3 Days on Cote d'Azur - What not to miss, daily itinerary
Yachts, expensive cars, casinos, luxury shops, exclusive beaches, opulence and wealth. What is the first place that comes into your mind when you hear all these words? If your first thought is Côte d'Azur, it means that you already have an idea of what to expect when it comes to a trip here.
But the budget allocated to such a trip should not be something to be afraid of. In this article, I described a 3-day itinerary on the Côte d'Azur, through which you can tick off the most beautiful places to visit on the coast, and at the same time fit into a normal and acceptable budget. Even low-cost, if you manage to plan your vacation ahead of time.
About Côte d'Azur
Côte d'Azur, or the French Riviera, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe, with its beautiful landscapes and elegant resorts, being famous as the favorite holiday spot for celebrities and the rich ones.
The Côte d'Azur is the second most visited tourist destination in France, after Paris, and stretches on the south-eastern part of France, between Menton, close to the border with Italy, and Saint Tropez, over a distance of approximately 144 km.
As main locations to visit, we mention here Monaco, Nice, Cannes, Eze, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Menton, Antibes, Saint-Tropez, the largest city and the unofficial capital of the Côte d'Azur being Nice.
Where to stay on the French Riviera
Nice is the largest city on the French Riviera, and is considered the unofficial capital of the Côte d'Azur, so we chose this city as a place to rest and a starting point for all other destinations in the area. Nice is located approximately in the middle of the French Riviera, making it very easy to visit the other cities and resorts by train or bus.
We chose the accommodation in a hotel near the train station, from where it was very easy for us to leave early in the morning by train to other places: Hotel Villa Berlioz.
Our recommendation is to choose a hotel as close as possible to the train station or the central area: it is a touristic area, full of commercial shops and restaurants, but it also offers you flexibility when it comes to traveling to other cities in the region.
How to get around on Cote d'Azur
The Côte d'Azur area has a very well-developed public transport system, and at very affordable prices, both for regional trains and for local buses or trams.
By bus
- In Nice, the price of a trip by bus or tram costs 1.5 euros, the ticket is valid for 75 minutes, during which you can change several means of transport, until you reach your final destination
- You can find also tickets for more trips
- A tickets with 10 trips, at the price of 10 euros – this type of ticket is not nominal, so several travelers can use the same ticket at the same time (if there are 2 travelers using the same ticket on a route, 2 trips out of the 10 will be consumed)
- A daily ticket with unlimited travel for 5 euros / for 24 hours, or for 10 euros / for 48 hours - the ticket is nominal, only one person can travel with it
- If you want to leave Nice for other nearby villages/cities, such as Villefranche-sur-Mer, you can use the same tickets, for 1.5 euros each way
- Tickets can be bought from the vending machines in the stations, directly from the driver (note that you cannot buy day tickets / tickets with more trips from the driver), or directly from the Nice Ticket application, which we recommend, for simplicity and comfort
By train
- There are very frequent trains from Nice to the entire Côte d'Azur, every 30 minutes during the day
- Some ticket prices (valid for October 2022):
- Nisa – Monte Carlo return 8.4 euros
- Nisa – Eze 2.9 euro
- Nisa – Cannes 7 euro
- You can buy train tickets from the vending machines in the stations. But, if this is not possible, as it was in our case, when we could not buy tickets from Eze because the only machine in the station was not working, there is the SNCF Connect application where you can buy tickets online.
What to do in Côte d'Azur - Itinerary by day
The French Riviera has a lot to offer, with a lot of activities and beautiful destinations, for which 3 days might be not enough. If you want to enjoy the chic resorts and spend a few days at the beach, then you definitely need a longer holiday. But if you want to check off the main attrations of the Côte d'Azur, our itinerary can be a source of inspiration.
Day 1 - Nice
We arrived in Nice quite early in the morning, we had a morning flight and landed at 7 AM, when it wasn't even daylight yet. Precisely because the flight was early, and the hours of sleep were few, we preferred the first day to be a more leisurely one, and we decided to take the city of Nice for a walk.
From the airport, we took tram 2, which brought us close to the accommodation and the train station. Because we knew we would arrive early in the city, we preferred to book an accommodation where we could leave our luggage until check-in time. This was our accommodation: Hotel Villa Berlioz.
After leaving our luggage at the hotel, we walked to the city center, where we enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere of this city on the Mediterranean Sea. Nice is the 5th largest city in France, and I can say that it is one of the cities that conquered me with its elegance, beauty, cleanliness and the romantic vibe it offers.
We started on Jean Medecin street, a pedestrian street full of shops, which connects the central train station to the city center. At the end of the street, we find the famous "Fontaine du Soleil" fountain Promenada de Paillon and Massena Square, considered the central point of the city.
The old center of Nice
Near Massena Square begins the old center of the city, with pedestrian streets where you can find a lot of terraces and shops. Here you will find predominantly Italian restaurants, so if you're craving pasta and pizza, you'll definitely find it here. Nice belonged to Italy until the 19th century, that's why you will notice many Italian influences in this area. The prices at the restaurants are relatively decent, considering the reputation of the city on the Côte d'Azur: you can pay somewhere between 13-20 euros for a dish.
Promenade des Anglais
If you go towards the sea, you reach the Promanade des Anglais, the famous promenade in Nice, which is almost 7 km long. You can choose here to walk on the seafront, cycle along it, or even swim in the sea. The beach is rocky, but very long, and the color of the water is gorgeous. We're just on the Cote d'Azur, right? Also on this waterfront, don't miss the famous Le Negresco hotel, a hotel representative for the city of Nice and that you will find on all the souvenirs. An interesting aspect is that the hotel was founded by a Romanian, Henri Negresco, at the beginning of the 20th century.
Colline du Chateau
At the end of the promenade is the Colline du Chateau, the hill from which you can admire the magnificent view of the riviera and the city of Nice. To get to the top, you will have to climb some steps, but you won't regret it, the view over the city's cliff is absolutely gorgeous. On the opposite side of the cliff you will see the port of Lympia, with its luxurious boats.
Day 2 - Monaco
The next day we dedicated it entirely for visiting the principality of Monaco, with its famous Monte Carlo district and the representative tourist attractions of this small country.
About Monaco
Monaco is the second smallest country in the world, after Vatican, but with the highest density: with an area of only 2 square kilometers, it has a population of almost 38,000 inhabitants.
Monaco is a principality, being a constitutional monarchy, with Prince Albert II as head of state. The official language is French, and the single currency is Euro.
How to get to Monaco
We arrived in Monaco by train from Nice in the morning. The trip took about 30 minutes, and the return ticket cost 8.5 euros. Trains can have a frequency of 30 minutes, during the day.
Another option to get to Monaco is by bus 100, which departs from the port of Lympia. The trip costs 1.5 euros and takes a little longer, about 50 minutes, but you can enjoy some beautiful landscapes along the coast.
Tourist attractions Monaco, Monte Carlo
Once we arrived at the train station, we started walking in the small principality. From the beginning we were charmed by this city and were amazed by the luxury and opulence specific to this country: a multitude of yachts, expensive cars and shops of different luxury brands. The country is extremely clean and everything seems very well done, down to the last detail. The apartment blocks are quite cramped, however, and you can't help but wonder how a house in such a block costs so much. But Monaco has its own charm, and the city is totally different from anything you've seen so far.
The city is built somehow on different levels, and to get from one level to another you can take the public elevators. In the beginning, until we understood the city, we got lost a few times among the streets and on the stairs leading from one level to another. Google Maps can help you, but be careful on the internet! If you enter the local network, you will pay a lot more on the internet, as Monaco is not part of the EEA roaming area. In these conditions, either download before the offline map, or make sure you stay connected to the French mobile phone network. And just as a small detail, a big plus for this country are the public toilets: they can be used for free everywhere and they are very clean.
Monte Carlo Casino
From the train station we quickly arrived at the Monte Carlo Casino, the number 1 attraction of the principality of Monaco. It is possible to visit its interior, and the price of a ticket is 17 euros, a ticket with which you can enter the casino as many times as you want on that day. Being one of the most famous and luxurious casinos in the world, we recommend visiting it.
After the casino, we went to the port of Hercule, where we admired the collection of luxury boats. The famous Formula 1 circuit, which also starts from the port, is one of the most famous and difficult Formula 1 circuits in the world.
Prince's Palace of Monaco
After the port, we went up to the Prince's Palace of Monaco, this being the official residence of the Prince of Monaco. Around the palace, you will find numerous terraces and souvenir shops. Also, from the height of this hill you can admire the famous landscapes of Monaco: towards Hercule port, in the north, and De Fontvielle port, in the south.
Close to the Prince's Palace you can find the Cathedral of Monaco, where old leaders of the principality are buried, as well as the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco.
In Monaco, food prices are a little higher than in Nice, so if you want to have lunch at a restaurant, be prepared to pay around 50 euros for a meal. If you want something more budget-friendly, you can also find various shops, patisseries or pizzerias on the street, where you can get something quick to eat.
If you want to find out more information about Monaco, I recommend you to read the following article: 1 Day In Monaco - Top 5 Tourist Attractions In Monaco.
In the evening, we took the train and started back to Nice.
Day 3 - Eze and Cannes
We split the third day and visited two locations we wanted to get to: the village of Eze, with its exotic garden, and the famous city of Cannes.
Eze
Eze is a small medieval village located on a ridge, between Nice and Monaco. Being located at a height, it offers an impressive view of the entire Côte d'Azur, and the architecture of the houses and the streets of the medieval village will make you feel as if you entered another century.
To get to the medieval village of Eze can be a bit difficult, because you depend on local buses, which run quite rarely (about once every 1-2 hours) or you have to change several means of transport. That is if you don't want to go up and down to the village on Nietzche's famous path. But the route on the path is not really easy, the climb takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes, so be properly equipped if you want this option. Or there would be the taxi or Bolt option, of course. But we choose this option only in extreme cases, otherwise we prefer to take advantage of public transport, wherever we can.
We left in the morning by train from Nice to Eze station. We took the train at 9:30, and at 10:10 we took bus 83 from Eze station up to the medieval village. The trip by train cost almost 3 euros, and by bus 1.5 euros. Another possibility to reach the village is by bus 82 directly from Nice, but here it also depends on where you leave from the city. For us, leaving directly from the station, the train option was the most convenient. It should be mentioned that the bus ticket used to reach Eze is the same type of ticket as for any other trip from Nice, being the same local and regional transport company that operates on the Côte d'Azur, namely Lignes d'Azur.
Le Jardin Exotique
In Eze we walked along the beautiful streets of the medieval village and visited the exotic garden Le Jardin Exotique. Cactus, exotic plants, paths through the trees, extraordinary views and panoramas of the Côte d'Azur is what this garden offers. The price of a ticket is 6 euros / person.
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- Cote d'Azure, in October
After visiting the garden, we returned to the village, where we had lunch until we waited for the return bus, from 1 p.m. At the base of the village there are a number of restaurants where you can have a meal, and the price of a meal is approximately the same as in Nice.
Cannes
Arriving back at the train station in Eze, we took the train to Cannes. An Eze – Cannes ticket cost 9.2 euros and the journey took about an hour.
Cannes is among the most famous resorts on the Côte d'Azur and is famous for the biggest film festival it hosts. Who has not heard of the well-known Cannes International Film Festival, which takes place annually in May, and where numerous movie stars walk the red carpet?
Cannes is a dynamic, energizing city, with a multitude of terraces and restaurants visited by tourists. Besides these, you can't help but notice the 5-star hotels, the exclusive beaches, the boulevards with luxury shops, the expensive cars or the yachts in the port. All this gives Cannes an elegant and extravagant air. In addition, Cannes has a wide, spectacular beach with very fine white sand and a gorgeous blue sea.
During the few hours spent in Cannes, we visited the famous La Croisette boulevard on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, the Festival Palace, the port, the central area with shops and terraces and the old town of Le Suquet, from where we admired the view over the city of Cannes.
In the evening, we returned by train to Nice. The price of a Cannes - Nice train ticket was 7 euros.
Tips & Tricks:
If you do have enough time, but you want to visit as many locations as possible, maybe you should consider such a trip, where you have the opportunity to see Monaco, Eze, Cannes and Antibes in one day.
Conclusion
If you want a short getaway in a weekend or a longer trip of several days, the Côte d'Azur can always be a suitable choice, in any season, thanks to the good weather it has throughout the year.
In this article I have described our experience on the Côte d'Azur, in a 3-day circuit, and we hope that the information received here will help you in organizing your own trip. For our first trip on the Riviera&wbsp;we wanted to visit the more touristic sights (Monte Carlo, Nice, Cannes and Eze), leaving for our next visit the other destinations, such as Saint-Tropez, Antibes, Villefranche-sur-Mer sau Menton.
