French Riviera: The ultimate 1 week Côte d’Azur itinerary

The Côte d’Azur, or French Riviera, is a dream destination for travelers seeking a mix of glamorous coastal towns, charming villages, and breathtaking natural beauty. In this one-week travel route through the South of France, you’ll explore well known iconic cities like Nice and Cannes, but while also discovering charming gems like Eze and Cap d’Antibes. During this one week in the South of France I tried to capture the perfect combination of relaxation and adventure. You’ll go from stunning beaches and world-class dining to scenic hikes and historical sites. I think this Côte d’Azur itinerary captures the essence of the Riviera’s allure, with a little bit of everything that makes it such a great destination.

Where to base yourself on the French Riviera?

You can choose to hop around different cities or you can base yourself somewhere on the coast and travel from there. I think if you’re only spending a short amount of time in the Riviera, I’d opt to Base myself in Nice and either rent a car or take the train to get around. Why would I choose Nice? It conveniently located and from there you can get anywhere on the coast by public transport. It has a lot of nice restaurants, things to do and isn’t as pretentious as Cannes or Saint-Tropez.

If you’d prefer a smaller town, Antibes is a great option. It has 2 train stations and good connections to most places, lot’s of nice restaurants to choose from and nice beaches.

Day 1 and 2: Nice

Start your French Riviera adventure in Nice, the region’s vibrant heart. Spend your first two days strolling the Promenade des Anglais, exploring the charming Old Town, and visiting key landmarks like the Musée Chagall and Castle Hill for panoramic views. Don’t miss the Cours Saleya market for fresh produce and local goods, and enjoy a swim at one of Nice’s pebble beaches.

Extra tip:  Go wine tasting at Chateau Cremat. It’s outside of the city, but worth the trip. 

How to get to Nice

You can get to Nice by flying there or by train if you’r already somewhere in the French Riviera. Trains from Cannes to Nice run regularly and take about 35 minutes.

Day 3: Calanques + Cap Roux Hike

On day three, after a few days in the city, take some time to explore the natural beauty of the Calanques. They are a series of stunning rocky inlets along the coast. One of my favorites is is Calanque de Saint-Barthélemy. After a bit of swimming and relaxing, head to Cap Roux in the Esterel Massif for a scenic hike through red rock formations, with breathtaking views of the Mediterranean along the way. The Cap roux peak is a great spot to watch the sunset. The easiest hike starts from a the Sainte Baum parking lot. In my full guide I explain everything you need to know about this hike.

Find my full guide to hiking Cap Roux here.

How to get to the Calanques +Cap Roux

You’ll need a car to get to the specific Calanque and trailhead I mentioned. However, there are a few Calanques that you can reach with public transport. For example, Calanque de Maupas is located close to Le Trayas train station. The longer hiking route for Cap Roux is also accessible with public transport. However, it can take quite a while to get there, as the connection is not so the question is, if it would be worth the trip.

Day 4: Cagnes sur mer, St. Paul de Vence

Spend the morning in the seaside town of Cagnes-sur-Mer, visiting the Renoir Museum and the Grimaldi Castle on the hill. There’s a beautiful square with a view next to the castle that’s perfect for a drink or a lunch before continuing to the next village. In the afternoon, head inland to the medieval hilltop village of Saint-Paul-de-Vence, known for its cobblestone streets, art galleries, and beautiful views. It’s wonderful wandering through this picturesque village, once home to artists like Chagall. The most impressive landmarks are the Chapelle des Pénitents Blancs and Maison de Jacques Prevert.

How to get to Cagnes sur mer and St Paul de Vence

Public transport: There is a train-station in Cagnes sur Mer and a bus that goes from Cagnes sur Mer to St Paul de Vence.

Train from Nice-Ville to Cagner sur Mer:leaves every 30 minutes and takes about 15 minutes.

Bus Cagner Sur Mer to St. Paul de Vence: On weekdays every 30 minutes. Check the schedule for the timetable for the weekends.

Buy your tickets at the station or on the French railway website.

Day 5: Eze + Villefranche sur mer

Eze is famous for its narrow streets, exotic garden, and breathtaking views of the Mediterranean.  The most popular spot to visit is the exotic garden at the top. Start your day as early as possible in Eze. It’s a small medieval village, with lots of charm, but no longer a hidden gem. From 10 AM the large groups of tourist will arrive as well. If you’d like to avoid the crowds, go early.If you take the train you’ll arrive in Eze sur Mer (on the coast), but you’ll need to go to Eze-Ville, which is on top of the hill. There is a beautiful hike called Nietzsches path. It will take you on a scenic 1 hour hike to the village. I made sure to arrive at the train station at 8, so I could enter the famous exotic garden at 9, which is its opening time.

Then, drive down or take the train to the charming coastal town of Villefranche-sur-Mer, where you can relax on its sandy beach, explore the harbor, and stroll through the colorful Old Town. Relatively close to Villefranche you can also find Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, which is worth a visit.

Find my full guide to Eze here.

You can find all my tips for Villefranche-sur-Mer here.

How to get to Eze

Train to Eze: There is a train from Nice or Cannes, to Eze sur Mer that leaves every 30 minutes. From the train station you can choose to hike up to the village or take a bus. The hike is beautiful, so I can highly recommend doing that, as long as you are prepared with good shoes.

How to get to VilleFranche sur Mer

From Nice there is train to Villefranche sur Mer every 15 minutes, but you could also take a 30 minutes bike ride on the coast. If you are coming from Eze, you either have to hike back down to the train station or you can take a bus. I took the bus from Eze to Villefranche sur Mer and it stops up on the hill, but I walked down to the village in about 10 minutes from there.

Day 6: Grasse + Ile de sainte Marguerite (Cannes)

Start your day in Grasse, the perfume capital of the world. One of the best experiences here, is to do a perfume workshop where you learn to make your own perfume. It’s a fun activity and you get to take home a souvenir that you can actually use. After the perfume workshop in the morning explore the town of Grasse a little bit more. In the afternoon, head to Canne and take a boat from Cannes to Île Sainte-Marguerite. It’s a serene island known for more secluded beaches and the mysterious Fort Royal, where the Man in the Iron Mask was imprisoned. However, even more interesting than that, there is an underwater museum you can explore!

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of the city of Cannes. It’s a bit to glitzy for my liking, without that many activities. It’s worth walking around for a little bit, but besides the old town, it’s mostly a bunch of posh shops and Yachts. So I’d spend more time in the surrounding cities and villages.

How to get to Grasse

Train: from Nice/Cannes to Grasse From Grasse train station.  To get from there to Galimard you take bus n°6  (bus stop Jacinthe).

From Cannes train station to Galimard in Grasse you can also take bus n°600 (bus stop Les 4 Chemins).

How to get to Ile de sainte Marguerite

The fastest way to get from Cannes to Île Sainte-Marguerite is to take the ferry which takes 15 min and costs $15,50 or $18 for a return, depending on which company you book with. You can book your ticket in the harbor or order it online.

Day 6: Antibes

Spend your sixth day in the beautiful coastal town of Antibes. If you don’t mind an early morning, start your day with a coastal walk in Cap d’Antibes. I suggest early morning, so you can avoid the crowds on this popular trail. Afterwards, explore its Old Town and visit the Musée Picasso, housed in a medieval castle. In the late afternoon, take a walk along the historic ramparts with views of the sea, or relax at one of the nearby beaches like Plage de la Salis.

Find my full guide to Antibes here.

How to get to Antibes

From Nice to Antibes takes 40 minutes by car (depending on traffic) . The train from Nice-Ville to Antibes takes only 26 minutes and leaves every 30 minutes.

Day 7: Menton

End your week in the colorful town of Menton, known as the “Pearl of France.” It’s famous for the pastel-colored building and beaches known to be great for swimming, because of the gentle waves. Menton offers a relaxed vibe, with a small old centre that has iconic steps leading up to the beautiful Basilica of Saint Michael,. Besides old town, there’s the lovely garden of Val Rahmeh. However, if you’d like to just end your week by relaxing on the beach, this is also a perfect spot.

You can find my full article about Menton here.

How to get to Menton

By Train: From Nice the train takes only 35 minutes to Menton. There is also a high speed train from Paris that reaches Menton in 3,5 hours. You can buy your tickets at the station or online.

By Plane: Land in Nice Airport and from there its only a 30 minute drive to Menton or a 40 minute train ride.