Cote d'Azur
The original Riviera, which has had 150 years to arrange itself around visitors.
Country
France
Best Months
May, June, September
Best For
Couples, Groups, Entertaining
The Riviera invented the Mediterranean holiday and has had roughly 150 years to arrange itself around visitors. That is its strength and its problem: everything works, and almost nothing is undiscovered.
It divides sharply. Cap Ferrat and Cap d'Antibes are the peninsulas of old money, wooded, private and largely invisible from the road. Nice is a real city with a market, a museum and an old town. Cannes works around the film festival calendar. Saint-Tropez is a fishing village that became a resort and is very busy in August. Inland, the hill villages above Grasse and the Esterel are a different and much quieter region an hour away.
What you are actually buying is density. The airport, Monaco, the mountains and the coast are all within an hour of each other, which no other destination on this list can claim.
Cote d'Azur
Highlights
Cap Ferrat and Cap d'Antibes are wooded and private, not showy
Nice is a working city with an old town and a market
The hill villages inland are an hour and a world away
Nice airport is unusually close to everything
August on the coast road is the thing to plan around
Getting There
Nice Cote d'Azur Airport (NCE) is the gateway, with direct flights from London (1h 55min), most European capitals, and seasonal long-haul services. The airport handles significant private aviation traffic. Transfers to Cap Ferrat take 20 minutes, Cannes 35 minutes, Saint-Tropez 90 minutes (or 20 minutes by helicopter). The TGV serves Nice and Cannes from Paris in 5.5 hours.
Insider Tip
Go inland for a day. The hill villages above the coast are 40 minutes from the beach and empty by comparison.
FAQ
Cote d'Azur questions
What is the difference between Cap Ferrat and Saint-Tropez?
Cap Ferrat is a wooded peninsula of private houses, quiet and largely invisible from the road. Saint-Tropez is a former fishing village that became a resort and is highly social and very busy in season. They are an hour and a half apart and attract different people.
Is Nice worth staying in?
Yes. It is a real city rather than a resort, with a market, an old town, museums and an airport 20 minutes away. It is also the most practical base on the coast if you do not want to drive much.
How do you avoid the Riviera crowds?
Go inland. The hill villages above Grasse and the Esterel massif are within an hour of the coast and a fraction as busy. On the coast itself, May, June and September are considerably easier than July and August.