling on any of the lavenders themselves, just walk along the paths.
It’s about a two-hour drive from Nice, so we recommend staying in the region’s capital, Aix-em-Provence, for a few days.
Marseille
De Aix is just a 45-minute drive or an hour by train from Marseille, which is another coastal town that acts as a gateway to even more scenic adventures, such as the Calanques National Park.
Tara also has many art museums, such as the Picasso and Matisse Museums, and many beautiful churches throughout the region. We highly recommend checking them out to get a closer look at the more artistic side of French culture at Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde Marseille. Another really important part to remember about exploring some of these different villages across Europe is that there are clean water taps scattered throughout many of these older towns where you can fill your reusable water bottles, wash your hands, even just have a drink of it, it’s totally clean and safe to drink and will help save some of that plastic waste when you’re travelling.
Nature trip
If you are interested in seeing nature, we highly recommend you visit the Verdon Gorge. It is a cascading cliff with turquoise water.
Another place that has attracted tourists, celebrities, billionaires and artists for years is Saint-Tropez, this place can be very busy and overpriced so we would definitely avoid travelling here if you are on a strict budget as it is easy to have similar experiences at lower prices elsewhere in the region. If you do decide to travel to Saint-Tropez, you can find a quirky market, luxury clubs and plenty of opportunities to go to the beach and explore the coast by boat.
For an average budget we plan to spend between 150-200 dollars a day there, definitely not the cheapest destination in the world, but of course, if you stay in hostels, keep in mind that you can get a baguette for a euro and you can also buy cheap fresh produce from the markets to bring and cook for yourself.
How long to stay in the South of France?
In general we recommend travelling in the south of France for a minimum of two weeks if you want to see a bit of everything, if you have less than two weeks in this region we recommend focusing on the Cote d’Azur or Provence.
