Experience the Glamour of the Côte d'Azur
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7 nights in French Riviera — day by day, fact-checked
Private transfer from Nice Cote d'Azur airport into the city, then settle into the old town and the seafront on foot at your own pace.
Your private transfer meets you and handles the short run into central Nice on the airport's west edge. The biometric Entry/Exit System means fingerprints and a photo at the border on a first visit, so build in extra queue time. Check your arrival slot and let the transfer carry the logistics.
Your package includes a private airport transfer from Nice Cote d'Azur (NCE), on the west edge of the city, into central Nice. The driver handles the route; you do not touch a hire desk.
Allow extra time at the border. Since 12 October 2025 the EU Entry/Exit System takes fingerprints and a facial photo at booths on a first arrival, with no advance application and no cost. Children under 12 give a photo only.
For any later self-arranged trips from the airport, Uber is available at NCE with uberX, Berline and VAN tiers — request the ride while collecting your luggage and meet the car at the terminal's Kiss-and-Fly section.
Do not pack your passport into checked luggage. To enter the Monaco casino gaming rooms later you need a physical passport with photo - photocopies and digital ID are not accepted - so keep it on you.
The Promenade des Anglais seafront and the old town lanes are free and open, a short walk from central hotels. In mid-July daylight runs long. Sunset falls at about 21:10. Count on light evenings for a first walk along the front once you have dropped your bags, whenever your day begins.
The Promenade des Anglais seafront, the Old Town (Vieux Nice) streets and the Cours Saleya market are free public spaces with no booking or guide needed.
Mid-July days are very long in Nice: sunrise about 06:03 and sunset about 21:10 local time, roughly 15 hours of daylight. Evenings on the Promenade stay light late.
The euro works everywhere from the moment you land, on both the France and Monaco sides of the border - no need to change money at any point of the trip.
Do not leave a bag hanging on a chair back or a phone on a cafe table on the Promenade. Pickpocketing and bag theft are a documented risk in crowded tourist areas; carry bags across the body.
Socca and Nicoise specialities counter in Vieux Nice, going since 1925 - a cheap, authentic, walkable first bite. It is daytime only and shuts at 15:00, so it is a lunch stop, not a first-night dinner.
A full day in the compact base: the old town, the Cours Saleya market, socca counters and the climb up Castle Hill for the view over the Baie des Anges.
Start early before the July crowds fill the lanes. The Cours Saleya market is free to browse and the old town streets need no ticket. This is socca country - chickpea-flour pancake baked hot - and two long-running counters sit within a short walk of each other.
Start early. Summer means intense midday sun and packed old-town and Promenade streets from late morning, so the market and lanes are best before the day heats up.
The Old Town streets and the Cours Saleya market are free to browse - no booking or guide required.
The Cours Saleya open-air stalls are a genuine cheap-bite option for Nicoise street food - socca, pan bagnat, farcis. Browse a few stalls before committing.
Do not plan Chez Theresa for a late lunch - it shuts at 15:00 and closes Mondays entirely. Time your visit for the morning or early afternoon.
The Vieux Nice socca counter since 1925, with listed prices and a market stand at Cours Saleya - the definitive cheap old-town lunch, on your doorstep for the morning.
The Parc de la Colline du Chateau is a free hilltop park with a waterfall, ruins and a panorama over the Baie des Anges and the old town. From the top, the walk drops toward the port, where the socca is baked hot at a no-reservations institution near the water.
Castle Hill (Parc de la Colline du Chateau) is a roughly 19-hectare hilltop park, open and free to enter, with waterfall, ruins and panoramic views. It is a public park, not a ticketed attraction.
The hill is a climb on foot. In peak July sun, bring water and cover up - and remember beach and swimwear is for the beach, not the town lanes.
Chez Pipo near the port opens Tuesday to Sunday, 11:30 to 14:30 and 17:30 to 22:00, takes no reservations, and does socca, tapenades, pissaladiere and pizza - an easy, cheap dinner after the hill.
Do not expect to book a table at the classic socca houses. Chez Pipo and Chez Theresa are no-reservations - turn up and queue rather than planning around a booking.
A traditional Nicoise socca institution near the Nice port, ideal cheap authentic lunch or dinner for a walking traveller - socca baked golden and eaten hot, plus pissaladiere and pizza.
The included full-day private excursion runs the Nice-Eze-Monaco coastal loop: the perched village and its perfume laboratory, then Monaco's palace, cathedral quarter and the casino square.
The included private excursion drives the Moyenne Corniche to Eze, so you only walk the village itself. Fragonard's Eze-Village laboratory runs a free, no-reservation guided tour, open daily from 9:00. The Jardin Exotique d'Eze, on Rue du Chateau, opens 9:00 to 19:30 in July. Both sit best mid-morning before coaches peak.
The Nice-Eze-Monaco cluster sits on one short coastal corridor, so the included full-day private excursion is a single easy loop, not a long transfer. The coach or car handles the drive; you walk only the village.
The Jardin Exotique d'Eze (Rue du Chateau) is open, with July-August hours 9:00 to 19:30, and is best done mid-morning before day-trip coaches peak.
Fragonard's Eze-Village factory-laboratory offers a free guided tour, about 30 minutes, no reservation needed for individuals - just go to reception. Open daily 9:00 to 18:30, guide included.
The Fragonard tour genuinely costs nothing - the on-site shop is the commercial catch. Take the tour, then decide on your own terms whether to buy.
Do not treat the Eze garden ticket price as fixed from third-party sites - figures disagree and are unconfirmed. The regional tourism listing quotes a EUR 15 guided-tour rate; check on arrival.
A free, guided, weather-proof anchor for the Eze portion of the day, in the perched village core the excursion drops you at. Honest verdict: the tour genuinely costs nothing.
Open-air perched garden on Rue du Chateau with panoramic sea views over the village - the main draw of the Eze stop, best mid-morning before the coaches arrive.
Monaco is about 25 minutes on from Eze. A July trip falls after the June Grand Prix, so the Principality is not road-closed. The Prince's Palace State Apartments open 10:00 to 19:00 in July, and the Oceanographic Museum runs 09:30 to 20:00. The casino's morning heritage window is sightseeing only.
The Prince's Palace State Apartments are open for the 2026 season 30 March to 15 October, with July-August hours 10:00 to 19:00. As a sovereign residence it can close without notice.
The Oceanographic Museum of Monaco is open daily except 25 December and the Grand Prix weekend, with summer (July-August) hours 09:30 to 20:00, last admission 30 minutes before closing.
Oceanographic Museum tickets: adults (18+) EUR 22.50, students with ID EUR 14, children 4-17 EUR 14, under-4 free. Visits are self-directed with optional paid guided tours - no compulsory guide.
At the Prince's Palace a guide is not compulsory: an audioguide in 11 languages is available, plus a smartphone app and children's booklets. Guided tours can be arranged in advance but are optional.
The Casino de Monte-Carlo runs a morning heritage/tourist visit 10:00 to 13:00 (last entry 12:15, EUR 20 adult); the gaming rooms open only from 14:00. A daytime stop is architecture and sightseeing only.
Do not turn up at the casino gaming rooms in shorts, ripped jeans, sportswear, trainers or beachwear - all are refused at the door. After 19:00 even T-shirts and sweatshirts are refused, and you need a physical passport.
The State Apartments are open in the July window, self-guided with an 11-language audioguide, and a natural Monaco sightseeing stop on the excursion. Closed during the June Grand Prix, so no clash for a July trip.
Open daily in summer until 20:00, self-directed, and a strong indoor Monaco option if the afternoon sun is fierce - a clifftop landmark above the harbour.
A coastal-rail day southwest to Antibes: the walled old town, the Provencal covered market, the Picasso Museum in the Chateau Grimaldi, and the Cap d'Antibes coastal path.
Antibes sits about 20 km west of Nice, reached by coastal rail in around half an hour. The walled old town is free to walk, and the Marche Provencal covered market on Cours Massena is free to visit. The Picasso Museum, in the Chateau Grimaldi, is closed on Mondays.
Antibes is about 20 km west of Nice, roughly 25-35 minutes by coastal rail - no hire car needed for this day.
The old town (Vieille Antibes) is free to walk and the Marche Provencal covered market is free to visit. Cap d'Antibes and its Sentier de Tire-poil coastal path are also free.
The town-run Picasso Museum in the Chateau Grimaldi is closed Mondays and on 1 Jan, 1 May, 1 Nov and 25 Dec. Summer hours (approx 15 June to 15 Sept) are 10:00 to 18:00; adult admission EUR 12, no compulsory guide.
The Antibes Marche Provencal on Cours Massena is a genuine market-food option right by the old-town restaurants - a cheap browse-and-graze before a sit-down meal.
Do not confuse this with the Vallauris Picasso museum - the one in the Chateau Grimaldi is the town-run Antibes museum. And do not come on a Monday, when it is closed.
The town-run Picasso museum in the seafront Chateau Grimaldi, walkable within the old town between the market and the ramparts - a compact, self-guided art stop.
After lunch on the ramparts, the free Sentier de Tire-poil coastal path rounds Cap d'Antibes. Fort Carre, the 16th-century monument above the port, is ticketed. A one-Michelin-star kitchen sits on the ramparts between the Picasso Museum and the market for a slower lunch, closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Sentier de Tire-poil coastal path around Cap d'Antibes is free. The 16th-century Fort Carre is a ticketed open monument - check hours on arrival.
The coastal path is exposed; carry water and sun cover in July. Beach and swimwear belong on the beach, not in the old-town restaurants.
Le Figuier de Saint-Esprit, a one-Michelin-star kitchen on the old-Antibes ramparts, opens 12:15 to 13:30 for lunch - book ahead and aim for the lunch sitting if you want the star without a late night.
Do not plan Le Figuier de Saint-Esprit for a Tuesday or Wednesday - it is closed both days. Build the day around its Monday and Thursday-to-Sunday service.
A one-Michelin-star kitchen on the old-Antibes ramparts, chef Christian Morisset, market-sourced Provencal cooking - walkable between the Picasso Museum and the market, and open for both lunch and dinner.
West to Cannes for La Croisette, the red-carpet steps and the Le Suquet old town, then a short ferry to the Lerins Islands and their fort.
Cannes is about 27 km southwest of Nice on the coastal line. La Croisette runs more than 3 km of beachfront, and the Palais des Festivals steps are publicly accessible, with the tourist office located there. Le Suquet, the old town on the hill, holds the Musee de la Castre in its medieval castle.
Cannes is about 27 km southwest of Nice, roughly 30-40 minutes by coastal rail. No hire car needed.
La Croisette (3+ km beachfront promenade), the Palais des Festivals exterior and red-carpet steps, and Le Suquet old town are free public spaces - no booking needed to walk them.
The Cannes tourist office is located at the Palais des Festivals - a useful first stop for ferry timings and orientation before you head to the Old Port.
Do not expect the Film Festival crowds in July - the festival runs in May and a July trip does not clash. La Croisette is walkable normally rather than closed off.
The old hill town above the Old Port, holding the Musee de la Castre in its medieval castle - a free, walkable climb with a view back over the bay and La Croisette.
From Quai Laubeuf in the Old Port, a ferry crossing of about 15 minutes reaches the Lerins Islands. Sainte-Marguerite holds Fort Royal, the former state prison; Saint-Honorat is the quieter monastery island. Four companies run the route year-round, so build in ferry timing rather than treating it as a walk-up.
The Lerins Islands are reached year-round by ferry from Quai Laubeuf in the Old Port of Cannes; the crossing is about 15 minutes. Four companies operate the route.
This is a boat day-trip, not a walk-up sight - build in the ferry timing at both ends. Sainte-Marguerite has Fort Royal, the former state prison; Saint-Honorat is the second island.
Check the return sailing time before you cross - the islands are car-free and you are dependent on the ferry schedule to get back to the Old Port.
Do not assume a fixed fare or timetable from third-party sites - exact 2026 fares and summer times are unconfirmed. Book the boat via the official Cannes ferry channel and check the day's schedule.
The nearer Lerins island, home to Fort Royal, the former state prison - a short ferry from the Old Port and a quieter half-day away from La Croisette.
A Michelin-starred, seafood-led room on La Croisette serving fish raw or wood-grilled - a special-occasion Cannes dinner if you stay into the evening. Dinner only, no lunch.
An unstructured day back in the base - the Promenade, the beach, a market lunch, and an optional responsible whale-watching trip into the Pelagos Sanctuary from a nearby port.
A slower morning on the Promenade des Anglais and the Baie des Anges shoreline. Everything here is free and walkable from central hotels. For those wanting the sea itself, summer is peak season for cetacean sightings offshore, but only a responsibly certified boat trip is worth the money.
The Promenade des Anglais and the old town are free public spaces needing no booking - a low-cost, flexible morning in the base.
For time-flexible trips to a nearby port, Uber is available from Nice Cote d'Azur Airport with uberX, Berline and VAN tiers, meeting at the Kiss-and-Fly section. No hire car is needed.
Do not book a whale trip that chases or crowds a pod. Legitimate trips keep 100 m distance, max 5 knots, max 30 minutes, one vessel, and never touch, swim with or feed cetaceans - book only a High Quality Whale Watching (HQWW) labelled operator.
Departs Beaulieu-sur-Mer and holds the High Quality Whale Watching label - the responsible-approach certification that keeps distance and never swims with pods. Summer is peak sighting season in the Pelagos Sanctuary.
A market lunch back in Vieux Nice - the Cours Saleya stalls or a socca counter - then the old town lanes at an easy pace. Daylight runs to about 21:10, so there is no rush; the evening on the Promenade stays light long after dinner service begins.
Daylight in mid-July runs until roughly 21:00-21:15, with sunset about 21:10. There is no need to rush the afternoon - the light holds late.
French restaurant and cafe prices legally include service (service compris), so tipping is discretionary - rounding up or leaving small change is customary, not the US model. This is general practice, not a fixed percentage.
Chez Pipo near the port reopens for dinner at 17:30 Tuesday to Sunday - a cheap, no-reservations end to an easy day once the socca ovens are hot again.
Do not add a large percentage tip out of UK or US habit - service is already included in the menu price here, so rounding up is all that is expected.
The old-town open-air market is the cheap, authentic route to Nicoise bites - socca, pan bagnat, farcis - browsed stall by stall rather than sat down.
A final full day - a slower return to the Eze perched village for the sea-view garden and a starred lunch, or another unhurried day in Nice with a special dinner.
For those who want the perched village without a coach crowd, the Eze garden opens 9:00 to 19:30 in July and sits best mid-morning. Chateau Eza's L'Horizon serves Mediterranean lunch 11:30 to 14:30, and La Chevre d'Or is a two-star kitchen with sea views. Otherwise, a slow Nice day.
The Jardin Exotique d'Eze is open 9:00 to 19:30 in July-August and is best mid-morning before day-trip coaches peak - an open-air perched village and garden with panoramic sea views.
In Eze-Village, Chateau Eza's Mediterranean restaurant L'Horizon serves lunch 11:30 to 14:30, and its Lounge Bar runs 11:00 to 23:00 (casual) - a lunch or drinks option in the perched village.
La Chevre d'Or, a two-Michelin-star kitchen perched in Eze-Village, opens for both lunch and dinner every day of the week - reserve well ahead for the sea-view lunch sitting.
Do not arrive at the perched-village restaurants in beach dress or expect step-free ease - Eze is steep and cobbled, and the starred rooms expect smart attire.
A two-Michelin-star kitchen (2026) perched in the Eze medieval village, chef Tom Meyer, Mediterranean cooking with sea views - a destination lunch or dinner that pairs with a return to Eze.
In the same perched village: L'Horizon does a Mediterranean lunch and the Michelin-starred La Table Gastronomique a smart dinner - a flexible pair for a slower Eze return.
The last evening is for a standout meal. Monaco's Le Louis XV is a three-star Alain Ducasse room with a strict dress code - jackets required at dinner year-round - and books far ahead. Closer to base, a socca counter or an old-town table keeps it simple. Reserve any starred room well in advance.
Le Louis XV - Alain Ducasse at the Hotel de Paris, Monaco, serves dinner Tuesday to Saturday 19:30 to 21:15 and lunch Friday to Saturday 12:15 to 13:30. Book far ahead.
Le Louis XV enforces a strict dress code: elegant dress required and jackets must be worn at dinner year-round. Dress for it before you set out.
Attraction and restaurant reservations that take timed or paid entry book directly on their own official sites - handle any last-night booking there rather than through a third party.
Do not leave a three-star booking to the day. Le Louis XV and the perched-village starred rooms book far ahead in peak July, and a walk-in on the last night is a gamble.
A three-Michelin-star Mediterranean room by Alain Ducasse inside the Hotel de Paris on the casino square - a once-in-a-trip Monaco flagship. Strict dress code; book far ahead.
A last morning in Nice, then the included private transfer back to the airport - timed by counting back from your departure and the border queue.
Your private transfer runs you back to Nice Cote d'Azur, on the city's west edge, so the return logistics are handled. Count back from your departure to fix the pickup, and add a buffer: the biometric Entry/Exit System can lengthen the border queue on the way out.
The included private transfer returns you to Nice Cote d'Azur (NCE), a short run from central Nice. Count back from your departure time to set the pickup - the driver handles the route.
Add a buffer for the border. The EU Entry/Exit System, live since 12 October 2025, can lengthen queues; there is no advance application and no cost, but allow extra time.
If your outbound is late in the day, the Promenade and old town are free and open for a last unhurried morning before the pickup - a market bite from Cours Saleya travels well.
Do not cut the pickup fine to squeeze in one more stop. The biometric exit check and peak-July airport crowds mean the queue, not the drive, is the variable to plan around.
Practical details verified 25 July 2026. Prices and opening hours change — we re-check them monthly, but confirm anything critical before you travel.
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