My Top Tips before Travelling

To rent a car or to not rent a car ?

If you’re exploring the French Riviera such as places like Nice, Cannes and Monaco then I think public transport is best ! Most places you can go to directly on the train very quickly for only a few euros. With a car you get stuck in traffic and may struggle to park in popular spots. However, if you are staying here for a long period such as 2 weeks then a car is useful to visit places that are more rural.

If you’re heading to Provence to see lavender fields, the luberon villages and Gorges du Verdon etc then I would recommend having a car as this area is more rural, so many places can’t be accessed easily on public transport. You can book tours when you’re here to take you to the famous spots if you can’t rent a car !

How do I use public transport?

The train system on the Riviera is very easy you can book your tickets on the Trainline or SNCF app - don’t worry you don’t need to book in advance I would do it like 10 minutes before the train came ! You can also buy tickets at the stations but there can be long queues especially in Nice.

The train follows the coast from Ventimiglia, Italy and stops at most of the main places along the coast such as Nice, Cannes, Antibes, Monaco etc. Most places I recommend are on this train line. I would recommend staying close to a station if you are planning to explore a lot using the train.

Buses you pay for when you get on the bus with the driver and for the Tram in Nice you buy a ticket at the tram stop on the machine (make sure you validate your ticket when on the tram or bus using the machine to avoid a fine!)

If you aren’t sure how to get somewhere on public transport then use google maps or city mapper to work it out for you !

What airport do I fly into ?

There are 2 airports - Nice and Marseille ! So check to see which your accommodation is closest to.

Where should I stay ?

If you’re planning to only use public transport to travel then pick a place with good transport links.

My favourite bases on the Riviera are Nice, Antibes and Villefranche sur mer as they have beaches, are affordable and are all pretty !

If you’re exploring Provence then Aix en Provence, Marseille or Avignon are the best connected.

I would recommend picking 1 or 2 bases and doing day trips instead of staying in each place you want to visit. Then you don’t waste time packing and checking in and out etc ! Also most places are very close together so there’s no real advantage to staying somewhere new every night.

What time of the year should I visit ?

The prime time for the best weather is from the end of June to the start of September - expect blue skies most days and temperatures of around 30 Celsius.

Either side of this can still be good weather but rain is more likely and earlier in the year like May/start of June the sea will be cold.

The south is very sunny so you can visit in the winter and still have blue skies everyday but the temperature can be about 10 Celsius and some places will be closed until the summer season begins again in May.

How long to stay ?

I think a week is best - so you can see all the best spots but also have time to relax on beaches etc.

You can do a long weekend but you can’t see everything!

If you want to see everything from the Riviera to Provence then you can easily spend weeks exploring.