The best part about having friends all over the world? Getting to meet them in new places! At the end of the summer, I met 3 of my ex-coworkers in Nice, France. Though we decided to stay in Nice, we managed to see a bit more of the area in the short 3 days we were there. I can already start by saying that 3 days is not enough! Autumn is an ideal time to visit because flights are less expensive, and it’s less crowded.
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How to get around
Book a Car
We decided to rent a car so we would have more freedom, but if you are planning to only do coastal cities in the Riviera, you’ll manage completely fine using trains. I won’t lie, driving around Nice was really stressful. There are a lot of one way roads and tight turns, plus it’s somewhere I haven’t been before, which just made it more foreign to drive around. Luckily, I have friends that were really great in helping me navigate and very patient when I missed a turn! I even needed help parallel parking once because the car was too fancy with all its cameras and beeping.
Despite all of that, by day 3, I felt pretty comfortable. Nice is fairly small, so we were taking the same way out of the city every day. You will adjust quickly. If you are planning to go up into the mountains or even to some of the more remote wineries, I highly recommend having a car at your disposal.
I booked our car through Discover Cars. This was my first time using them, but I really liked how easy it was to use their website. It gives a lot of different options based on what you like/want in a rental, and the pick up and drop off was really simple. You will see all the usual agencies like Budget and Avis, etc. Pricing is great, and if you book through this link you can get an additional discount.
Public Transit
If you are planning to travel along the coast via train, it is quite simple. You can book tickets in advance through TER (Transport Express Regional) or through their app. The trains go to all the major cities along the French Riviera, so it’s really convenient in that way. Ticket prices range depending on how far you are going, of course.
Be sure to research a bit more if you are traveling in a group of 3 or more – you can get discounted rates. They also offer multi-day passes that allow unlimited travel for a fixed rate. And they also have regional passes. Be sure to check out their website for the best deal that fits your type of travel.
Uber
We used Uber a few times, which like most places where Uber runs, was convenient. We did notice that our drivers would accept a ride with us, but have another passenger to drop off first, which made the wait time a lot longer. One time we even had the driver go past us with other passengers and then she had to come back around to pick us up. It was just a little confusing in the moment and something to keep in mind. I like Uber when in groups and when going shorter distances, but again, having the car or using public transit is more my way of traveling.
Where to Stay
We stayed in an Air Bnb in Villefranche-Sur-Mer, which is the less busy side of Nice. Personally, I really loved being over there because we could park the car for free on the street and walk everywhere. The restaurants on that side are incredible – keep reading for places to eat – and we did a beach day nearby as well. The flat was really nice and had plenty of space for the 4 of us. Note: There are a lot of stairs in this Air BnB, so it is not for you if you have trouble with that.
Nice city centre is a lot more busy, but if you want to be right in the middle of everything, then definitely look at the Radisson. This is a nice hotel with great prices right in the middle of everything. They also have a free airport shuttle. If you want to pay a little extra, you can get a sea view as well.
If you want to be the most bougie, rent a yacht and stay in the harbor. You’ll see tons of yachts around the French Riviera, many of which are celebs and billionaires. It’s the place to be in the summer months if you’re rich and famous.
Where to Eat
La Mere Germaine
This was my favorite meal of the trip. It’s located right on the water and has quite a few outdoor tables. The seafood was incredible, the drinks delicious, and the chocolate soufflé made us want to go back all 3 nights we spent in Nice. I ordered the prawn linguine and steak to share with one of my friends along with a mai tai. Be sure to get a reservation here if you are in Nice during the high season. We got lucky and were able to book it the day of, but again, we were there in September.
Bistrot Gourmand
This restaurant is in downtown Nice and we decided to check it out because the menu boasted soufflé. We had a delicious meal, but the restaurant above was better in my opinion. Bistrot Gourmand had a good variety on their menu and a lot of wine options. I go the chicken with bean hummus and one of my friends got the truffle pasta – both pictured below. We all really liked our food, but we also had better during our trip. So this is one you could skip if you have a lot of other options.
Marinières Plage Restaurant
This was a little beach side restaurant that we absolutely loved. The people were very sweet and the food was really delicious! The only thing I wouldn’t go back for were the cocktails. We each ordered one and none of them were great. Maybe stick to wine or beer here. We all ordered something and shared – tacos, chicken caesar salad, truffle pasta (so good!), and beef sushi. We were obviously extremely hungry, because none of us took photos of the food here. Sorry. Just trust me that the food was great!
You can also pay to rent chair and umbrellas here if you are looking to get out of the sun or off the sand a bit. We didn’t, so I’m not sure on pricing, but I know you can reserve them here.
Les Garçons
Another one that really needs a reservation, but we got lucky (although we could only get a table inside). This meal was another amazing one. I ordered an espresso martini and the scallop risotto – a special that night. This restaurant seems to be closed during the off season, so you might not be able to get a meal here if you aren’t in Nice in June-September.
As you can see in the photos below, we also found some gelato after we ate this meal. We decided to skip dessert at the restaurant to have some. This was right down the street from Les Garçons at a little place called Glacier Feracci. Chocolate and mango were the flavors I went for. It was the perfect end to the trip!
Things to Do
Beaches
The obvious thing to do while in Southern France is go to the beach. The good news is, there is no shortage of great beaches in the area. We decided to spend a day near our Air BnB so we had a super chill day at Villefranche-Sur-Mer. The amount of yachts in the harbor around there is crazy, and I can only imagine how it is in the high season! It is absolutely gorgeous, so we were more than happy to spend the day taking in the views.
On our other beach day we decided to go to another area of the French Riviera, so we drove over to Antibes. Again, amazing beaches, and we found free parking right along the road, steps from the beach. We spent the day with more beautiful views, nice water, and some drinks (complimentary wine from our fair BnB hosts!) There is a nice walking path that goes along the beach if you want to explore some more, but I was content to stay on the beach and eat some food from one of the shacks. 10/10 day in my book.
Drive into the Mountains for a Via Ferrata
About an hour and 15 minute drive north into the mountains to Puget-Thanis is a little locally run via Ferrata. We managed to get lucky and book it the night before, but only because we were comfortable doing it without a guide. They do provide guides for an additional fee, but you should look into booking more in advance. The best part, it only cost €30 each to do it without a guide. They only take cash, so make sure to have some euros on hand!
If you’re feeling adventurous and want to balance your beachy holiday with some adrenaline and exercise, I highly recommend doing the red route via ferrata (see photo). This was so much fun, but is definitely challenging both physically and mentally. If you are afraid of heights I would definitely skip this activity. Don’t worry, though, they make sure you know how the course goes and that you are confident in using the gear before you head up! We took about 3 hours to do the whole course.
Wine Tasting
France is one of the most well-known places in the world for wine. So it feels like an obvious choice to go to a vineyard or two. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time on this trip, but we tried a few different wines at the restaurants we ate at, and even took some bottles to the beach. (Yes, it is legal to drink on the beach, but you can be fined if you get too rowdy!) Here are a few wineries I looked into that I think sound lovely, and hope to visit on my next trip.
Grape Stomping (seasonal)
Continuing on the topic of wine, I wanted to single out this activity as well. If you go in September, and you book advance, you might be able to go somewhere that does grape stomping! I tried to set that up for us, but we didn’t book in time and they were all full. But if that sounds like something you’d be interested in, I recommend Les Pastras. Johann and Pepin were extremely responsive and helpful via email and tried their best to work something out for us. It’s €60 per adult and lasts 3 hours! They provide photo opportunities, a charcuterie, and unlimited red and rose wines and you might even get into a grape fight! Something to note: if you’re there in summer or winter, they also do truffle hunting tours or, in October and November, they do olive harvesting! Lots of options for all times of the year.
I really loved being in the South of France in September because it was a bit less busy, but the weather is still amazing. I think going in the spring months would also be a vibe, getting into sunnier climes after the long winter months. But, like I mentioned above, different seasons bring different things to do. When are you planning to head down to the French Riviera? If you want more on this area, you can read my Marseille Blog here.
