By Car in Côte d'Azur

By Car

The best way to explore the secondary sights in this region, especially the backcountry hill towns, is by car. It also allows you the freedom to zip along A8 between the coastal resorts and to enjoy the tremendous views from the three corniches that trace the coast from Nice to the Italian border. N98, which connects you to coastal resorts in between, can be extremely slow, though scenic. A8 parallels the coast from above St-Tropez to Nice to the resorts on the Grand Corniche; N98 follows the coast more closely. From Paris the main southbound artery is A6/A7, known as the Autoroute du Soleil; it passes through Provence and joins the eastbound A8 at Aix-en-Provence.

Car Rental

Most likely you'll want to rent your car at one of the main rail stops, either St-Raphaël, Nice, Monaco, or Menton, or at the airport in Nice, where all major companies are represented.

Local Agencies

Avis (2 av. des Phocéens, Nice. 04-93-80-63-52. Nice Airport. 04-93-21-42-80. 190 pl. Pierre Coullet, St-Raphaël. 04-94-95-60-42). Budget (23 rue de Belgique, Nice. 04-93-16-24-16. Nice Airport. 04-93-21-36-50. 40 rue Waldeck-Rousseau, St-Raphaël. 04-94-82-24-44). Europcar (3 av. Gustave V, Nice. 04-92-14-44-50. Nice Airport. 04-93-21-43-54. 47 av. de Grande-Bretagne, Monaco. 377/93-50-74-95. 54 pl. Pierre Coullet, St-Raphaël. 04-94-95-56-87). Hertz (1 Promenade des Anglais, Nice. 04-93-87-11-87. Nice airport. 04-93-21-36-72. 32 rue Waldeck-Rousseau, St-Raphaël. 04-94-95-48-68. 27 bd. Albert I, Monaco. 377/93-50-79-60).