The sun seems to have missed Belgium this year. Lots of cloudy days, with no chance of sitting outside and enjoy some sunshine.
Time to catch some rays! This year, James and I headed south to the Côte d’Azur on the French south coast for some sun, sea, and sand, as well as some sightseeing! Our plan included to fly into Nice and then travel to Cannes, Monaco, and Menton by train.
We stayed in Nice and Cannes and traveled via local trains to the towns of Menton, Monaco, Antibes. It was so easy, as you can buy tickets online or at the station. Be aware though, that Nice station can be really busy and queues for the machine are long. We often bought our tickets the night before to beat the queue in the morning.
Here are some of our tips and things to do in the French Riviera.
Nice
Getting there and around
Nice Côte d’Azur Airport is only 15-20mins bus ride into the city centre. Indeed if you’re just seeing Nice or travelling around to other towns. Nice also has a tram that runs through the town allowing you to go from one end to the other in just 17 minutes! Tickets are 1.50€ or a 10 trip-ticket is 10€, making it 1€ a journey.
Castle viewpoint
We love a viewpoint, especially if there’s a sunset. There are a lot of stairs but the panorama view at the top is worth it. You can see across the coast of Nice, including the flights taking off and landing at the airport. We went up just before sunset and it was the perfect end to the day. The ‘Great Panorama Nice’ is situated between the beach and the harbour, great to see both from above.
Best Ice Cream 🍦
One of the best parts of Nice was Fenocchio’s ice cream shop’s. A family business here since 1966, this place offers over 70 different ice cream flavours. They have two different locations in Nice – both are always busy.
Cannes
Only 40mins by train from Nice is the glamorous town of Cannes. Famous for hosting the Cannes Film Festival, its expensive hotels, and yacht-filled harbour.
We were in Cannes for two days and on one of the nights was a fireworks festival. A free event at the beach. The fireworks were set off from the middle of the bay, in front of Boulevard de la Croisette. We were lucky enough to get a spot on the beach, to capture the fireworks display right in front of us.
The competition was spread over different nights in July and August, each night having a different country competing. The night we were there was a pyrotechnics company from the Philippines. All set the music, which – along with the fireworks- filled the nights sky.
Take in the View from the Castle
The best way to see all of Cannes is from the Castle Viewpoint. Situated on the left of the bay, you can see right across the beach, harbour and along the coastline.
Walk along Boulevard de la Croisette
Take in the sea breeze, sand, and blue skies, all while dodging the super cars racing past. Monaco isn’t the only place along the Côte d’Azur during the summer. Famous for it’s film festival, Cannes attracts the rich and famous. Along Boulevard de la Croisette, the expensive hotels, luxury shops makes it an ideal place to show off a supercar.
We spotted a few while we were there.
Monaco
Monaco, a tiny independent state, surrounded by France and Mediterranean coastline. Famous for its yacht-line harbour, Grand-Prix race track, and the Monte-Carlo casino.
Monaco is a must-see if you are in the French Riviera. It’s got the super-yachts, casino, super-cars, and expensive designer shops, and full of millionaires. You could probably see everything in a day, but we took two days here, as it was over 30ºC heat.
Check out my full post on Monaco
Menton
Famous for their lemons, Menton is the last town on the Côte d’Azur and before you get to Italy.
Its a sleepy little town with some Italian influences.
We thought a little walk around the harbor and into Italy would be fun. Not realizing that it was about a 2km walk in +30°C heat!!
We made it over the border and to the little Mini-Market, the first shop in Italy. Never been so happy for ice cream, a sit in the shade and a drink!
This town is a must-see. It’s calm and very different from the glam and luxury of Cannes, Monte Carlo, and St Tropez. It has a beautiful harbour to watch boats and to turn back and see the beautiful coloured houses along the coastline.
All these towns are very accessible by public transport. The trains in the French Rivera were really easy to use and didn’t cost too much.
We both thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Nice and the Côte d’Azur. Hopefully, we can fly back soon.
Until next time sunshine.
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