Marseille or Nice?

I'd go with Antibes.

Personally I would prefer Nice both the setting and the water front coupled with what there is to see and do in the surrounding areas especially the hill towns above Nice.. And the airport is almost walkable to downtown.

If it were me, I'd choose Nice, then Villefranche sur Mer. Lucky you!

I fear that a sleepy coastal town with a rail station is going to be a tall order, though late March is nowhere near high season on the Riviera or in Provence. As a matter of fact, I think it's still mistral season in Provence, which would be enough to keep me from choosing to spend a week in that area at that time of year.

In general, the places off the coast are less touristy. But they are inefficient bases because you nearly always need to take a bus to a train station for any day-trip.

For ease of getting around by train, a coastal town in the area around Nice might be best. Nice itself is sort of the bus hub for the area, so if you're just a short train hop from Nice, that expands your options for visiting hill towns. Tip: The incredibly picturesque St-Paul-de-Vence is overrun during day-tripping hours, but Vence is not. Vence has a large, atmospheric historic district but doesn't have the fabulous hillside setting of St-Paul-de-Vence. If not for the awkward location, I think Vence could be a good base for you.

I opted to stay in Nice for several reasons, one being that I like art and the city has at least six art museums. There are others in the area, but they tend to be scattered, one per town.

I liked Antibes when I day-tripped there. It seemed to be a good size, not too big and not too small. I enjoyed the sights in Menton (way to the east), but the old town there was extremely touristy; I don't think it's the sort of place you're looking for. So I guess that's a vote against Menton, whose non-central location would also be a bit of a disadvantage for your purposes. Menton is noted for having the sunniest climate in France, so it seems to get a lot of off-season visitors.

By the way, the three possible side-trips you mentioned (Monte Carlo, St. Tropez, Cannes) have the reputation of being among the ritziest in southern France. I've avoided all three, so I admit that I'm not speaking from personal experience, but they don't sound like places that would much appeal to you. Also, St. Tropez has no rail station, so getting there from most potential bases would be more time-consuming than you might imagine.

If you want to take a look at bus schedules, check out the Lignes d'Azur website.

Oops, just realized I had my dates wrong. It's Feb 23 - Mar 1, not Mar 23 - April 1.

I don't suppose that changes any of the replies. Does it?

And I must admit - when I saw "mistral season", my mind said "minstral season", and I wondered what acraven had against gypsies?!?

Had to look it up, and added a new word to my vocab!

B

I was in the area in late March. I loved Villefranche but it's probably too small for your needs. Antibes has a big daily market. Most anywhere on the coast will give you access to the train for day trips. Marseilles is too far west. BTW I don't think Monaco (unless you want the glitz) and Cannes are the best day trips. Menton, Antibes, Villefranche, Eze . . . more interesting. Of course Nice has a daily market too, but it is a big city.

If the choice is between Marseilles and Nice, choose Nice. I've been to Nice and it's a decent, if large, city with good sights and reasonably nice beaches. I haven't been to Marseilles (so maybe I'm not being fair?). I chose not to visit because many of my friends went and reported that "it's a pit". I know the port is too industrial for my taste, I can't give you more information than that.

The nicest place IMO along the Riviera is Antibes. The beaches are the sandiest (and whitest) in the entire area, most beaches in the Riviera are some or all pebbles. Antibes has a marina (with big luxury yachts and small quaint fishing boats), train station, a medieval center and rampart (I didn't find another town with something similar), one of the better art galleries and a nice restaurant/cafe/bar zone - all withing walking distance.

I stayed on the opposite side of the small peninsula in Juan les Pins. The beaches there are better than most (sandy but not as white of sand as the Antibes side). It's about a 15-20 minute walk to get to the center in Antibes. I'd consider Juan Les Pins a reasonable second choice.

You can fly into Nice. The nearest train station is about a mile from the airport. From there it's about a ten to fifteen minute ride to Antibes station (the one after that is Juan les Pins). The train is a local train and not fast. It's the best option for getting up and down the coast. A car is a nuisance, I dropped mine as soon as I got into the Riviera.

If you are going in February to early March, then it will be deep in the offseason, so a full stay into the countryside may see some seasonal closures and be very, very quiet. You might consider Villefrance-sur-Mer, as mentioned above. A beautiful coastal village (can be swarmed with tourists in summer but be extremely nice in February), no McDonald's and easy access to the train and buses. It is hilly, but those hills delivery great views of the sea and Cap Ferrat.

Antibes is a much larger choice, with McDo's on the periphery but not in the historic center. Beaches are great but that is moot in the winter. Nearby Juan les Pins lacks the charm and is a heavily seasonal resort. Beaulieu sur Mer has a train station and a great position close to Cap Ferrat but perhaps less of a village feel (slightly more resort-like). Some other great choices to visit are St. Paul de Vence, Vence, and Eze le village, but are reachable best by bus. You can also take the train to other inland locations, including small towns and villages.

You can take a train into Menton and go to the Lemon/citron festival. You will also hit the end of Nice's Carnival season, which is one of the larger Carnivals. You can plan to attend or avoid the busiest days (things aren't going on every day).

Very old posting and with the virus, I doubt if they went to France. Will all responses it is a good habit to the date of the original posting.

2 posts, both on old threads pushing French regional travel with the very same article. More then a little strange.

I would not pick Marseille, wasn't impressed at all with it.

Nice, Avignon, Arles, Aix, Cannes, Monaco, St. Paul de Vence, Pont du Gard are all great places to visit and there's more.

Nice is charming but may be a bit touristy. You can calculate your Nice or Menton trip budget for a week here: https://www.travelpricewatch.com/nice-france/
I'd suggest Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat or Menton (you can walk to Italy:).