The sun was sweltering in the Cote d’Azur as record heat waves spread throughout France in the month of July, and such was the time that my husband and I chose to travel to the French Riviera. Already a popular tourist destination in the summer due to its beautiful beaches, sunny climate, and picturesque villages, this summer with its immense heat held a particular attraction for those wishing to cool off in the cool, clear blue waters of the region.

We spent ten days exploring the Cote d’Azur for the first time ever, with our itinerary being a culmination of much research prior to our trip. Below is an account of our travels, some of the highlights, some takeaways and recommendations for other travelers.

DAY 1: ARRIVAL/VILLEFRANCHE-SUR-MER

The airport in the French Riviera is located in Nice, France, which is also relatively centrally located, accessible by train, contains its own beautiful beach, and is a huge city with many things to do. Therefore, many travelers choose to make Nice or a surrounding city their home base and then take the train to other villages along the Cote d’Azur. After much research, we chose to make a home base for ourselves in Villefranche-sur-Mer, which is about a 10-minute train ride from Nice, but slightly less expensive for travelers on a budget, in addition to housing one of the most beautiful (and slightly less crowded) beaches in the Cote d’Azur. 

A peaceful, picturesque village with its own unique charm, we were very pleased with our choice to stay here at the Hotel de la Darse, a family-owned hotel passed down through generations and overlooking the waters of the Port Royal de la Darse. Only a 15-minute walk to the beach and the train station, this was a great location for a home base. 

On day 1, we had jet lag and didn’t do too much, apart from exploring the surrounding area and taking a nice long nap, but we did have reservations that evening for dinner and an intimate show at the La Trinquette Jazz Club located right next door to the hotel, where we spent the evening listening to the Leo Geller Jazz Quartet. We had a wonderful time, and I highly recommend to other travelers that if you stay in this area, that you do some research on shows that will be playing at the jazz club here during your stay and book tickets here one evening.

We happened to arrive on the 4th of July and were pleasantly surprised to find that the French were celebrating American Independence Day, complete with American flag decor around the village and a big celebration by the port.

DAY 2: GORGES OF VERDON AND LAVENDER FIELDS OF PROVENCE

We hopped on a train to Nice early in the morning and were picked up for our tour of the day, a 2-hour bus drive from Nice through the countryside of Provence. We stopped briefly in Castellane, a small village in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region in Southeastern France, where we had the most incredible pastries of our entire trip. 

Next, we drove past the Verdon Gorge, a 3,000 foot canyon with incredible views. We then stopped in the Valensole Plateau, where we took pictures in the lavender fields, which bloom seasonally from mid-May through mid-July.

Following this, we visited the town of Moustiers Saint-Marie to browse the shops. We enjoyed lunch at Le Chardon-Marie Restaurant and then enjoyed viewing wonderful artwork at Galerie Isabelle Merlet, a wonderful little shop tucked down the end of a little alleyway, where I purchased lovely postcards of her painted lavender fields to mail home to family and friends. We shared lavender and lemon gelatos and then traveled back to Nice and then to Villefranche-sur-Mer for dinner reservations at La Corderie, where we shared the grilled French seabass for two in outdoor seating with a lovely view of the port. We ended the day with a walk along the port to enjoy the sunset views.

DAY 3: VILLEFRANCHE-SUR-MER 

We were originally going to do an electric bicycle tour of Nice this day, but it was cancelled due to tour guide availability the night before, so we opted to do an impromptu day of renting kayaks and kayaking on the water in the Bay of Villefranche instead. This ended up being one of my favorite activities– I absolutely love kayaking and we were able to enjoy peaceful, crystal blue waters with spectacular views. We ate a late lunch at Good Mood restaurant after returning our kayaks and then went back to the hotel to get out of the sun and heat for a bit.

 For dinner, we Uber’ed out to Nice for our dinner reservations at La Rotonde. Since we arrived early, we were ushered into the hotel bar while we waited, which was a wonderful experience in its own right, with wood-paneled walls, ornately furnished and decorated with tapestries and art that were hundreds of years old. My favorite tapestry was named “Le Temps Enchaine Par L’Amour,” a 17th century Brussels tapestry by David Teniers dated 1683, featuring the god of Love tying an old man representing Time with his scythe and hourglass. This tapestry was offered as a wedding gift to the Princess of Alcaretto and the Prince of Arenberg as part of a set, a way of saying that thanks to love, time no longer exists! 

Dinner at La Rotonde, a carousel-themed brasserie, was fantastic, especially the raspberry and verbena pavlova, which was to-die-for. 

DAY 4: NICE

On day 4, we awoke early and took the train to Nice for a walking food tour with our local guide, Heloise. We enjoyed a swiss chard pie from Chez Felix (and Pan Bagnat), pissaladiere from Boulangerie St. Francois, lemon products and limoncello from Maison Gannac, socca from Theresa, olive oils from Alziari, wine from Caves Caprioglio, ice cream from Fennochio, and daube with gnocchis and ratatouille from Lou Gesu. I also bought a painting by a local artist at one of the markets we passed through. 

After the tour, my husband and I walked along the Promenade des Anglais and enjoyed the wonderful views of the ocean and city. 

For dinner,we had reservations at Restaurant JAN, a mind-blowing (albeit very high-end) dining experience, which included several courses for the special dining experience, along with wine pairings. Our courses included (1) lobster, white asparagus, and vanilla, (2) tuna, meringue, and caviar, (3) biltong, radish, and coriander, (4) trout, cucumber, and wasabi, (5) cauliflower, girolle, and coffee, (6) frozen apple, cod, and smoked haddock veloute, (7) duck, cherry, foie gras, and bobotie, (8) a visit to the cheese room, (9) rose, raspberry, and litchi dessert (a dessert served atop a real white rose), (10) amasi, apricot, and meringue, and (11) mignardises. We were especially fascinated by the butter we were served, which was a sculpted figurine of Jean de La Fontaine. However, my absolute favorite part of the experience was the visit to the cheese and preserve room (MARIA, named after the chef’s mother). Those who know me know that an entire room dedicated to trying various cheeses is absolutely my idea of heaven. 

DAY 5: VILLEFRANCHE-SUR-MER 

We rented a couple of sunbeds at Plage des Marinieres in Villefranche-sur-Mer and spent the day on the beach and swimming in the bay. I definitely recommend booking sunbeds ahead of time in the summer, as the beach was very crowded even on a weekday, and we saw numerous people turned away since the sunbeds were already sold out. There is also a public beach area where you can just bring your own towel and umbrella should you prefer, but we were pleased to just be able to show up and use the sunbeds and towels set out for us. We had Lunch by the Sea at the restaurant there and enjoyed dining while overlooking the beautiful views.

For dinner, we shared a quinoa salade and a “Kim pizza” (which we learned from the owner, Marie, was named after one of her repeat American customers) with chorizo, ham, artichokes, olives, basil, and cheese toppings at Le Serre. Everything was fantastic and Le Serre turned out to be one of our favorite restaurants in Villefranche-sur-Mer, due to the friendly and quick service, relaxed atmosphere, and delicious food– so much so that we ended up eating here three nights in a row. 

Following dinner, we visited Le Grande Cave de Villefranche and purchased some wines to take home with us.

DAY 6: GRASSE

We awoke early and took the train for an hour over to Grasse, where we had lunch reservations at Bistrot Lougolin. We were seated for lunch in front of the most spectacular views overlooking the plain and the bay, in the shade of a large tree and surrounded by the peaceful sounds of cicadas in the summer. We enjoyed the ceviche and tuna tartare appetizers. My husband ordered the risotto for his main dish and I ordered the fideua with frigola sarda, bell pepper, chorizo, shrimp, squid, and mussels. Everything was superb.

Following lunch, we Uber’ed over to Galimard, the oldest perfumery in Grasse, established in 1747, where we had an appointment for a workshop to mix our own scent. They also keep your formula on file so you can order more in the future and can even order the same scent in other products, such as lotions, shampoos, soaps, etc. This turned out to be our absolute FAVORITE activity of the entire trip, so I highly recommend it!

The perfume workshop took about two hours, during which we were able to smell over 50 scents and pick our favorites to mix to create our own scent. For my base notes, I selected (in order of favorites): (1) Musc blanc, (2) Bois mousse, (3) Ambre oriental, (4) Barbe a papa, (5) Iris, and (6) Chocolat. For my heart notes (again in order of favorites): (1) Tilleul, (2) Magnolia, (3) Air de Provence, (4) Note marine, and (5) Bambou. For my top notes: (1) Fruits de bergamote, (2) Fleurs d’orange Murcia, (3) Bergamote verte, (4) Rose de mai, (5) Lavande des Alps, and (6) Mandarin douce. I ended up with a lovely, subtle floral scent, and bought a special clear bottle with a gold cap to house my perfume (though they do provide other bottles for free as part of the workshop). I named my perfume “Amour eternel”- French for “everlasting love,” to commemorate the tapestry I loved in Nice.

We took the train back to Nice and enjoyed another dinner at Le Serre.

DAY 7: EZE VILLAGE AND MENTON

On day 7, we awoke early and after unsuccessful efforts to get on overcrowded trains, we finally Uber’ed over to Eze Village, a medieval village high above the sea. A steep hike up the hill, it was recommended to us to take a car up the hill to avoid the long hike. Once we arrived, we spent an hour touring the shops and climbing all the way to the top to see the garden and incredible views. I bought a beautiful handwoven tablecloth depicting Nice from one shop, and a gorgeous matching earring and necklace set of real purple orchids in resin  at L’Atelier Creations Artisanal, along with two drawings of Eze by the artist herself. 

We then ate lunch at Chateau Eza (where we had reservations), which offered French and Mediterranean cuisine along with splendid views on the terrace overlooking the ocean (perhaps the most incredible views of the entire trip). The lunch here was worth it just to see the view on the terrace.

Following lunch, my husband and I exited the village by hiking down the Sentier de Nietzsche (Nietzsche’s Footpath), a steep trail leading from the village down to the beach, and even passed a monument dedicated to Nietzsche and featuring his poem “Zarathustra,” which proclaimed, “If ‘Man is a bridge for man,’ his superhumanity is found in his friendships.” This resonated with me… Truly, are not art, poetry, literature, nature, trails, travels, even this blog, all somewhat of a bridge for each of us to connect with one another and with the world around us? It is fascinating to think that here I am, in 2026, walking in the footsteps of a man who walked the same trail in 1883, and still resonating with his written thoughts. But I digress.

Should you choose to hike this same path, please learn from my experience and do not wear sandals! Bring some good walking shoes/hiking boots. Also keep in mind what you are buying/carrying with you. My husband kindly carried our new heavy tablecloth in his backpack down the hill, but it did not make the hike more pleasant on his part. I would also recommend hiking at a cooler time of year and not in the midst of summer heat waves, as we did.  It took us an hour to hike all the way down as we kept stopping for water breaks. I also have a bit of a fear of heights, and there were some sections very high up and close to the edge that were a bit scary for me. If I had to do it again, I may also choose to hike uphill rather than downhill, as there would seem to be less danger of falling that way. However, it was all worth it, as it was a beautiful hike with incredible views.

After the hike, we took the train 30 minutes away to Menton, arriving just in time for our 4 p.m. walking tour. This was a 3.5 hour tour, during which we saw Les Jardins Bioves, Palais de l’Europe, Casino Barriere de Menton, Marche des Halles de Menton, Musee du Bastion, Basilica St. Michel, Cemetery of the Old Chateau, and Plage des Sablettes. We also learned about Menton’s history, lemon products, olive oil and homemade jams, and enjoyed tastings of local and regional specialties, including limoncello from Maison Gannac, jams, and truffles from Signorini Tartufi (our absolute favorite, so much so that I bought 4 jars of truffles to bring home with us). 

By the end of all of this hiking and walking, we were absolutely exhausted and our feet were killing us. We also wished we could have spent a little more time in each location. My recommendation to others is to break these two cities into their own separate days if you can. 

Following the tour, we took the train back to Villefranche-sur-Mer and grabbed dinner for the third day in a row at Le Serre, as we wanted something quick and easy that we knew would be good. Marie, the owner, kindly treated us to limoncello as thanks for the repeat business! A fantastic way to end the long day.

DAY 8: ANTIBES

On day 8, we were originally supposed to figure out how to travel by bus out to Saint Paul-de-Vence (the train doesn’t go there) to hike at Gorges du Loup,, but we cancelled this after realizing some museums we wanted to see in Nice and Antibes were closed on the days we originally wanted to go there and having to rearrange our schedule a bit. Therefore, we bumped our trip to Antibes up to Day 8 instead, which turned out to be a blessing, as we wanted a more relaxed day after our long day of walking and hiking the day before. 

We awoke early and took the train for 45 minutes to Juan-les-Pins in Antibes. We relaxed on sunbeds at Villa Djunah, had lunch, and swam in the ocean. Later in the afternoon, we Uber’ed over to the Musee Picasso in Antibes and viewed his art and sculptures. I must confess that Picasso is not one of my favorites– I’m more into Impressionist and Expressionist art than Cubism. However, it is still a neat experience to view the works of a famous artist in person. We also viewed the Chapelle Saint-Bernardin, a beautiful 16th century chapel containing frescoes. 

We then took a train back to Villefranche-sur-Mer, where we enjoyed an incredible dinner at our hotel’s restaurant, Restaurant La Stoa. We enjoyed mushrooms with celeriac puree with truffle, gnocchis with truffle cream with mushrooms and Parmesan, and grilled sirloin with ginger-infused jus, spring vegetables, and baby potatoes. For dessert, we enjoyed mango and fleur de lis ice cream. Bon appetit!

DAY 9: CANNES AND ILE SAINT-HONORAT

On day 9, we awoke early, had breakfast at the hotel and then took the train over one hour away to Cannes, where we bought ferry tickets for the noon ferry to Ile Saint-Honorat, a secluded island run by Cistercian monks. There, we enjoyed lunch and wine at La Tonnelle restaurant, where we ordered a hummus and home-made guacamole with toasted focaccia as appetizer, I ordered the linguine with lobster and tarragon bisque, and my husband ordered the grilled flank steak with Bearnaise sauce, fries and salad. We also shared a bottle of wine produced by the monks, the Sainte Ombeline 2024 Chardonnay (blanc), which was excellent, refreshing and not too sweet. 

Following lunch, we walked around the island and viewed ancient ruins, the 5th century monastery, Fort Royal, and Abbaye de Lerins. We saw the vineyards from a distance, but didn’t have time to do a tour or wine tasting, as we had to leave on the 3:30 p.m. ferry back to Cannes. The island was beautiful, but it was interesting to see the juxtaposition between the ultra-rich partying in hundreds of boats and yachts in the Gulf of La Napoule right next to where the monks live such seemingly simple and humble lives by comparison. The island is a must-see due to the beautiful views and historical buildings.

After getting back to Cannes, we took the train back to Villefranche-sur-Mer and grabbed an impromptu dinner at Baccanole, an Italian restaurant 15 minutes uphill from our hotel. I ordered the cannoli, which was fabulous, and my husband had the meat lasagna. We shared tiramisu for dessert. 

DAY 10: NICE

Day 10 was our last full day. We slept in a bit and then Uber’ed out to the Marc Chagall Museum in Nice, where we spent time viewing his colorful paintings and ceramics. Then, we walked along the Rue de Cimiez, a historic neighborhood with lovely Belle Epoque architecture, and viewed Queen Victoria’s Winter Palace. Next, we toured the Musee Henri Matisse, which was currently having an Yves Saint Laurent exhibit, and enjoyed seeing Matisse’s paintings and sketches of fashion designs and collaborations with Yves Saint Laurent. 

For lunch, we had the L’Alabama burger and fries at Eliott ‘N Bobbie’s in Villefranche-sur-Mer. In the afternoon, we enjoyed couple’s massages and then had another wonderful dinner by Restaurant La Stoa.

TAKEAWAYS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. Know basic phrases before you go and have a way to translate if needed. I was able to get by in most places with my very limited high school French, but for those who have never learned any French, I do recommend looking up some basic phrases before you go, bringing a guidebook with common phrases and/or downloading a translator app to your phone. 

2. Leave plenty of time in your schedule for the trains. The train system here was not very intuitive and took us a little time to figure out the first day. We also experienced a few issues during the trip with some stations not always recognizing the tickets on our phones, so we eventually started just purchasing physical tickets at the machines at each station when we were ready to travel, which inevitably can mean waiting in lines at busier stations. Some stations and some times of day (especially early morning and 5-7 p.m.) are also busier, and there were some times when trains were so packed full that we couldn’t get on multiple trains in a row. Allot plenty of time to make it to reservations if you are traveling via train.

3. There are many tours online that originate in Nice and go out to other destinations, so do your research before you go about the tours that are available in Nice during your time there, as well as any other tours located in the other cities you travel to. We found the tours to be a great way to maximize our limited time in each city to learn about the history and to experience the food, culture and most stunning views of each city. 

4. As a couple in our 30s that was more interested in early mornings and long days of exploring, walking, or enjoying the beach, Villefranche-sur-Mer was a perfect and peaceful home base for us and I would absolutely stay here every time if I came here again. However, those who prefer bigger cities with a more vibrant night life and more shopping may prefer to stay in Nice.

5. Visit in mid-May through mid-July if you would like to do the bus tour from Nice to view the lavender field of Provence and enjoy the beaches in summer. Otherwise, if you would like to avoid the summer heat and peak tourist season you may wish to visit in the spring or fall.

6. Make sure to do your research on restaurants that are popular/require you to make reservations ahead of time.

7. Make sure to pace yourself and to alternate days where you are doing a lot of walking/hiking with days where you can rest and relax on the beaches. 

8. Everything we read said that Eze Village and Menton could be visited in one day, but I wish we had dedicated two separate days to each place instead so that we could have had a little more time to explore– plus our feet were so tired after all of the walking and hiking in one day.

9. We brought handheld fans, lightweight reusable water bottles and electrolyte packets (my favorite are Liquid IV’s pina colada flavored packets) before the trip to bring with us, and they were absolutely necessary in the summer due to the heat. We noticed many envious looks wherever we went. I highly recommend packing these in your suitcase if you plan to travel here in the summer! AC and water is not always a step away here.

10. We filled our time very efficiently for only a 10 day trip, but did have to leave out a few other destinations we wanted to visit (Saint Paul-de-Vence; a ferry day trip from Nice to St. Tropez; and a day trip out to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, where I would have loved to book a tour of Villa Santo Sospir, the villa of Jean Cocteau, but it happened to be closed during our visit). I recommend for those who have the opportunity to stretch your time out for 2-3 weeks to really get to spend your time exploring the various cities, restaurants, museums, and art. 

BOOKS TO READ BEFORE YOUR TRIP

The French Riviera has long been renowned for drawing many prominent figures, famous celebrities, artists and authors, such as Queen Victoria, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Marc Chagall, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, and more. Below is a list of books I purchased prior to the trip that were inspired by, about, or based in the French Riviera.

1. Tender is the Night, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. Cooking for Picasso, by Camille Aubray
3. Perfume, by Patrick Süskind 
4. Travels Through the French Riviera, by Virginia Johnson
5. The Riviera Set, by Mary S. Lovell
6. Villa America, by Liza Klaussmann
7. Everybody Was So Young, by Amanda Vaill