Hello! I am traveling with my wife and 4.5 year old son in late August. Looking to do 6 days. We are kind of torn between Antibes, VilleFranche, and Menton. We really like scenic picturesque village type areas, the closeness to restaurants/cafes, nice old town, and beach (with beach clubs). We are open to traveling by train to other spots, but want a really nice base. Can anyone tell me what they think is the best of these? We will not have a car. Appreciate it.
Posted by
11569 posts
Of these three, I would choose Antibes as I prefer it over the other two.
Villefranche ( before COVID) used to be a cruise ship mooring spot , depositing it’s thousands of passengers into this nice small town. Check if that is still the case.
Antibes has so much charm, a good location, a Picasso museum, and a train station.
Posted by
Nice, France & San Francisco
713 posts
Menton can make a poor base because it is at one end of a typical run on the train --- but it is quiet, although late August will be crowded anywhere.
Antibes has the best beaches of the three --- The ones closest to the center are not nearly as nice as those further out or on the gulf side. Just be aware of that, because it can be a longer walk (or bus ride) to the old town and even further to a train station. You may want to optimize your location based on how you will spend your days and evenings.
Villefranche-sur-mer can get some a huge amount of tourists due to the cruises (but often a good number of them load into buses and the trains for other places). It is charming and the beach is 'large grain sand' and good. It is hilly so make sure you stay within reach of the train station. .
Posted by
Washington DC
28078 posts
I enjoyed Menton--I made two day trips there from Nice--but the historic center was not remotely quiet when I was there in late May 2017. It seemed to be full of the UK contingent; it reminded me of St.-Malo. The crowding was enough to really affect the atmosphere in a negative way. On the same trip Antibes and Villefranche-sur-Mer were significantly less crowded. Of course, there's day-to-day variation.