Travel Diary | South of France
Nous sommes arrivés!
After our stay in Paris, we packed our bags for the South of France and headed to the coast. After lots of research, we opted to base ourselves in Antibes for four nights, and then two nights in Nice for easy access to our flight home. Both towns offered plenty to do in their own right, and also served as great jumping off points for day trips to Cannes, Monaco, Èze, and Villefranche-sur-Mer.
Getting around IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE
Hopping around town and taking day trips here was very easy – we rented a scooter for a few days to get around in Antibes, then rented a car to take day trips and to eventually head to Nice to end our trip. Parking can be a challenge, so expect to Valet your car and pay for parking when the option is available.
Distances between towns felt surprisingly close – we were riding aimlessly on our scooter one day, and ended up in Nice without planning to! It really does make it easy to explore a lot of landmarks while you’re here, without taking up too much of your day sitting in the car.
WHERE WE STAYED | Antibes
I’ll admit, we chose Antibes as our base largely because of my crush on the Hôtel Belles Rives. After discovering the hotel and reading stories of its rich history, I dreamed of staying on the property and stretch of coastline that was the former home of F. Scott Fitzgerald. The hotel itself is full of French charm, artisan details, and the most breathtaking views of the sea. Our experience there was worth every penny!
The hotel offers its own beach club with seaside loungers to rent, jet skiing excursions, a Michelen starred restaurant (La Passagère, more on that later), and a plentiful breakfast that you can enjoy on the seaside terrace – the dreamiest way to start the day. One of our favorite days of the whole trip was our low-key afternoon spent lounging at the hotel beach club, enjoying Niçoise salad and rosé by the sea, and chatting with our lounge neighbors. The entire property is a quiet, peaceful retreat that I truly can’t say enough about.
WHERE WE STAYED | NICE
In Nice, we stayed at the Hyatt Regency and loved its prime location – situated right along the Promenade des Anglais and across from the beaches, and close to plenty of shopping and restaurants. The hotel has a covered open-air pool with views of the sea, and its proximity to the airport made for a quick transfer the morning of our flight. It’s a larger hotel with an expansive layout, but still with a good amount of French charm. And the views from breakfast are A+!
TO DO & EAT: ANTIBES
DRINKS AT HOTEL DU CAP EDEN ROC
With all the recent hype over Sophia Richie’s wedding, you’ve likely become intimately familiar with Hotel du Cap Eden Roc. This iconic property was high on our list for a stay or dinner/drinks, and I highly recommend paying a visit in whatever capacity you can. We made a reservation for happy hour drinks and enjoyed them on the upper terrace – with sweeping views of the sea and the infinity pool. You’ll need a reservation, and note that there’s a dress code. No shorts for men ;)
DINNER AT La Passagère
If you can swing it, I can’t recommend enjoying dinner at La Passagère at Hôtel Belles Rives enough. Jim and I both agreed this was the best meal and dining experience we’ve ever had – from the food to the presentation, to the atmosphere and the attention to detail. It was a 4 hour, 5 course meal with an 8 course dessert tasting – and while that sounds like a lot, the portions were perfectly sized and paced, and we enjoyed every second. The food was absolutely incredible, and the desserts were the icing on the cake. I’d give this experience 100000/10 – magnifique.
BEACH DAY AT BILLIONAIRE’S BAY
I have TikTok to thank for giving me the inside scoop on this not-so-well-kept secret beach. The picturesque cove of Billionaire’s Bay is tucked within high cliffs and at the base of the Le Sentier du Littoral walking trail – it’s a bit of a hike to get to, but it’s absolutely worth it. The water is crystal clear and the views are beautiful – it’s a no-frills beach that’s also very rocky, be warned! The rocks are slippery to navigate, we had a good laugh with the people around us as we all tried to enter the water gracefully – there’s really no way to, haha.
We packed sandwiches and beers and parked on the rocks, enjoyed the views of boats anchoring in the bay, teenagers jumping off the cliffs, and people navigating the pebbly waters.
A DAY IN: CANNES
We took a quick day trip into Cannes to explore the town, check out the film festival site, and of course discover its famous shopping landmarks. Cannes is super walkable, and most of the shops and luxury stores are located in a central area. It’s definitely more polished and posh than the town of Antibes, which is quite small, but also why we liked staying there.
While you’re in Cannes, I highly recommend grabbing a sandwich from Philcat, the sandwich cart by the harbor. It was deliciously fresh, cheap, and the perfect mid-day pick me up after a morning of shopping!
TO DO & EAT: NICE
STROLL THE Promenade des Anglais
Nice’s main promenade is a palm-lined avenue that stretches along the picturesque coastline of the French Riviera, with the azure waters of the Mediterranean Sea on one side and the elegant Belle Époque buildings on the other. It’s worth a stroll during the day or to catch the sunset. We hopped down to one of the public beaches to have a snack before dinner – you can also visit the nearby beach clubs and rent a chair or cabana for the day.
LUNCH AT LE PLONGEOIR
This restaurant has been living in my dreams for years, after I stumbled upon photos of it on Pinterest. A dreamy nautical restaurant perched on a floating peninsula? Are you kidding me?
Le Plongeoir lived up to the hype (and my dreams) – I’ve never seen such a unique use of the natural landscape, with bar seating floating above the sea on a tiny stretch of land, and the way the levels of the restaurant itself are situated. We were lucky to be seated along the edge, with a perfect sea view. Lunch was delicious – I loved that their menu was simple and curated, and the drinks were great. I’m so glad I finally got to experience it in real life!
A DAY IN: MONACO
Once we arrived in Nice, we drove to Monaco to visit the Monte Carlo Casino and explore this unique country. From the moment you drive in, the environment exudes an aura of luxury and opulence that is hard to match. The roads are extremely narrow and wind through tightly packed high rises and townhomes – I recommend navigating to the casino and parking in their lot, then walking around from there.
To visit the casino, the lobby is free to walk into and explore, but you’ll need to pay an entry fee to go into the casino – I believe it was around 20 euros. Going into the casino is totally worth it – it’s a level of extravagance that’s hard to imagine, and it was so fun to wander around with a cocktail and play the slots in this iconic spot.
While the chandeliers, architectural details, and opulent furnishings add to the grand nature of the casino, the space overall was smaller than we expected – with maybe a dozen table games and a few rooms for slots, we were pleasantly surprised by how intimate the space was. We went in the middle of the day, so it wasn’t crowded or hard to access the games or bar. Highly recommend a day visit – however, if you go in the evening, just note there’s formal dress code.
Before leaving, we wandered around to take in the views of the harbor filled with luxurious yachts. It’s really something to behold, and you get a sense for how densely packed this little principality is. Absolutely recommend for a visit!
A DAY IN: ÈZE
EXPLORE TOWN + BOTANICAL GARDEN
A visit to Èze was high on our list – we’d heard so much about this medieval fairy tale of a town. Perched atop a rocky hill overlooking the sea, this charming hilltop village is known for its enchanting cobblestone streets, ancient stone houses, and breathtaking views.
During our visit, we wandered through the narrow, winding lanes of hidden boutiques and art galleries build into the walls, then purchased a ticket to the renowned Jardin Exotique. Once you’ve entered the garden, you can wind your way through vibrant botanical landscape and waterfalls, until you reach the overlook at the top of the hill. The views are incomparable!
There are several restaurants you can pop into for a cocktail or lunch, but with more to see on our trip, we had to forego waiting in the long lines as visitors poured in for the afternoon. We visited Èze in the morning, which I recommend in order to avoid crowds in these narrow passageways.
We ended our trip on a high note (literally) here – it was a great place to take in the views of the coast and start to say au revoir to the Riviera. We have a long list awaiting for next time, there’s truly so much to see and experience here and we loved every second of our trip. If you’re planning a visit to the South of France, I hope our experiences were helpful in guiding your itinerary or inspiring you with ideas.
Please leave a comment below with questions or suggestions for our future trip list!
