Wife and I (30-ish, no kids) are scoping out a trip to France in early fall. Ideally, I'd like to split 8 nights between Paris and the Riviera (fly into Paris, TGV to Riviera, fly out of Nice). The earliest we can go is probably the 3rd week of September.

Questions:

From what I have read, it should still generally be warm enough for the beach, right? Keep in mind we are New Englanders, so 70s is tolerable, but would hope for some days in the 80s (I know it could be colder). But please tell me if the beach scene slows to a dead crawl and won't be worth counting on.

Considering that we will want to spend a few days on the beach, what's a good place to stay? We'd like something kind of fabulous (want the Riviera scene), but are open to ideas that might fall outside of the prime areas (a charming, romantic hillside hotel, etc.). We don't want to be running around all 4 days, so assume we'll mostly stay put. Basically we want plenty to walk to, hopefully including a good beach, too.

Early September should still be warm enough for beach weather, but no guarantees. For a charming hilltop hotel, head straight to Le Hameau, just outside St-Paul-de-Vence. The Nice beach is beautiful, but it's pebbles instead of sand. For a sandy beach you'd need to head to Jean-les-Pins, Antibes, or Cannes, where there's a sand beach that's free--others belong to hotels, and there's a charge to use them, sometimes quite a considerable one.

Thanks for the tip. I am aware of the lack of sand and the fact that in many places you have to pay for services, which we don't mind terribly. We're lazy and like to have chairs, tables to camp out in rather than haul stuff to the beach.

In that case, stay at a Cannes hotel on the Croisette. You'll have a very nice time there. Old Cannes is interesting, and there are two markets to explore. From Cannes you can take the train to nice and Antibes for more activities.

You could also consider the hotel Don César in Antibes, which has a lovely old town, the Picasso museum, a fine open-air market, and a beautiful marina.

We were there 2 years ago during first week in October. The weather was rather cool and very windy maybe 60-70. We walked on the beach but too cold to stay or go in the water. It could have just been that particular time, too.
We stayed in Cannes at the Hotel Martinez. Along Le Croissette, and a fabulous hotel. Their rates can be pretty high. Send an email directly to the hotel asking if special rates are available.

I have been in NIce during that exact time period (last Sept/early Oct) and it was very nice and pleasant during the day for walking around, but it was not hot. There were a few die-hard beach fanatics on the beach, mainly sunning, but not many were in the water. The beach at Nice is not very nice. It isn't just pebbles (if you are envisioning those Caribbean very small pebble beaches), it's more like rocks. YOu have to wear shoes.

I spent 8 days in Provence last year ( last week of Sept) Spectacular. Water was warm to swim in. Drove 1600KM. Drove along coast from Nice to Marseille. You must see Antibes( and the old market), La Napoule, Cavalaire, Bandol and Cassis. This is beyond magnificent. and you see the Calanques. You need a car of course and it's worth every dollar. There are so many places to stop along the way and just walk onto the beach and jump in. The pictures you take will never capture the beauty of this part of France.

I agree that Antibes is charming, but another place that we went too on a day trip that I also loved was Villefranche sur Mer, just a few miles up the road from Nice. I liked it better than Cannes (where I have stayed), but I'm not big on beaches.

Thanks all for the tips so far. Keep 'em coming. We're looking at approx 9/16 - so almost mid-Sept. I know a gamble - good to know it *can* be warm enough.

We were in Nice around 9/14 2004 and it was quite hot at mid-day. We went to Antibes for a day trip and paid for some beach facilities (chairs and umbrellas) I went swimming - very pleasant. In Nice we stayed at La Perouse hotel - lovely and has a pool - we did not go on the beach at Nice as was too rocky. We really liked Nice otherwise - great promenade, interesting old town with lots of outdoor cafes and the Chagall musuem is fantastic. If you don't want to rent a car I would advise maybe staying in Nice (if you want action) or Antibes (if you prefer a smaller place). Have a great trip! SueC1

My fiance and I are headed to Provence for our honeymoon in August and plan to spend two nights on the coast. We too are looking for a small and very charming town. We would prefer something near/on the ocean, and are particularly interested in the restaurants. We definitely don't want a place with lots of crowds. I wish we could stay at Hotel du Cap Eden Roc, but unfortunately that is out of our price range. We like that location, but are not committed to Antibes. We would LOVE your suggestions - both on where to go for two nights and also on where to stay. Thanks a million!!

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