If you want to explore small towns, you might want to reconsider the car rental. So many cool places an easy car read - Villa Ephrusi (and the nearby Villa Kerylos), St. Paul de Vence, Haut corniche, Eze, etc. I don't think small towns are within reasonable walking distances of these cities, you would need to take a bus.
Althernatively, a day in Monaco, a day exploring Cannes, a day exploring Nice is most of your stay and you don't need a car to get from one to the other no matter where you are based. You could rent a car for one day if your really are itching to explore.
Nice is more central to the sights than Cannes, as it is in between Monaco and Cannes, and closer to Eze, St. Paul de Vence, the villas I mentioned, etc.
Last edited by beachfan; Jan 28, 2017 at 12:03 am