We are trying to decide where to stay for the southern France portion of our trip in early October. The plan is to rent a car at one of train stations. Both Villefranche and Aix are on our list as home bases with day trips to other places. Any opinions on where to stay as well as car rental info? We are traveling from Beaune and may stay in Lyon on our way south, maybe by TGV.
Thanks! Jo
It would definitely depend on your interests and expectations. Either location is lovely. You won’t need a car in the Rivera unless you plan to explore the area north from the coast. In which case, maybe just a day rental would suffice. It’s easy to hop a train to explore the towns along the Cote d’Azur. Aix puts you in proximity to Provence and also an hour and a half from the coast near Marseille. We did a short stop in Aix on our way to Gordes, and spent 3 nights at Villefrenche sur Mer. Hard call to make!
Thank you Gigi8,
What time of year was this? We were concerned that in early October the beach clubs- if there are any- would be closed.
Jo
We were there in late June. So yes, the beach clubs would be closed in October. But I was referring to the towns along the coast. From Villefrenche, we visited Nice, Menton, Eze le Village, and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. We opted not to go to Monaco - but that is an easy option too. And all of that is just east of Nice. There is also Antibes and Cannes, west of Nice. And many more towns inland of either location. But I wouldn’t go at that time of year strictly for the beaches.
Provence is lovely too. Can you split your time between the 2 areas?
We have 7 nights before we head to Italy so we could but I would rather stay in a location that would allow us to explore both regions.
Jo
