French Riviera in 10 Days: Nice, Cannes, Monaco and the Hill Towns

Full disclosure: we did the French Riviera the lazy way. A cruise ship, a few private tours, plenty of Ubers and cabs, and more walking than our feet had agreed to. Fourteen days in all, with Barcelona and Mallorca thrown in, and we came home with so much stuff that we had to buy extra luggage to carry it. Again. We are not proud. We are just over-packers who also over-shop.

The ship was a great way to sample the coast. It also left us with the nagging feeling that we had only scratched the surface. Every stop was different, with its own culture, its own food and its own architecture, and every one of them deserved more time than a port day gives you. So here is what we loved, plus the ten days on land we would plan if we went back, which we fully intend to do.

Nice Old Town stole the whole trip

If you only remember one thing from this post, make it this: go to Vieux Nice, the old town, and give it more than an afternoon. It is a tangle of narrow lanes painted in shades of ochre and pink, with laundry strung between shutters, tiny squares that appear out of nowhere and a café on every corner. We expected pretty. We did not expect it to be the highlight of a fourteen-day trip.

We also got lucky with the date. We were there on June 21 for the Fête de la Musique, France's national music festival, when the entire country turns into one big open-air concert. Every square had a band. Every street corner had someone with a guitar, a drum or a speaker. The old town was packed shoulder to shoulder, the food was fantastic. If your dates can stretch to include June 21, plan around it. If you hate crowds, plan around avoiding it.

One warning about the beaches: they are not sand. Nice's beaches are made of smooth round stones, more river rock than golden beach. They look gorgeous and they are murder on bare feet. Bring water shoes or cheap flip-flops, and accept that you will look less elegant than the locals who somehow walk across them barefoot. The Nice travel guide covers when to go and where to stay.

Monaco: supercars, switchbacks and a very expensive evening

Getting to Monaco is half the show. The road winds through the mountains on a series of roundabouts and switchbacks, and then you drop down into a place where every second car seems to cost more than a house. We lost count of the Ferraris. At some point you stop pointing at them and just accept that this is what parking looks like here.

The Casino de Monte-Carlo was awesome, and also exactly as expensive as you would imagine. Go for the building alone; the lobby and the square outside are worth the trip even if you never place a bet. If you do want to see the gaming rooms, bring your passport, dress smartly and check the current entry rules before you go, because they are stricter than a Las Vegas casino.

During the day, climb up to the old town on the rock and see the Prince's Palace, where the changing of the guard happens just before noon. The views over the harbor and all those yachts are free, which may be the only free thing in Monaco.

Vence and the hill towns

We took a private tour into the hills to Vence, and it was one of the best decisions of the trip. A short drive inland, the Riviera trades yachts for medieval stone villages perched on hilltops, with views all the way down to the sea. Vence has a lovely old center and Matisse's Chapel of the Rosary on the edge of town. Nearby Saint-Paul-de-Vence is a walled village full of galleries.

The other famous hilltop is Èze, between Nice and Monaco, a village wrapped around a rock with a cactus garden at the very top. A private guide or a driver makes these towns easy, since the roads are narrow and parking is a sport. If you are not on a tour, the local buses reach most of them.

Cannes and the coast in between

Cannes is glossier than Nice, with its palm-lined Croisette, the film festival palace and the boutiques that go with it. The part we liked best was the old quarter, Le Suquet, climbing the hill above the harbor. The Cannes guide has the details, including the short boat ride out to the Lérins Islands, which is a nice break from the crowds on the seafront.

Ten days on land: how we would do it next time

Based in Nice, with trains along the coast and a tour or two into the hills, ten days lets you see everything we rushed past, with time left over to sit in a square and do nothing.

Day	Plan	Getting there
1 to 2	Nice: old town, Castle Hill, the promenade, the morning market	Walk
3	Monaco: palace, harbor, casino in the evening	Coastal train
4	Èze and Villefranche-sur-Mer	Bus or driver
5	Antibes and its old town	Coastal train
6	Cannes: Le Suquet and the Croisette	Coastal train
7	Lérins Islands	Boat from Cannes
8	Vence and Saint-Paul-de-Vence	Private tour or bus
9	Menton, near the Italian border	Coastal train
10	A slow last day in Nice	Walk

If you want a ready-made version, our Paris and the French Riviera in 10 days guide starts with a few days in Paris and finishes on the coast. Open it in travli, change the days to fit your dates and drop in the hill towns.

Food: the bolognese we still talk about

We ate very well on this trip, but the thing we still bring up is a bowl of pasta bolognese. Not French, technically, but the Riviera sits right next to Italy and the cooking shows it. Nice also has its own street snacks worth hunting down, like socca, a crispy chickpea pancake sold hot from the oven. Eat in the old town, eat late and do not skip dessert.

If you have more time, keep going

Our trip carried on to Spain, and if you have four extra days, it is a great pairing. Barcelona gave us the Camp Nou stadium tour (check what is open, since the stadium has been under major renovation), the jaw-dropping Sagrada Família and Gaudí's Park Güell. Then Mallorca, where Palma's cathedral and old town are worth a full day. Our Barcelona in 5 days and Palma de Mallorca in 3 days guides cover both.

Just leave room in the suitcase. Or, like us, plan to buy another one.

Frequently asked questions

How many days do you need on the French Riviera?

Seven to ten days lets you base yourself in Nice and see Monaco, Èze, Cannes, Antibes and the hill towns without rushing.

Where is the best place to stay on the French Riviera?

Nice. It is central, has the airport, and coastal trains run in both directions to Monaco, Menton, Antibes and Cannes.

When is the Fête de la Musique?

Every year on June 21, in towns and cities all over France.