My husband and I will be traveling to the Cote d'Azur this July. We plan on spending four days there and are thinking of staying in Cannes since it is a middle point. We like the looks of: St. Tropez, Cannes, Grasse, Cap d'Antibes, Nice, St Jean Cap Ferrat, Monaco and Hilltop villages of St Paul de vence, Eze, and haute de cagnes. We are trying to narrow it down and would love suggestions. Also, do you think 4 days will be enough time. We are looking to stroll through beautiful towns/villages with picaresque views, eat great food, and relax on the beach, with an occasional museum added in.

Thanks!

Seriously, one of the best weeks of my life was spent in St Jean Cap Ferrat.

We visited Nice, Antibes, Eze and Ste Agnes,and Monaco, as well as Villefrache and Beaulieu. The Villa Ephrussi de Rotschild was a highlight.

Do you have 4 full days (5 nights)???? And will you be traveling by public transportation, or by some kind of private car, or both??? Probably can't do all you want to do if you have less than 4 full days and are without a car.

I've had some of my worst meals in Nice - and a great ones too - depending on $$$$$$ and also what you like to eat.

Stu Dudley

Some comments:

>>> thinking of staying in Cannes since it is a middle point
Cannes may be a geographical middle point, but not a cultural or a transportation hub. Nice is more of the "center" overall. Even if you drive, the traffic along the coast is heavy even before July. Go through actual logistics in visiting places instead of assuming a geographical center would meet your requirements. Cannes has a nicer beach (sand) than Nice (pebble), however.

>>> do you think 4 days will be enough time
This is a question on compatibility of your expectations vs. available time. If your expectations exceed available time, no matter how lengthy you stay might be, you don't have enough time.

I presume you realize that you will be there during the peak season. Nice and several other nearby ports are major cruise boat ports of call spewing out massive number of shore excursions. Over many years visiting the area, I am astonished by the spike in group tourists. If I go to any name recognized destinations in the area, I get surrounded by cruise shore excursions. The first time I visited Eze Village many years ago, it was very quiet with no hint of group tourists. Now you will be rubbing shoulders with one shore excursion after another. Same for St Paul de Vence.

We will be there for 4 full days. We are planning on renting a car.

We've spent 20 weeks vacationing on the Cote d'Azur. I developed a 33 page itinerary describing our favorite cities, villages, beaches, scenic drives, and restaurants (in Provence also). I've sent this itinerary to over 3,500 people on Fodors. If you would like a copy, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach one to the reply e-mail.

Stu Dudley

We're often in the south of France in July, and always drive. Early or late July makes a big difference in terms of traffic. Cannes is a bit of a pain to get in and out of by car - especially the Boulevard Carnot, which is the main road into Cannes from the motorway.
For St Tropez take the boat from Cannes - takes a bit of time, but traffic to St Tropez is hell.

although heavily traveled by tourist crowds, I would still consider St. Paul de Vence...the great Graeght Museum is worth the trip alone.....and lunch on the terrace of L' Colombe d'or is a winner.

We once stayed in small and quiet Tourrettes sur Loup and spent a good deal of time in Antibe, Nice, StP de V as well as Cap Ferrat for the Ephrusi mentioned above.

The pics below may give you some additional ideas for the region. We went on to revisit western Provence, pix included.

https://goo.gl/photos/CLjhzTSHp2WUq9vc8

Cote d' azur and western Provence...any questions, please ask. Have a great visit

I have spent about 120 weeks at the core d azur and didn't write anything. I use green Michelin guide.
I would stay at Antibes and travel from there or split.
Being there before 14th if July or after makes a big difference in terms of congestion. I don't drive after 14th anymore.

Beaulieu-sur-Mer and Cap St. Jean
Ferrat are indeed very beautiful towns, but you have to be careful here as there is a pickpocket gang working the area between the train station and the little beach near Villa Kerylos. They use mobile phones to communicate with each other.

Villa Euphrussi and Villa Kerylos are magnificent.

I also recommend the Chagall Museum in Nice.

A Taste of Nice food tour with Ruth is also a wonderful way to get acquainted with Nicoise cuisine. Gets a Thin's 5-star rave!!!

Thin

We rented a house in Cap d'Antibes during June one year and it was fine. Have also stayed in Nice which was also ok. Don't care for Cannes. Four full days is actually not a lot of time for the area.

I spent a week in Nice and found it a good base as I was using public transport only. I loved the Villa Euphrussi, a definite must do.

This year I'm staying three nights in Antibes and three nights in Menton to split it up a bit, still be using public transport but might rent a car just for the day to see some hillside villages...

Try and fit in another day if you can. I got a good vibe from Antibe last time thus the reason for staying here this time.

If you stay in Nice I wouldn't choose the old town, too busy and noisy and difficult to park, I'd say. But others may disagree...

Haha Woinparis; probably 120+ weeks for me too.
I won't go between the middle of July and end of August anymore; too busy. Early July is still OK. June and September are best.

For another Nice food-tour & cookery course: Rosa Jackson.

JWolfe; are your 4 days actually 4 nights? Or 5 nights?

We're pretty flexible with the amount of time. We can do four or five nights. I wanted to see which places people preferred to see how much time we needed. And we will be traveling the first week of July.

Well, four nights are three days for sightseeing and five nights are four days.

And tower is referring to the Fondation Maeght, a modern art museum just outside St. Paul de Vence. One of my favorites for its architecture as well as its art.

There's more to see and do in Nice, compared to Cannes. It is a 'real' city, whereas Cannes is much more a beach resort type of place. So it depends on what you want to do, and which places you want to visit. St Paul de Vence, Eze, Cap Ferrat, are easier reached from Nice. From Cannes you have to make your way to the motorway or Route National first.
Beginning of July is still OK, though, for traffic.

Antibes is easy to visit from Cannes, so is Mougins. Valbonne is nice (visit the market on Fridays), and Mougins has good restaurants and plenty of art galleries. These are all closer to Cannes. If you want to go to St Tropez, you can take a boat from Cannes - it will take a full day.

Meant to add; if you have a car, the Corniche de l'Esterel from Cannes to St Raphael is a beautiful road to take. You could take that to St Maxime, and hop on a boat to St Tropez there - or continue by car (though St Maxime-St Tropez can easily take an hour by car).

mimar///right///I always refer to the Maeght as the great Maeght...slipped up on typo on above post///fact is, it is graeght no matter how you spell it. The grounds are quite inviting also///see my pics address above.