French Riviera in July

How wonderful! It's been 15+ years but I stayed in July in Villefranche sur Mer. You do walk up a short steep way to the bus/train station but it was a perfect base.
Caveat: at the time enormous (Carnival, Disney) cruise ships came during my 5 days. The tenders started arriving in the morning and a couple of times the bus and train was packed as a result. But other times, really not at all.
Walking to Monaco was a highlight. There's great info in the RS book, but please do note my original caveat about how long it's been!
Have a wonderful trip!

You will find crowds from Menton through Cannes/Theole-sur-Mer at that time of year. There are slightly less popular places like Beaulieu-sur-Mer may not be not as crowded as peak times as VilleFranche-sur-Mer or Antibes.

The mayor in that Nice region (including VSM) had tried to ban larger cruise ships (greater than 900 passengers) but only a modified ban is in place, I believe (2500 pax). The village sees a surge with each arrival. Monaco has a stricter ban but Cannes I don't think finalized any plans.

One positive is that they added more trains per hour after improvements in signally were completed. However, in July, as a warning we will see if the introduction of the new SCNF replacement will have a negative impact. For the first time, a private operator has won a charter to provide regional train service.

Nice is a nice middle of the road probably your best best with a nice beach walk a variety of things to see and do. Cannes is expense. Menton is a little scruffier and not as polished, although they have a nice walled harbor.

Antibes is a nice town with a great art museum, some rocky seaside area, and a little beach, and cute inner town. The last time I was there, I drove, and had to walk a bit, they seemed to have a giant wall one side, and a little private harbor with a $400M super yacht belonged by a world leader at the time. But I think I did take the train the time before and it was walkable.

There is also San Juan les Pins a short distance from Antibes - perhaps walking distance with a laid back beach.

I did stay in Bealiue Sur Mer, and its clean and tidy, but not a huge number of restaurants.

There are areas a little further like Frejus and the beach nearby. St Tropez. Even Toulon - which is rough near the train station but a mile or so away is a nice beach.

I should mention, that we were getting onto a train in Cannes or Nice, and a guy tried pickpocketing us - he put his hand in one of our pockets just as stepping up onto that train. The guy did not look like a criminal - he looked like a guy who just got out of Benz and was on holiday. So be careful - even as you step up onto the train.

Thank you for your replies. So beaulieu sur mer is my best bet you guys think?

Beaulieu-sur-Mer may suit you, it is lower key but has a centrally located rail station (with bus connection) and two areas of commerce, up near the main Plaza/train station and along the water/port. However, the provencal market is just on the weekends, if that is important to you (along with other scattered, less regular popups in the same main square). .

Note there are more than just one beach in Antibes. There is the small cove at the center but to the east are two sandy beaches and further around the Cap are several others (then it blends into Juan les Pins, which has its separate station). The is a local bus service that runs to these further destinations.

What about Cap jean ferrat? is that a good location? I found an adorable boutique hotel there

St Jean Cap Ferrat is beautiful. It may be a longer walk to a bus stop or the train to get to other places, but it could work. We also liked Villefrance sur Mer as a place to stay with easy regional train or bus access.