The French Riviera - Côte d’Azur in French - is a stretch of coastline with hinterland that is over 200 km long. Basically, there are these section (from west to east):
- The coast of calanques (= narrow, fjord-like coves) around Cassis.
- The Côte des Maures, the stretch roughly between Toulon and Fréjus.
- The Côte de l’Esterel between Saint-Raphael and Mandelieu/Cannes.
- The core section between Cannes and Nice.
- The section of the corniches (coastal roads) between Nice and the Italian border past Menton.
Starting with the calanques. This is a section for nature-lovers. The must-do is a boat trip into the calanques. You can also rent sea kayaks. Or hike the coastal path (very strenuous).
Cassis is a picturesque fishing village.
Then the Côte des Maures, named after the mountain chain in the hinterland. This stretch has the best beaches of the French Riviera - most of them with fine white sand.
Plage de Bonporteau near Cavalaire
Plage de la Moutte near Saint-Tropez.
As you see from the photos, much of the coastline is still undeveloped although there are several coastal towns and cities, most of the quite agreeable. Saint-Tropez is the best-known of these places, however it has become a crowded tourist trap.
It was not easy to find a photo of Saint-Tropez which is not heavily photoshopped:
Fréjus and Saint-Raphael are twin cities with beaches, port, Roman archeology, an Old Town (Saint-Raphael) and a bit of Côte d’Azur-chic.
The most scenic section is the Côte de l’Esterel, named after the chain of bright red, rugged mountains which meet the sea there.
Then comes the core section which is highly urbanized. Cannes is the classiest city on the Riviera, with luxury hotels and Rolls-Royces roaming along the coastal road. Cannes has a long, sandy beach, a nice Old Town & castle, a splendid yacht harbour and a lot of jet-set.
Antibes is a peninsula with nice beaches, a historic town and a castle which houses a Picasso museum.
Nice is a large city, with stately buildings and boulevards, a colourful Old Town, world-class art museums - and an ugly beach consisting of large grey pebbles. It is a destination for a daytrip, not a place to stay there.
Then comes the section of the three corniches - the low corniche, the middle corniche and the high corniche - which offer scenic drives. Monaco is in the middle.
For us, the Côte d’Azur is one of our favourite vacation spots - we have been there about two dozen times.
Guess, where we usually stay?
Yes, right here:
For us the perfect spot: quiet, swimming, hiking, sightseeing, culinary experiences…
Now the answer to the question: A suggested trip would include several bases. Maybe one base in Antibes or in the hinterland, like Mougins (which is less expensive), a second base on the Esterel Coast near Agay and a third base anywhere on the Maures Coast (e.g. Cavalaire or - a different town - Cavalière). The number of high-class attractions is unbelievable. You can stay there for weeks and after that you still have scratched just the surface. I alway feel sorry for the cruise passengers who anchor for one day in Nice, spend hours in buses and come back from crowded places without having grasped the beauty of the Riviera.
A final warning:
Never ever travel to the Côte d’Azur in July or August!
October is a perfect time. Also spring is beautiful, however the seawater is still chilly.
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