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Cote d'Azur for the month of February

Posted by (Tacoma, WA, USA) on

We spent the month of February in Villefranche-sur-Mer, France. Rather than go into too much detail, I’ll highlight what we did—happy to answer any questions!

We rented an apartment in Villefranche, which was perfect for us: quiet, sleepy and relaxed, yet only about five miles from a larger city.
We relied entirely on public transportation. We purchased the 14-day Sud Pass (€80) for unlimited regional travel. For other days we bought train tickets through the app and loaded bus tickets locally onto our card (app wasn’t working)
Before our 6 a.m. return flight to Seattle, we stayed overnight at the airport at the Novotel Nice Arena Airport Hotel. Highly recommend—free 4 a.m. shuttle, easy walk from the train station, comfortable rooms, and friendly, helpful staff.
We attended Carnival festivals and parades in Menton and Nice.
We hiked throughout the area and especially loved the incredible views and coastal walks.
We explored by train and bus, visiting: Nice, Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Èze, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Tende, Cannes, Monaco, Mandelieu, Menton, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Vence, Sainte-Agnès, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Antibes, and Ventimiglia.
A fun highlight: we had an impromptu balcony party with Gregg and Ellen (from the forum) and Raelene and Shane (fellow travelers we met on the train) while having a front-row seat to the “Combat Naval Fleuri” parade.
The weather was ideal for us—some nighttime rain early in the month, but blue skies, sunshine, and highs in the upper 50s to low 60s (°F) during the day.

We had a wonderful month and are already planning to return next February.

Posted by
8012 posts

Thank you so much for your post! We are always looking for places to go in February (which aren't beach resorts). We tried southern Italy one year, we did have a lovely time, but many of the towns were just dead. It sounds like the Cote d'Azur is lively enough.

Was there much in the way of outdoor dining?
It sounds like you had plenty to do without venturing too far out. Any idea if Arles, Avignon and Aix would be "lively enough" this time of year?

Posted by
720 posts

It sounds like the Cote d'Azur is lively enough.
Some of the little town's restaurants and shops were closed up but on the flip sides there were no crowds. For example we had the Botanical Garden in Eze almost to ourselves and it was a gorgeous day. The Carnival festivals that begin mid February in Menton, Nice, Mandelieu and Villefranche bring business openings (and crowds). I'm not a huge crowd or parade person but the Grand Fruits Parade in Menton and the Flower Parade in NIce were a fun experience. We bought tickets when they went on sale in December for the bleachers. (sells out fast) Had a great time. Local markets were open also
Was there much in the way of outdoor dining?
We ate outside along the water in Villefranche and Saint Jean. There was quite a bit outdoor dining in Nice.
It sounds like you had plenty to do without venturing too far out.
There was so much to do. We did a lot of what Gregg on the Forum calls bus 11 (two legs) but it was easy each day to decide what our energy level was and pick from there. The public transposrtation is excellent.
Any idea if Arles, Avignon and Aix would be "lively enough" this time of year?
Sorry I have not been there in winter. I have heard they have winds from the mountains though. Interestingly February historically has had less rain on the Cote d"Azur than March.

Posted by
8012 posts

Thanks for the additional information, Renee. It sounds very appealing.

When we were in Southern Italy in February, we spent a couple of nights in Salerno. Not only did we really enjoy Salerno, but spent a day on the Amalfi coast. Most of the towns were pretty quiet, but it was a gorgeous, sunny day and we had a wonderful time!

Its easy to forget how really big France is. I noted on a map that Lyon and Turin were "close". When I looked deeper on Google maps, they are 5+ hours away via train!

Posted by
1729 posts

Temps in Feb in Aix-en-Provence run from 36F to 55F. A snack on a park bench might be dining out! Overwise, Aix is a Cultural and Food Center with plently of year round activities to keep everyone happy!

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