A seven day French Riviera itinerary that actually works

Most first French Riviera itineraries we see have the same flaw: six towns in seven days, a rental car booked for the whole week, and a hotel chosen for its photographs rather than its location. The coast is only about 70 miles end to end, which makes people think they can see all of it. They can, and it is the worst way to spend the week. This is the version that works, written by a studio that drives this coast every week of the season.

First decision: train or car?

Answer this before you book anything else, because it determines where you sleep. The short version is that the coastal railway does the coast better than a car does, and a car does the hills better than the railway does. So you want both, for different parts of the week, and not at the same time.

Route guidance from our own working travel across the 2025 and 2026 seasons. Timetables and fares for your dates come from the regional operator, linked in the sources below.

The seven day plan

Two bases, four nights in Nice and three further west, or the reverse. Every day below has one anchor and nothing else compulsory, which is the part most itineraries get wrong.

Two towns are missing on purpose. Saint-Tropez does not fit in a first week unless you give it two nights, because it is slow to reach and pointless as a day trip in summer. Menton and the Italian border are lovely and belong in a second visit. Adding either costs you a full day of the seven and gains you a photograph you already have of somewhere else.

What it costs, roughly

The Riviera has a wide floor and no ceiling. The honest range for two people, excluding flights, sits somewhere between a comfortable trip and a very expensive one depending almost entirely on where you sleep and how often you eat in beach clubs.

Indicative ranges observed across our clients' trips through the 2025 and 2026 seasons, in euros, excluding international flights. August runs materially higher than the same trip in May or September.

Where the photographs happen

You will take four hundred pictures on your phone and come home with three you like, none of which have both of you in them. That is not a criticism of your phone, it is a consequence of somebody always holding it. One hour with a photographer, placed early in the week rather than on the last evening, is the fix, and it is the single most repeated piece of advice we get from clients afterwards.

Where to put it depends on your base. Nice gives the most variety inside one walk and is the easiest to reach. Villefranche and Eze give the postcard. Cap-Ferrat gives photographs with nobody else in them, even in the second week of August. Whichever you choose, book it for golden hour, the ninety minutes before sunset, or before 10am. Between 11am and 5pm in summer the sun is nearly vertical and no amount of editing rescues it.

Detail by town is in our spot guides for Nice, Monaco, Antibes and Cap-Ferrat, and the seasonal detail is in the best time for a photoshoot on the French Riviera.

Practical notes for first time American visitors

• Kitchens close in the afternoon, roughly 2pm to 7pm. Dinner starts at 8pm and nobody thinks that is late. Plan around it or eat badly.
• Tipping is not expected. Service is included by law. Rounding up a few euros for good service is generous, not stingy.
• Most beaches here are pebble, not sand. Bring water shoes for Nice and Villefranche. The sandy beaches are west, towards Cannes and Saint-Tropez.
• Nice airport is ten minutes from the city. This is unusual and it is worth building your first and last days around.
• Nothing here is far, and everything takes longer than the map says in July and August. Add a third to every drive time you are quoted.

Frequently asked questions

Is seven days enough for the French Riviera?

Seven days is the right length for a first visit, and it is enough for two bases rather than one. The coast is only about 70 miles end to end, which tempts people into six towns in seven days, and that is the single most common way to ruin the week. Four nights in Nice and three further west, in Antibes or Cannes, covers Monaco, Eze, Villefranche, the old town and a day on the water without a single rushed morning.

Do you need a car on the French Riviera?

Not for the whole week. The coastal railway links Nice, Villefranche, Monaco, Antibes, Cannes and Menton, runs along the water, is inexpensive and is immune to summer traffic. A car only pays for itself on the hill villages, Eze, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Mougins and Grasse, which are poorly served by rail. Rent for those one or two days and take a transfer from the airport on arrival rather than driving the corniches with jet lag.

What is the best month to visit the French Riviera?

June and September. June has the latest sunsets of the year and crowds that are still comfortable. September has the warmest sea of the year and crowds that thin quickly after the first week, which is why residents prefer it. Late May and early October are quieter and cheaper with the clearest light of the year. August is the busiest and most expensive month, and it is the month locals leave the coast.

How much does a week on the French Riviera cost?

Excluding international flights, roughly 250 to 400 euros a day for two people staying in three star hotels in Nice or Antibes and eating in markets and bistros, 500 to 900 euros a day for four star hotels with a sea view and one good dinner most days, and 1 500 euros a day upwards for five star hotels, villas, beach clubs and boat days. August runs materially higher than the identical trip in May or September.

Where should you base yourself on the French Riviera?

Nice for a first visit, without much doubt. The airport is ten minutes away, the coastal train reaches almost everywhere you will want to go, and the old town photographs well even at midday, which nothing else on this coast manages. Add a second base further west in Antibes or Cannes for the back half of the week, or a night in a hill village such as Eze or Saint-Paul-de-Vence if you want the view down the whole coast.

More reading: how to hire a vacation photographer, what a private photographer costs here, and what to wear for a Riviera photoshoot.