vicftl

Would appreciate some wisdom from experienced travelers on the following fun itinerary on the Cote De Azur June 5th to the 12th

Day one: Arrive in Nice 10:00am. Renting a car for our weekend in Saint Tropez later in the week. Check in to hotel West End around 12-2pm and then walk the Promenade and old Nice. See Molinard Perfume Shop and get dinner on the Promenade.

Day two: Drive to Eze before 10am walk the hill and get lunch there. Would love suggestions for lunch reservation there. Head back to hotel around 5pm. Find dinner along the Promenade and then hit High Club around 11pm

Day three: Drive to Cannes and walk around. Are there any sites we should make a point to see? Should we stop in Atibes? What should we see there? Head back to hotel around 3pm. 4pm Go to Beau Rivage for tappas and cocktails

Day four: Drive to St Tropez in the AM. Settle into our BnB in town. Walk around town and see the Citadel complex. 4pm reservation at either Bagatelle or LeOpra. Which is more fun?

Day five: Open Day. Le Club around 4pm. 11pm Le Caves Du Roy

Day six: Drive to Monte Carlo in AM. Reservation at Fairmont and Nikki Beach at 12:30pm. Room for nap around 7pm. 10pm See casino and then hit Budha Bar and Jimmy Zs

Day seven: Fly out 12pm

May sound like a lot but want to get the most out of the time there. What would you cut out if it is too much? Appreciate the feedback in advance

gooster

Day 1: There really are no good restaurants "on" the Promenade (except for Le Chantecler, in the Negresco -- I have not tried their new Beach Club). There are beach restaurants that are good and you have a much better view of the sea: Le Galet, Beau Rivage, L'Amour, Blue Beach are some of the ones with better food. My friends love Les Temps en Ete as well It is a good idea to reserve ahead. We have an apartment not far from the West End. If you want a view of the water without being on the beach, consider a rooftop restaurant or Le Plongeoir in the Port. Note the flower market is only open in the mornings and a arts and crafts fair takes over in the evenings. You should also go to the top of Castle Hill (le Chateau) for the best view. Bonus tip: behind your hotel on Rue de France, try Bio Brod for organic pain au chocolat, Armand on Rue de Congres for pastries or Pan for a quick Spanish-themed takeaway snack (their restaurant next door has good French-accented tapas).
Day 2: Chateau Eza or Chateau Chevre d'Or. Reservations are a must. But these are Michelin */** restaurants. I also recommend driving up through La Turbie and getting the view down from the Trophee des Alpes. There is the Cafe de la Fontaine there, little sister of the ** Hostellerie de Jerome. Or you can drop down to Cap Ferrat and go to the Villa Ephrussi (the views from the grounds are terrific). Back in Nice, try wandering the old town, and taking dinner at Les Agiteurs or Jan in the Port or Olive et Artichaut, Comptoir du Marche, Bistrot d'Antoine or Bar des Oiseux in Old Town.
Day 3: Cannes is about beach clubs, the hotels and shopping. There is a nice old town as well but generally does not have a lot of attractions. (Cannes itself is much easier and quicker to get into by train, btw. The main station is in the heart of town, near the famous La Croisette and shopping streets) Antibes is a less luxe vibe, with more of a Provencal/French feel and a great market plus the Picasso Museum. Another possible destination is St Paul de Vence, a art-filled hilltop village(with the Fondation Maeght). Besides the Beau Rivage, you can have a drink at the Anantara Plaza (brand new luxury hotel with rooftop complex), along Rue Des Ponchettes (lined with bars like Movida).
In St Tropez, your concierge can help you with advance reservations for the top beach clubs and restaurants. If you have time off the beach and like wine, there are some nice Rose wineries, like Minuty ( a well known domaine).

Just a tip about driving, it will be rather crowded so be prepared. In Nice, when exiting the hotel go down Rue de France, turn right at Rue de Congres and there is an entrance to a tunnel that will take you up to the A8 autoroute, bypassing the city traffic.

HappyTrvlr

I would definitely visit Antibes, in fact, I would skip Cannes and spend the day in lovely Antibes.

Tulips

If you have enough time - keeping in mind that traffic can be awful - the drive from Cannes through Juan les Pins and Cap d'Antibes to Antibes is lovely. There's a large car park next to the port in Antibes, you can wander around the old town for an hour or so. Or stop along the way at Plage de la Garoupe for a drink or lunch. Plage Keller is nice. If you need to be back in Nice by 4 pm you won't have time for this.
In St Tropez I would definitely book a lunch at one of the beach clubs, maybe Club 55. And check the market days; very nice but very busy. If you are driving into town on a market day expect long delays on the road.

vicftl

Thank you so much for all your advice. We will likely have dinner in old town Nice on the first day and check out the places you recommended behind our hotel.
The restaurants in Eze were a little pricey for our wallets. I wonder if you know of any more reasonable less fancy places.
We will make reservations as advised for our day in Cannes as well.
Thank you also for the tips on driving. We have heard a lot about the traffic so short cuts are appreciated.

Michael

Antibes has a Picasso Museum

AJPeabody

I love the Antibes Picasso Museum. There is one room where pictures are carefully placed including a window over the Mediterranean that acts like another picture.

geetika

Though Monte Carlo, Nice and Cannes are supposedly the stars of the Côte d’Azur, my personal fav is Antibes. Lovely old town, with a chill, relaxed vibe. Easy to get to the other places too as public transport is excellent in the whole area.

Another vote for the Picasso museum, don’t miss it!