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French Riviera and the South of France

Last year I spend a couple days in my trip to London and France in Nice and drove along the cost from a few miles into Italy through Monaco and on all the way to Saint Tropez. This was in the off season (late Sept ) And it was absolutely gorgeous. But due to time and weather we did not spend much the me doing anything in perticular.

Now I am considering a trip to just that area. The question is what time to go to truly enjoy the weather and the water and such. And more importantly how expensive is it at that time of year. It was not inexpensive in the off season. So I suspect that this would be very expensive... and very busy. But I don’t want to assume anything

Thanks

Posted by
26840 posts

Douglas, the cost level depends to a great degree on the standard of lodging you choose and of course whether you happen to hit a city during the time of a major event. I was told that the Grand Prix in Monte Carlo really ratchets up demand over an extended part of the coast. It affects hotel rates in Nice much more than the Cannes Film Festival. A much smaller festival can tighten things up in the area immediately around it.

I flew into Nice on May 1 last year and spent about 40 days along the coast (traveling almost as far as the Spanish border) and in Provence. I traveled by train and bus. The weather early in my trip was rather changeable. There was one total wash-out of a day that turned quite cool (early May), a second partial day of intense rain that remained warmish (late May) and some other days with scattered showers. There were lots of clouds early in my visit, and I was told by my hotel manager that Nice's weather in May is quite variable in terms of sun/clouds. I don't remember observing many people in the water; I myself am not at all a beach person. The manager said that April weather was often more stable, but we didn't discuss temperature. I don't think the external temperature or the water temperature would be comfortable for swimming in April.

Off-season the mistral (wind) can be a problem in Provence.

I believe peak season in Nice is July/August. [Edited to add: Southern France is likely to be extremely hot at that time of year; it may be great for splashing around in the water, but it is not comfortable for outdoor sightseeing.] Hotel rates seem to be lower in June and certainly are lower in May, subject to variation due to Big Deal Events like the Grand Prix. I did not find Nice expensive at all in May. The city has many hotels, and competition seemed to be keeping costs quite reasonable.

The regional train running along the coast is an easy and cheap way to get around when you want to visit coastal towns (excluding St.-Tropez, which has no rail service). A car is helpful in the hills, but even some hill town are accessible by bus.

You can find day-by-day historical weather statistics on the website timeanddate.com. The data goes back years, so you can get a good sense of the range of weather you might encounter at any time of year. I've linked to Nice's data for May 2018.

Posted by
5240 posts

I wouldn't say that late September is off season, it's not peak July/August but certainly not low season.

The only problem with peak season apart from the crowds and the prices is the heat. We were there last August during a heatwave and the heat was debilitating. Fortunately we had a villa with a pool so after exploring the various villages during the morning and an al fresco lunch we were extremely relieved to return to the villa and into the pool. Even walking along the Promenade des Anglais with its sea breeze was uncomfortable and left you drenched in sweat. For me late September would be an ideal time, certainly not one that I'd consider out of season. Many British visitors who don't have school aged children elect to take their summer holiday in September so you'll be in competition with many of them and other Europeans doing the same thing.

Posted by
11056 posts

As mentioned above, avoid the dates of the Cannes Film Festival and the Monaco Grand Prix. The crowds overlap, prices soar. But a few days later, all is OK.

Posted by
667 posts

I would recommend June and September, and avoid July and August. For better swimming weather, try the first half of September or 2nd half of June. The water will be warmer in late September than June. From past the 4th of July through late August, things can get overrun. I stay out of town and rent my place to the Brits and others that descend down into town. This is still part of high season -- October is when the rates start dropping. May can get spikes in pricing due to all the special events.

Posted by
3940 posts

I guess depends on your tolerance for heat and what you want to see. We’ve been to Nice/South of France 3 times...twice in late Sept/early Oct and this year early July. The weather in autumn was absolutely gorgeous (well, except one day of torrential rain that caused flooding).

July was, of course, super hot. I took photos of the car temp showing 38-40 celcius in a few spots. BUT...I wanted to experience lavender time, so July it was. If you want to experience lavender, def need AC wherever you are staying. (we even used it when we were in Provence in late Sept). One huge thing was having a car...if we were too hot and ready to move on, we didn’t have to stand around in the heat waiting for a bus or train. The car had AC so we were able to instantly cool off and feel better. We also made sure to freeze some water to take with us, and seemed to drink a lot of slushies!

Expense is relative...we didn’t have issues in July finding Airbnb’s in my comfort zone (which is about $75-110 cdn...about 70€ max). Having a car made it easier since we could stay in smaller towns (choosing Salon and Manosque), thus saving money. I’d say you’d have to book early if you were going during lav season, as the good ones book fast.