Hello all,
We are visiting Cote d'Azur for 14days with our 15yo son at the beginning of August. We love beautiful scenery, sandy beaches, medieval villages, good food.
We will stay in Corsica for 1week before taking the ferry to Nice from where we'll rent a car and drive along the coast to Nimes. We'll then take the train to Girona, rent a car and stop for the last 2nights to unwind in Tossa del Mar. Return flight is from Barcelona.
Please help with itinerary, attractions (something interesting for teenagers as well), affordable eatery places not to be missed and accommodations.
Thank you in advance.
Posted by
3 posts
be sure to go to Carcasson and stay in the city!
Posted by
Folsom, California, USA
316 posts
Consider kayaking under the Pont du Gard. It takes about 1.5 hours from Collias to the Pont du Gard. Afterwards (once they collect your kayaks) you can drive back to visit the museum and walk on the Pont. We loved it.
Posted by
11156 posts
Spend a few days in Nice. Then, when driving along the beautiful coast in France, spend a few days in lovely Collioure. it has it all, charming town, beach, a castle, and art history. it is near the Spanish border. then continue on to Barcelona.
Posted by
Tacoma, WA, USA
518 posts
We loved the coastal walks https://cityxee.com/en/best-coastal-walks-on-the-cote-dazur/
Posted by
Paris
6889 posts
I would personally avoid Collioure at the beginning of August. Pretty as it is, when I visited 10 years ago at that time of the year, it was mobbed and felt over-touristy. It cannot have improved since then. Plus, it would make you backtrack significantly from Girona.
Tossa de Mar won't be quiet either, but at least it is in the right direction starting from Girona.
As for your route from Nice to Nîmes: I'd allow 3 nights/2 full days in Nice before setting off on the road to the west.
Sandy beaches are scarce on that coast, beware! Le Lavandou has a good one and would be a good base for 3 more nights; from there you could visit Bormes les Mimosas (cute village), and perhaps St Tropez (by boat only, traffic is hopeless) if you or the teens are curious and do not mind a crowd.
Then maybe 1 day (1 or 2 nights) in Cassis or La Ciotat, which give the options of boat tours to the Calanques. I prefer la Ciotat which is less crowded, but it is somewhat grittier (much less than it used to be thanks to very successful renovations).
After that, you can move to somewhere in inland Provence for 4-5 nights; Saint-Rémy de Provence would be a great base. It is a short drive to Nîmes to return the car, take the train, and head to Tossa de Mar for those last 2 nights.
This outline has a total of 13-15 nights.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
262 posts
Quite some time ago (1999), we wandered around through Provence for about a week or ten days. La Ciotat, where we stayed for two nights has a nice beach end of town, but it is a bit of an industrial city. Cassis, not far away is far more picturesque and elegant. We drove through the Camargue, saw wild horses and flamingoes, but it is a pretty vast area and just driving through probably did not do it justice.
Arles certainly had charms and a lovely market, as well as an old Roman Arena. Les Baux , to the east of Arles was lovely and the history at Les Baux was very interesting. Huguenot outpost, where they resisted the Catholics in the early 17th Century. If you or your family are history geeks, Avignon was the home of some Popes in the 14th Century, both leading up to the great Schism in the Church and certainly during it. The Palais des Popes is there. We also had an absolutely wonderful day driving east from Avignon, to Fontaine de Vaucluse, Gordes, Rousillon, Bonnieux and Lourmarin and then back to Avignon. We enjoyed the towns, some art, some walks and hikes and a lovely dinner. It was all pretty spectacular.
Nimes, where you plan to visit, had some lovely Roman ruins and parks.
I hope you are planning to spend at least several days in Barcelona, Cris. What an incredible city!