The French Riviera, or Côte d’Azur, earned its reputation the honest way: turquoise water lapping at pebble beaches, hillside villages painted in ochre and pink, and a string of glamorous towns that have drawn artists, film stars, and royalty for well over a century. Stretching roughly from Saint-Tropez to the Italian border, it packs an enormous range of experiences into a coastline you can cross by train in an afternoon.

Best Things to Do on the French Riviera

Wander the Old Town of Nice

Vieux Nice is a maze of narrow lanes, baroque churches, and market stalls selling socca and candied fruit, all a short walk from the curve of the Promenade des Anglais. The flower and produce market at Cours Saleya runs most mornings and is one of the best ways to get a feel for local life.

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Visit the Monaco Grand Casino and Old Town

The tiny principality of Monaco packs Belle Époque casinos, a hillside old town, and the Prince’s Palace into just a couple of square kilometers. Even non-gamblers wander into the Casino de Monte-Carlo just to see the ornate gaming rooms and the classic cars often parked outside.

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Explore the Perched Villages

Towns like Èze and Saint-Paul-de-Vence cling to hilltops above the coast, with cobblestone streets, art galleries, and views that stretch across the Mediterranean. Èze in particular rewards the steep climb with a botanical garden at its summit.

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Relax on the Beaches of Antibes and Cannes

Cannes’s Boulevard de la Croisette is lined with grand hotels and private beach clubs, while Antibes offers a mix of sandy coves and the old ramparts of Fort Carré. Both towns make an easy day trip from Nice by train.

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Tour the Musée Picasso in Antibes or the Matisse Museum in Nice

The Riviera’s light and landscape drew major artists throughout the twentieth century, and museums dedicated to Picasso, Matisse, and Chagall let you see that influence firsthand in the places that inspired it.

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Best Time to Visit

Late spring and early fall offer warm days without the peak-summer crowds and prices, particularly around the Cannes Film Festival in May. July and August are hottest and busiest, with beaches and hilltop villages both drawing heavy crowds.

How to Get There

Nice Côte d’Azur Airport is the region’s main gateway, with a coastal train line connecting Nice, Antibes, Cannes, and Monaco in under an hour combined. A car is useful for reaching the hilltop villages, though parking in town centers can be tight in summer.

Good to Know

Many beaches along the Riviera charge for sunbeds and umbrellas at private clubs, while public stretches remain free, so it’s worth knowing the difference before you settle in. Museums and smaller shops often close for a midday break, a habit worth planning around, and comfortable shoes matter for the cobblestone streets of the hilltop towns.

Few coastlines pack this much variety into so short a stretch, from casino glamour to quiet fishing ports, which is exactly why the French Riviera keeps pulling travelers back.