Creating a 7-day itinerary for the south of France is no easy task. With so much to see and do, you really do have to narrow your focus or you could end up spending all of your time in the car!. I’ve created the perfect Southern France itinerary that will allow you to see many of the highlights of the region.
We stayed in Nice and traveled to other neighboring small French towns – Antibes, Villefranche-Sur-Mer, Monaco, Eze, Cannes, Cagnes-sur-Mer. There are a lot of other smaller towns but these are the ones you should definitely visit.
We did not get a chance to visit Provence and St Tropez. One week was not enough to do it all. That means I can go back to Nice again, which is not too bad of a deal haha!
We visited the south of France in the first week of June. It was the perfect weather since it was not super hot just yet.
Parking in the French Riviera can be pretty hard, therefore we did not rent a car. The trains, buses and uber are a much better option since you do not have to deal with parking in the tiny streets along with the traffic.
Day 1: NICE
Took an early morning flight from Paris to Nice.
Made it to Nice at about 1 pm. We stayed at Le Meridien for a couple of days and moved to different hotels and Airbnb so that we can explore different parts of Nice. We decided to explore the Old Town and Castel hill for our first day.
After a day full of walking around, we ended the night with drinks at El Merkado. Loved the vibe of the town. So lively and fun!.
Le Meridien is at the perfect location. The hotel is not too far from the old town as well as 10-20 minutes walking distance to the bus and train station. It is in the middle of everything. At the end of the day, the last thing you want is to walk miles to get back to the hotel.
The hotel also has an amazing rooftop, which I highly recommend. The view from the rooftop is jaw-dropping. Every evening while in Nice, we would come back to the rooftop for the expresso with a view!.
Day 2: Eze and Monaco
We had some delicious breakfast at the famous town square in Nice- Place Massena and jumped on a bus from Place Massena to explore the Medieval town in the hills, Eze.
The bus ride is about 30 minutes. On the way, you will see some of the most breathtaking views of the Port and the luxurious Yachts lined up.
Spent the morning exploring Eze and the Jardin Botanique d’Èze garden. The garden has such native species of plants and the view from the top of it is really pretty too. It reminded me of the tiny streets of Santorini.
We grabbed lunch at one of the Italian restaurants La Taverna, which was really delicious.
We decide to visit Monaco for the afternoon. The uber ride from Eze to Monaco is the easiest way to get to Monaco.
Although Monaco is a tiny little country in itself, it is usually considered to be on the French Riviera. We checked out the famous Monte Carlo casino and grabbed a drink at Cafe Paris.
For the afternoon, we decided to check out the pool party at the Fairmont Hotel, which was pretty spectacular.
We returned to Nice and spent the night there. Had Pizza and Wine at La Voigla, which was really delicious.
Day 3: Antibes
Antibes, one of the most picturesque French Riviera towns. We took the train from Nice to Antibes, which is about 20 minutes.
It has a great coastline lined up with some shops and beach bars.
We started the morning roaming around Promenade de L’Amrial de Grasse. This promenade is right along the walls surrounding Antibes and is full of restaurants, shops, and perfect walls to take that Instagram-worthy selfie.
There is also a boatyard that holds some of the most amazing yachts. You will definitely experience some amazing views of the Meditteranean sea. There is also a public beach Plage de la Gravette.
We spent the afternoon at Juan-Les-Pines and at the beach bar Plage le Colombier which is an amazing beach bar along the coastline. We rented out umbrellas and two-day beds and spent the afternoon drinking some Mojitos with some delicious lunch.
There are a lot of other beach bars along the coastline that rent out umbrellas and day beds for about 20 euros/per person which is perfect to watch the sunset and enjoy a cocktail on the beach.
We decided to spend the night at one of the castle hotels Chateau Le Cagnard which was gorgeous, had dinner at top of the hill near the tower and enjoyed the calm village feels.
Day 4: Cagnes-Sur-Mer
West of Nice, Cagnes-sur-Mer is a seaside resort huddled around a medieval château built for the Grimaldis of Monaco.
The Castel hotel Chateau Le Cagnard had some amazing views with an indulging breakfast, so we decided to spend the morning taking in the beautiful views from our room and the rooftop of the castle.
From the top of the tower in the village, you can enjoy breathtaking views of the Mediterranean, Nice and the Alps.
Around the Château is the town’s medieval center. The secret squares, a maze of little alleys and distance from the touristy town of Nice, gives Cagnes-Sur-Mer a refreshing village-like feel.
The castle hotel of Chateau Le Cagnard was one of the best places we have ever stayed at. It was truly an experience like never before.
I always wanted to visit the villages of France, and this little town of Cagnes Sur Mer was a dream come true. This is absolutely a must visit if you are in Nice.
The town is 20 minutes from Nice and can be reached easily by bus or the train.
Later, we decided to head back to Nice to check-in at our Airbnb and spend the evening in Nice shopping, roaming around Place Massena, the old town.
We grabbed some dinner and drinks and decided to picnic alongside the pebbled beaches of Nice watching the beautiful sunset. It was a perfect evening, spent alongside other locals and tourists.
Our Airbnb was at a great location near Place Massena, so it was the perfect end to a long day.
Day 5: Villefranche-Sur-Mer
Next day we decided to explore the town of Villefranche-Sur-Mer. Villefranche-sur-Mer is a small French town about 30 minutes from Nice.
While we stayed in a town called Cagnes-sur-Mer during the end of our France trip, we discovered the coastal town of Villefranche-sur-Mer from the train while passing along the coast between Nice and Eze.
We were instantly in love with the bright color seaside town, so we made plans to return to this beautiful town to enjoy the beach, explore the town and have lunch along the water. It turned out to be one of our favorite days from the entire trip!.
I have a whole blog post on this beautiful town and the details of our trip here. This is one of the towns that should be on the top of your list.
After a day full of relaxation, we took the train back to Nice.
Day 6: Cannes
For our last day, Cannes was a perfect choice. The train ride from Nice to Cannes is about 40 minutes.
Cannes is a bit of commercial town with the movie industry being there. Don’t get me wrong, it is still pretty, but if you are looking for more of cultural vibe, the other towns are my personal favorite.
We explored the stylish streets and the port, which is the home of some of the most luxurious yachts. Parth was pretty impressed by the Port and some of the yachts that were lined up.
We strolled along Promenade de la Croisette and spent some time at one the beach bars, yet again!. Grabbed some lunch and after sunset, we decided to head back to Nice since we had a flight the next day.
Day 7: Fly back to Atlanta
We had a direct flight from Nice to Atlanta and that was the end of our 7 days in the South of France.
I hope you found this itinerary useful for planning your trip to the South of France.
[/emaillocker]
