French Riviera and Provence May 2026 itinerary

Glad my trip report was useful. I spent 5 nights in Nice and wish I had a couple more. If you want to do several day trips in Cote d'azur but maybe not as much in Provence, I might suggest 4 nights in Nice and 2 nights in whichever Provence town you choose. I was in Aix-en-Provence about 20 years ago; of the 3, I would choose Arles over Aix or Avignon but any of them would be good.

Thank you so much CD for the great advice.

I visited Nice many years ago with a tour group and I visit the beach in San Diego several time a week so, I'm looking for an area to stay which has more of a "village" feel. Maybe Antibes?
Anyone have good recommendations?

Also, I see posts for a couple of Arles hotels: Hotel du Musee and Hotel La Muette. Any others that someone loved?
Thanks again for reading.

Jules,
Double check the dates for the Cannes Film Festival compared to your dates. There will be more people around due to that, even in other towns because Cannes will be crowded. Just be sure to factor it in, if your dates coincide. Also, don't shortchange the Arles/Aix/Avignon area of Provence. Two nights means one full day...barely enough time in this charming and enjoyable area. I would opt for Arles, and three nights for sure. Your initial time breakown is good.

Arles can easily fill two full days, as will Nice or any nearby town on the Riviera due to the excellent bus/train options for day trips.
Amusez-vous bien!

Thank you Judy, I didn't think about the film festival. It's May 12 - 23, 2026 so, I'm good.

Now I think I may need to stay in Avignon or Aix since the trip from Arles to Paris is not working well on the date I'm planning.

Hello Jules,
So much to see in Nice, and surrounding towns. I'm sure you know this, but you could easily spend your entire time in Nice, with day trips to Eze, Antibes, Cimiez (for the roman ruins) and Monaco and more.
But, to your question, on our last trip we spent 4 days in Avignon, with a day trip to Arles, and were quite happy with both. We stayed at the Hotel Bristol in Avignon, which was close to the train station. Avignon is smallish and everything is walkable. The train to Arles was about 30 minutes. We had an apartment for the first 3 nights in Avignon.
In Nice, I can recommend Hotel Aston La Scala, the Mercure Nice (stayed many years ago) and the wonderful Hotel La Perouse, but that is over your budget. (We stayed there many years ago)
Enjoy!

Thank you Jadam.
I'm thinking about staying in Nice as you suggest since my late booking is causing some challenges with the train travel between Nice/Provence/Paris.
Next time I'll plan farther out and hopefully, the return from Marseille will work out.

Jules,
There are TGVs between Marseille and Paris which take just over 3 hours.

Hi Jules, I flew solo to Nice last year in May. I stayed in Villefranche-sur-mer and walked to some of the other towns along the sea such as Beaulieu-sur-mer and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. The views were stunning. I also visited Monaco one day.

Villefranche-sur-mer has a village feel to it. I loved it. I went to the beach one day but just sat in the sun (water was still too cold for bathing). While I was there, they had a wonderful exhibit on Brigette Bardot which I saw.

Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat has gorgeous villas and one that you can visit is Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild. I didn't get there but I walked the promenade along the sea. Beaulieu-sur-mer has Villa Kerylos which was closed while I was there. Beaulieu was gorgeous and had a nice little shopping district.

I saw the Chagall museum in Nice but otherwise was underwhelmed with Nice. It's got a city atmosphere. The Old Town is touristy. I found Villefranche-sur-mer, Beaulieu and St Jean Cap Ferrat more to my liking overall.

I ate most of my meals in Villefranche-sur-mer in late afternoon. Since I travel solo, I don't like dining alone in the evening. I'd rather eat in late afternoon then go back to my room, sit on the balcony, read and relax with tea. Or sometimes take strolls in early evening.

What exactly do you want to do or see?

Thank you Judy - I'll check it out.

Daisy, thank you for the information.
Your travel style is very similar to mine with maybe a glass of wine on the balcony instead of tea.
I was planning to visit Villefranche-sur-mer but now I'll check out places to stay there. Did you like the hotel or apartment where you stayed?
I'd like to visit the Chagall museum in Nice and Renoir museum in Cagnes-sur-mer.
I'm planning to visit Eze and maybe Antibes.
Not planning to visit much of Nice, Monaco or Cannes since I've already seen them.

The Welcome hotel in Villefranche-sur-Mer is generally well received, but is popular so many not be available. Just note that for convenience you should try to look in the lower part of Villefranche-sur-Mer, as the town is quite hilly, and rental apartment options can be quite a bit of the hill (and the train station and old village is near the water). And check the cruise ship calendar for the days you will be in town. You could also try Antibes (note the train station is a bit away from the old town).

The Renoir museum is an unusual choice; the grounds are beautiful and the small house and outbuildings have a well curated glimpse into their lives. You do have to take a bus from the train station (there is an incline up to the house).

I would suggest eating your biggest meal at lunch. The better restaturants do not serve all day long ("service continu"), the ones that do tend to be tourist oriented or have a limited cafe menu.

Thank you Gooster.
I appreciate your insight.
The Welcome Hotel is available but very expensive for my dates.
I'm deciding between the Hotel de la Darse or Hôtel Le Versailles on Bd Princesse Grâce De Monaco.
I'm really looking forward to my visit.

Hi Jules—
My wife and I will be spending the month of May on the Côte d’Azur, having booked an apartment in Menton (nicknamed “the pearl of France,” it’s the farthest east town, right on the Italian border). We plan to take day trips to Nice, Antibes, Villefranche, etc along the coast as well as some of the inland villages (Eze, La Turbie, St. Paul de Vence, etc). We’ve done a ton of research, including watching the YouTube channels “French Vibes” and “Riviera Go.”
Good luck with your trip planning!

Andy, wow a month, sounds amazing.
When you return, if you like the apartment - would you please send me the details?
It maybe something we check out when my husband has time to travel with me.
Have a lovely trip.

Will do, Jules, although if you want to check it out in advance it's called "Villa Isola" and we found it on Booking.com. It looks like it will be perfect for us!

Thank you all for the input.
Plans are set.
PHL to Nice
Nice to Avignon
Avignon to Paris.
I appreciate all the input.