Must see places?

Hi Everyone

I am planning a 10 day trip to the south of france (could maybe stretch to 14days) and was wondering if anyone could suggest the must see places along the coast? We will be flying into Nice and plan to spend a few days there. We will be travelling around by train. Would it be best to go on day trips from Nice or to actually stay in other parts?

We like pretty towns with lots of nice restaurants etc. Also can anyone tell me which town has the best beach?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated :)

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Nice is an ideal base to see the Cote d%26#39;Azur and you can get almost anywhere by bus or train from the city.

The usual %26#39;must see%26#39; places on the coast are Monaco (which I find a bit gross and vboring, mostly, but it is worth one visit), Eze (small hill-top village with amazing coastal views and a botanical garden), the Villa Ephrussi du Rothchild (a big house and beautiful garden on the Cap Faret) and Antibes (popular, busy town near Nice).

Alot of people love Cannes, but it is not to my taste at all, so I will leave a Cannes fan to tell you more! Similarly Menton is very popular, with a citrus fesitval each year.

There is lots to do in Nice itself, make sure oyu visit the Old Town and flower market and go up to the Castle to see the view of the habour and beach. Nice beach is nice, but it is pebbley and gets pretty deep very quickly - so not a paddling type beach! Most Cote d%26#39;Azur beaches are stoney/pebbley rather than sand, but towards Cannes some are sandy.

You could even pop over to Italy for the day, go to Ventimilia for the market or Dolcaqua for lunch.

I wouldn%26#39;t limit myself to the coast, however, as there is lots to do further up in the mountains, too. My favourite places are Tourrettes-sur-Loup, Vence and Gourdon. Gourdon has a panoramic view of the whole coast on a good day, plus lots of places to eat. You can also stop off at Gorges du Loup on the way up there.

Tourrettes-sur-loup is pearched on top of a valley, has the best ice cream on the Cote d%26#39;Azur (Tom%26#39;s), several lovely places to eat and isn%26#39;t too touristy. Vence is larger and has my favourite restuarant, L%26#39;Armoise. It also has a large market. The same bus will take you through the tourist trap that is Saint Paul du Vence.

Hope that helps a bit!

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Wow! Thank you so much for spending the time to write such a brilliant reply!! Theres loads of great information there to help me start planning my trip. There are places mentioned there that I would never have considered so thank you so much!

:)

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You%26#39;re welcome :-)

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On our trip there many years ago, i fell in love with St Paul en Vence, right near Vence. A definate must see. Try and get there at a time when the tourist buses aren%26#39;t there. I found them there early in the morning but not late in the evening. I don%26#39;t think you could get the train here though.,

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If you do a search here for Nice you will find many recent posts with the kind of information you want. Additionally, you might want to get a copy of the Michelin Green Guide to the Côte d%26#39;Azur, and perhaps the companion one on the rest of Provence.

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Nice is an excellent base for the Riviera, a must actually. With 10 days you have time enough to see lots of nice towns and villages.

Herer aere a few.

On the Western side of Nice : Cannes, St-Paul-de-Vence and Vence (in the same trio), Haut-de-Cagnes (reachable from the Cagnes-sur-Mer train station), Antibes/Juan-Les-Pins and if you rent a car Biot

Further west: Le Lavandou and Borme-les-Mimosas

NICE itself has lots to see (search for some suggestions in previous posts from me)

Towards the Itlian border: Eze-Village, Monaco, Villefranche-sur-Mer (walkable from Mont-Boron), Villa Ephrussi Rotschild on Cap Ferrat. Menton

in Italy , Friday AM market in Vintimille (Ventimiglia) or the Saturday AM market in San Remo (or the one in Bordighera, a small town between the 2 others)

Get a guide book to help you decide which ones are your best bets. And when you return rent a car and visit the villages at the back of Nice and Menton along the Italian border.

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I don%26#39;t think anyone has mentioned Entrevaux? I thought it was fab, and an easy day trip by train from Nice.

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Yes, I liked Entrevaux, and it%26#39;s on the Train Aux Pignes line, which is a cute little tourist train, going through some nice scenery. Grasse is also worth a visit, as a very very French town, which also has perfume factories that you can tour. Verdon Gorge is a spectacular day trip (by car) if you like rugged scenery.

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