The Côte d’Azur, otherwise known as the French Riviera or southern France, is a bucket list destination for many. When I visited this region in late September of 2022, I based myself in Nice. Nice is the second most popular tourist destination in France (Paris being the first). Staying in Nice made a lot of sense for two reasons, the first being easy and accessible transportation. I flew into Nice’s international airport, and was able to easily take a train to Aix-en-Provence when I left the area to explore the rest of France. The second reason this home base made sense is because Nice offers the ultimate taste of Côte d’Azur, encompassing aesthetic vistas, delicious food, and French culture.
I had an amazing time in Nice (for details, check out this post). However, I was definitely eager to explore the surrounding villages in the region. I only spent 4 days in Southern France, but visited three separate villages with relatively little effort. Keep reading to discover some of my favorite day trips from Nice in the Côte d’Azur. Hopefully this provides inspiration when planning your own trip!
Day Trip 1: Saint-Paul-de-Vence
Our first day trip from Nice was to Saint-Paul-de-Vence, a little medieval village perched on a hill about an hour’s drive from Nice. We took an Uber here from our Nice Airbnb at around 9 am on a Sunday. When we arrived, Saint-Paul-de-Vence was deserted. As the day grew later, more and more organized groups of tourists arrived at the village, and it eventually became quite crowded in the main areas. I definitely recommend getting here early.
Saint-Paul-de-Vence is a very artistic village – there are tons of art galleries, studios, and workshops lining the cobblestone streets. We popped into several of the galleries while we explored this town. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough suitcase space to take a painting home!
Saint-Paul-de-Vence is entirely surrounded by high stone walls, or ramparts, relics from when the village was a medieval stronghold. You can actually walk along the top of the ramparts and circle almost the entire perimeter of the town. This offers amazing vantage point over the villages and countryside below, but for those with a fear of heights, beware! There isn’t a railing and the rampart pathway is relatively skinny.
In the main shopping area, we particularly enjoyed shopping at a cute épicerie, Maison Bremond, where we purchased several home goods and food items as souvenirs. There are a few main streets within the village that are lined with galleries, shops, and restaurants. We also enjoyed exploring the more residential areas and seeing what life as a local might be like – so I’d recommend wandering the smaller back pathways within Saint Paul as well.
Èze is another village in the south of France that has a very similar feel and flavor to Saint-Paul-de-Vence. Èze is also medieval and perched high on a hill in the countryside of the French Riviera. While both towns are recommended by numerous travel blogs, I definitely don’t think you need to visit both (it’s too much of the same thing). Personally, we were more than satisfied from spending the morning and midday in Saint-Paul-de-Vence. This town was so charming and easy to explore!
We ate lunch at one of the restaurants overlooking the hill that Saint Paul is perched on. Someone recommended Malabar to me as a lunch spot with great views overlooking the countryside. I think we actually ended up eating at the restaurant next to Malabar instead, and had a lovely meal with a beautiful view.
Day Trip 2: Villefranche-sur-Mer
Probably our easiest excursion to a neighboring village, Villefranche-sur-Mer is one of the best day trips from Nice. Villefranche is located only 25 minutes away from Nice by car, making it very easy to pop in for the afternoon. We took an Uber here from Nice at around 4 pm on a Monday to explore the colorful streets and enjoy a cocktail by the water!
Our main purpose in visiting Villefranche was to walk the streets and appreciate the colorful buildings and beautiful views. We did not really spend any time shopping (although there were some outdoor vendors set up near the water), nor were there any “must-dos” on our itinerary. We simply wanted to amble through the picturesque streets. Villefranche was not particularly crowded or touristy and we spent probably less than three hours here in total.
We did walk to the town’s beach (Plage Villefranche-sur-Mer) which offered a nice opportunity to explore the area and stick our toes in the sea. Many people were laying out on the beach (even though it was almost October), but we weren’t dressed for sunbathing!
There were numerous restaurants lining the strip between the town and the ocean. We nabbed a waterfront table at Dry Restaurant and Bar for some drinks and light bites. The whole dining experience was relatively low key (perhaps because it was 5pm on a Monday?). When we finished eating, it was easy to call an Uber to bring us back to Nice.
Day Trip 3: Antibes
Antibes, located about an hour’s drive south of Nice, was our last day trip in the Cote d’Azur. Antibes is larger than Saint-Paul-de-Vence and Villecranche-sur-Mer, and is in fact one of the main towns in the French Riviera. Our time in Antibes was a bit more luxurious than the other two towns as well. As with most European villages, Antibes has an Old Town, and we spent an hour or two exploring this neighborhood. Afterwards however, we headed to the Hotel du Cap-Eden Roc for dinner, which is one of the most elite hotel properties in the French Riviera.
We visited Antibes on a Sunday afternoon, and the city was deserted.
We chose to Uber from Nice to Antibes because we personally did not feel like dealing with the hassle of train schedules. However, many Côte d’Azur blogs mention that the Nice-Antibes train only takes only 20 minutes and departs at frequent intervals. I think you could use either transportation method and be fine.
After getting our fill of exploring Antibes’ old town, we called an Uber for the ~10 minute drive to Cap d’Antibes, where the Hotel du Cap-Eden Roc is located. I had made us a reservation in advance at one of the hotel’s restaurants: Restaurant Grill Eden-Roc.
Hotel du Cap-Eden Roc has several restaurant options, most of them extremally elegant and acclaimed. I chose the Grill restaurant (rather than the Michelin-starred Louroc) for our dinner. Coming from an afternoon of exploring the Old Town of Antibes, I knew we were not going to be able to dress elegantly enough for a Michelin-starred dinner.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, we were given the option of sitting outdoors or indoors. Initially, we chose outdoor seating for the beautiful view of the waves crashing against the coast. However, it was so windy outside that we didn’t last much longer than our initial glass of wine, and had to move the party inside!
Our meal here was quite expensive (no surprise), but the ambiance and food were delicious.
Overall, experiencing these day trips from Nice was one of the best parts of my time in the Côte d’Azur.
The Côte d’Azur is a 550-mile region in Southern France, and I wouldn’t feel like I really experienced it had I not visited multiple different towns in the area. There are some themes that stayed constant in each village, but each place definitely had its on distinct character. Saint-Paul-de-Vence was medieval, Villefranche was vibrant, and Antibes was elegant.
I was quite happy with our choice of day trips from Nice. However, there are also many other great neighboring areas to explore, including Cannes and Monaco. If you are able to spend a longer amount of time here, you should definitely explore these options.
