Hi,
I am looking to go to French Riviera at the end of the May, beginning of June.
Can anyone share itinerary they used in past visiting French Riviera, we have 6 days max in mind.
Truly appreciated anyone help.
Best regards to everyone and happy New Year
You can stay in Nice 6 nights and take day trips to Antibes, Monte Carlo, and Eze easily.
Read this :
https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/france/french-riviera
It all depends on what you are interested in doing.
Thank you very much for prompt response.
We have done that, once spent two weeks with Nice as a base. Buses and trains go up and down the coast so it’s very easy to do day trips with public transit.
Our favorites were Antibes to the west, and Cap Ferat to the east. Did not care for Monaco too much but go if you haven’t been there. Princess Grace and Prince Rainier’s tom’s are the Cathedral there.
Villefranche ( east) is a nice place nearby to go for lunch if the cruise ships are not moored there.
Up in the hills, by bus, visit St-Paul de Vence and Vence.
In Nice, the Museum Mark Chagall is a wonderful place to experience his work. The museum was built to house the exact paintings that are hanging in their specific places.
We love being in Nice, walking around the city, and eating the local Nicoise cuisine.
Nice has at least six art museums, and there are others scattered around the area.
Menton has a couple of nice gardens outside the center of town. The latter is architecturally picturesque but was absolutely overrun on the day I visited. It seems Menton is very popular with the British.
I enjoyed the Train des Pignes, a private train running through Entrevaux to Digne-les-Bains. The day of my trip was extraordinarily rainy, which no doubt affected my appreciation of both towns, but I thought medieval Entrevaux was more interesting than Digne. I think the ticket would be cheaper, too.
The Riviera does get a lot of tourists. One place I found that didn't seem to get foreign bus tours was Vence, accessible by bus from Nice. I've heard that Tourrettes-sur-Loup is also nice and not overrun, but I believe its bus service may be more infrequent.
A lot of us on the forum have enjoyed the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild on Cap Ferrat. It also has nice gardens.
At the time of my 2017 visit, the city tourist office located right outside the Nice-Ville train station was very helpful in providing brochures for a lot of surrounding towns and villages. I'm sure those folks could suggest destinations to match any particular interests you have.
Rick has a guidebook focusing on Southern France. I think it would be worthwhile for you.
depending on exactly what you mean by "end of the May, beginning of June" you may find it very crowded and expensive.
The Monaco F1 Grand Prix is on Sunday the 28th of May in 2023. Everything will be very full for the week before and several days after. Because there are not enough hotels in Monaco the towns from the Italian border to Nice and beyond as far as Antibes will be affected.
There is also a big event to the west at the same time. Cannes Film Festival 2023 is from 16th of May to Saturday the 27th.
That will serve to increase the crowds and raise the prices from the west as far as Nice and beyond including Monaco.
It is worth knowing
As Nigel noted, it is a very busy time, so shift your days if possible. If not, just avoid Cannes the day or two afterward as the streets will still be filled with barriers and temporary structures being torn down.
Besides the other destinations mentioned:
Train des Merveilles goes to the border downs in the lower Alps. It is a special departure (AM) from the main Nice station, with the last few cars reserved for the tour (with narration). You go to an end point, like Tende (nice museum of the local rock etchings) and hit another village on the way back like Saorge.
Tourettes-sur-Loup is a great village, just beyond Vence, but just beyond there is Gourdon, a perched (hilltop) village over the Gorge du Loup. This is best done with a car or via small group tour, as the public transit is less regular.
You can take a ferry from Cannes to St. Honorat or Ste Marguerite (also from Nice) or a coastal tour.
Also in Nice, people typically visit Le Chateau (Castle Hill). There is an elevator for free next to the Suisse Hotel or you can do the climb (or walk down, it is a nice walk). Note the Cours Saleya market turns into an antique/flea market on Mondays. There is a Nice museum 15E pass for three days, and you have over 10 to choose from, including Matisse, Massena, MAMAC, etc. (The French Riviera pass is also still being sold)
