Good base for visiting Cote d'Azure?
 

Hello! I'm traveling to the French Riviera in late August and I'm looking for a good base to tour the area. We will be 2 couples looking to rent an apartment for about 5-7 days. I've been looking at Nice, Cannes, Antibes,...everywhere, but just can't figure out where to stay. Help please! :)

Looking for some beach time and wandering around the neighboring towns/villages. We're pretty low key, but have been known to enjoy some nightlife! Want to wander, eat, drink, and just relax.

I do realize that it will be busy and hot at this time of year, but this is when we can go. We will be in Burgundy before this and will have a car.

Thanks for your advice!

We stayed in Sainte-Maxime a few years back and loved it. It's a small beachfront resort town a few miles away from St Tropez, but a lot quieter. Nice beach, interesting little shops, restaurants, even a small casino.

Nice and Cannes have nightmarish traffic. I would head to Villafranche sur Mer, Bealieu sur Mer, or Menton.

In late August, you'll find that (1) the best accommodations have been booked for months and (2) apartments usually rent for 7 days, Saturday to Saturday. Plan accordingly, but find something ASAP. Your best bet at this point will be Nice, because of the number of potential apartments compared with smaller spots (like Villefranche-sur-Mer), but you might be lucky and find something in a smaller town. You could try Cagnes-sur-Mer, for one.

Ditto Underhill.

We had our apt reserve in Nice for early June '14, in about Feb '13.
http://www.nicepebbles.com/

Stu Dudley

August in peak season. Expect fully booked accomodation, traffic jams, crowded beaches, even more crowded parking lots and heat.

Sorry to say that. Usually I would say, Antibes and Juan-les-Pins make good locations, and I would still say try your luck to find accomodation there (you are late, except you want to travel in 2016). Otherwise, you might have to stay in the hinterland (somewhere north of Cannes, Mougins or environs).

The most beautiful stretch of the Côte d'Azur is the Esterel Coast. Agay, Antheor, Miramar and Theoule-sur-Mer are the best places. If you are lucky enough to find accomodation there, take it. It is incredibly scenic.

Thanks for all your replies. I'm still seeing lots of apartments available through airbnb. I'm checking into the smaller towns mentioned. Merci!

Last time I drove in the Cote d'Azur area it was practically gridlock everywhere - especially coastal routes - Antibes may be a good bet for you - regional town with its own character - old town center - lots of cafes - Cannes is a short drive or train ride away for lots of nightlife as is Nice.

Antibes area has a good sandy beach - Nice is pebbly - Cannes of course world-famous for its fine sandy beaches. I really liked Antibes! And very close to famous hill towns like Mougins, Vence and St-Paul-de-Vence and Grasse, the perfume capital of France.