Things to do in French Riviera?
 

Hello all,

I'm going to the French Riviera in early September for about a week. I've never been there before and am looking for suggestions: Some preliminary questions: should I stay in Nice or someplace else? Is everything close enough that I can make a base in one place and just take short trips to other places without spending the night there. Any hotel/other lodging recommendations?

To better give you an idea of what I like, my favorite activity is to walk all day long exploring places; i'm less interested in museums and the like, but do enjoy architecture.

Budget-wise, I'd like to keep hotel rooms to under $250 a night.

Thanks!

Nice is not bad at all. I do hope you are going to rent a car as some places are just wonderful.
I would suggest you make a trip to St. Paul de Vence, Monaco but using the Corniche and when you see the observatory, all the way up, park and walk along the cliffs. You will have some of the most astonishing views of Monaco. A sheer drop of more than 1500 feet. Digne and Grasse a little further away inland are very nice as well as les Georges du Verdon. Wonderful for walking.

Don't miss St Paul de Vence.

To echo magexpect, a car will greatly enhance your experience. If you base yourself in Nice (say at Le Meridien, right on the Promenade de Anglais, as one example) you can easily walk to the Old Town section of Nice (Vieux Nice), with many hidden byways, historic buildings and small, family-run restaurants .The market street, Cours Saleya, is a must-see.

Out of town, Cannes, Eze, Juan les Pins and (especially) Antibes are rewarding towns to visit.

I love the Côte d'Azur!
 

My suggestion is to stay in Nice. Try to find a hotel along the Promenade des Anglais. Renting a car is workable if you know how to park parallel in a really really tight space. :)
Otherwise, the bus is very convenient and economical to venture out to Monte Carlo, Eze, St. Paul de Vence, Grasse, St. Tropez, Cannes... etc.

Make sure to visit Villefranche-Sur-Mer, my favourite corner of the world! (only about 10 minutes by bus and 30 minutes on foot from Nice)

Feel free to email me if you need restaurant recommendation.

belle

Lyon can be a nice place to walk around in for a day or so.

Last year we stayed for a month in Menton, which is adjacent to the Italian border. There are wonderful walking paths all over - sentiers in French - and we often walked six to eight miles a day. To give you only one example, one we walked on a sentier along the ocean from Menton all the way to Monte Carlo in two-three hours and then caught a train back to Menton for a pittance. Several times we started at Menton and then walked up along the sentiers to a small walled town, Roquebrune, rewarding ourselves with lunch at a cafe in the square.

I suggest you will have the opportunity for some great walks!

I was there last year, but looking back I think I went mostly to eat. There are some fabulous restaurants in that area, and some inland. Also many charming towns if you're willing to drive in a bit.

Mougins, about 15 minutes, from Cannes, is particularly lovely (Picasso spent 15 years there), is filled with art galleries, and has the restaurant Moulin de Mougins.

There is a frequently running commuter train that travels along the coast, I found this to be very convienient in visiting the small coastal towns without worrying about parking. If you're going inland a bit, you most probably will want to rent a car. There's lots to do depending upon your interests, from museums, shoppes, restaurants, crafts, touring etc.

Juan Les Pins
 

I used to live there and I would recommend staying in Juan Les Pins instead of Nice. It's much more relaxed than the big city. Le Meridien has a beach hotel there. Next door is the fabulous Belles Rives. It's very expensive in the summer, but I've stayed in September for around €250.

And definitely rent a car! Preferably a drop-top as the sights are gorgeous!

Villefranche Sur Mer is so incredibly beautiful. You must visit here. Consider staying here too.

If you do stay in Nice, the LeMeridien is nice. Last June I got a 100 EUR rate from the LeMeridien website. I could not believe the rate!! The hotel has a 'plage privat' (private beach) area with its own beach chairs, towel service, etc. Save your 15 EUR for this service, and lay your own towel down on the beach - for free.

I have also stayed at the Boscolo Plaza hotel. The Boscolo hotel chain has a few hotels in Nice.

There is also a public bus that travels between Nice and Monaco. I forget the bus number, but the bus is labeled "Monaco/Menton". Just hop on the bus at the Nice central bus station (a few minutes walk from the Galeries Lafayette store), and hop off wherever you feel like -- Villefranche Sur Mer, Eze Sur Mer, Monaco, etc.

Enjoy!