Bellezza28

DH and I will be in France in Early October for a tradeshow. At the end of our trip, we will be staying another 4-5 days and want to explore the French Riviera. Our departure city will most probably be Marseille. We were thinking of renting a car in Marseille and touring the Riviera and possibly cross over the Italian border as well, maybe for one night.

We were thinking maybe 1 night in the St-Raphael area, 1 in the Monaco/Monte Carlo area and 1 night near San Remo Italy, or anywhere else in Italy close to the French border. DH would like to get hotels on/near the beach - what is the best beach in each area? Any hotel recommendation there?

What are the must see from Marseille to San Remo?

Thanks!!

TDudette

Hi Bellezza28, It will soon be obvious that "must see" is in the eye of the beholder.

Hub and I made Nice our hub on a trip but ran out of time for going to Italy as we wanted to see Arles and Avignon so you might be fine making that your base and getting to Italy. Nice has a pretty good airport btw.

I still think the beach at Nice is rocks so will leave other posters to suggest sandier beaches.

We enjoyed Monaco, Uze and Nice. Must see? That will have to be your call.

Eze

I cannot make any recommendation re hotels as i have no idea of the money you are ready to spend.
Nowadays, Russians being wealthy people, prices are skyrocketting high...
From Antibes to Arma di Taggia, nice place east of San REmo, you'll encounter peeble beaches. Arma di Taggia has a very beautiful beach. The largest and longest is in Alassio.

TDudette is right. Nice is the place to use as a hub for your trip.
In October most of the tourist crowds is gone back home, so you 'll enjoy the city. More animation will be found in Cannes, Juan les Pins where beaches are sandy and in october still available for swimming.

jay

Recommend the hotel Bobby in San Remo. Be sure to visit Eze (not the poster). Marsaille is also worth a perusal.

StuDudley

4-5 days to explore that region isn't really enough time - so I suggest that you forget hitting Italy. Also, I've never found anything in the San Remo area that is as interesting as the French Riveria (including the scenic Nice Hinterland).

I would certainly not spend 1 night in 3 different places. Base in Nice for the most flexibility Take trains to explore sites along the coast, and rent a car for 1-2 days to explore the villages just back of the coast, and the canyons & villages in the Alps (Nice Hinterland).

If you really want to sample two different locations, I would spend 2 nights in St Tropez and 3 in Nice.

In early/mid October the beach scene starts to die down - so it could be nice - or a little too chilly to spend time sunning on the beach.

Stu Dudley