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Travel guide
The French Riviera
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: May to October
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Welcome
The French Riviera, in a few days
Some 200 kilometres of coast from Cassis to Menton, with turquoise coves, hilltop villages and famous resort towns along the way. Swim in a calanque in the morning, wander old Nice in the afternoon and watch the sunset from Èze. Offshore, car-free Porquerolles is a short boat ride from the mainland.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Calanque d'En-Vau free · half a dayA narrow limestone inlet with 100-metre walls and turquoise water, reached on foot from Cassis in about 90 minutes or by kayak from Port-Miou.
- Afternoon · Porquerolles Island · a full dayA car-free island 15 minutes by boat from the Giens peninsula, best explored by bike between vineyards, pine woods and white-sand beaches.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Villa Rivoli€140 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Saint-Tropez and the coastal path free · half a dayBeyond the yachts lies an old village around Place des Lices; the coastal path starts at La Ponche and follows coves and headlands to Pampelonne.
- Afternoon · Old Antibes and the Provençal market · about 2 hInside the sea walls: a covered market, shady squares and the Picasso Museum in Château Grimaldi, where he painted in 1946.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Le Grimaldi€165 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Old Nice free · half a dayOchre lanes between Cours Saleya and Castle Hill: the flower market in the morning, hot socca at lunchtime and busy bars in the evening.
- Afternoon · Villefranche-sur-Mer free · about 1 h 30Yellow and pink Italianate houses above a deep, sheltered bay; walk the vaulted medieval Rue Obscure to the Saint-Pierre Chapel decorated by Cocteau.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Durante€150 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The hilltop village of Èze · half a dayA medieval village about 430 metres above the sea, with cobbled lanes and an exotic garden among the castle ruins, looking out to the Esterel.
- Afternoon · Menton old town free · about 2 hThe lemon town stacks saffron and pink façades up to the baroque Basilica of Saint-Michel; nearby, the Serre de la Madone and Val Rahmeh gardens.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel La Flore€170 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Baguette: the daily bread, bought fresh from the boulangerie. Ask for a "tradition", made with nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast.
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: breakfast pastries, best in the morning while still warm.
- The cheese course: served after the main dish and before dessert, from Comté to Camembert.
- Steak frites: the bistro standard. Order it "saignant" for rare or "à point" for medium.
- Galettes and crêpes: savoury buckwheat pancakes from Brittany filled with ham, egg and cheese, then sweet ones for pudding.
- House wine: ordered by the carafe or the "pichet" at lunch, and often better value than a bottle.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a bakery or a café, and "au revoir" as you leave. Skipping it comes across as rude.
- Lunch runs from about noon to 2pm and dinner starts around 7.30pm. In between, most restaurant kitchens are closed.
- Most shops close on Sunday, and many small towns shut on Monday too. Bakeries and markets open on Sunday morning.
- Do not pay for bottled water at the table: ask for "une carafe d'eau", tap water that is served free with a meal.
- Around the big Paris sights, walk past anyone with a petition or a friendship bracelet. They are there to distract you while someone else takes your wallet.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €155 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMay to October
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingService is included by law, round up
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/french-riviera
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.