StuDudley

""Does anyone have suggestions on must-see places to stop (beach, villages, restaurants) along this drive? ""

Our favorite by far is Bormes les Memosas. A gem of a village. Lots of places for lunch. Get there on the very scenic inland route - the D98 through la Mole. Do not take the coast route.

Stu Dudley

macdogmom

LOL, you could just hop down to Nobu Malibu and she can gaze on a beautiful beach, famous people eating and amazing Calif style. I saw the beaches in the south of France when I was 12 and all of my Southern California living family said this is the famous Riviera? Beaches were all rocks back in the day, maybe there is more sand now. I did go back to Nice in college and rode mopeds all over the city and had fun and we’ve explored some of the small provence villages. We preferred the French and Spanish basque coastline-great food and my husband surfed a few days. And August there is going to be a zoo!

Some of these costal trips give you a renewed appreciation for our Calif coastline and its stunning beauty and how much we take for granted (I live in Santa Barbara and Bay Area). I do hope your teenager enjoys herself and the trip all works out. Now London, I love.

shelemm

If your daughter likes fashion and shopping, then I recommend going to a consignment shop, aka "depot-vente." On Google Maps you can search for "consignment shops near Nice" or whatever city you are near. Some are known for a mix of high end or not, so the experience -and fashion- can be very different from what you'd find elsewhere. I did that with my kids in Paris.

gooster

Now that you've changed iterary, I will jump in. If you want sandy beaches, you could do a beach day in Juan les Pins or in Cannes (which could be combined with shopping if you want super high end boutiques, although you will have Rue Paradis and around there for that in Nice, plus Galeries). Both have the closest distance between train station and the beach. You can also just rent a place in a club like Blue Beach or at Amour. (NorCal here, with a place in Nice in same neighborhood as your AirBnB). You might also consider a day trip to Eze (there are perfume "factories" there as well, plus instagram famous views) combined with a trip to Cap Ferrat). In Saint Tropez, the best and most famous beach scene is at Ramatuelle. Reserve a spot. An alternative to going all the way to Cassis is simply to go to the area between Hyeres and Ramatuelle. Smaller beaches and Porquerolle Island just off the coast (and Borrmes les Mimosa as mentioned above). Not as many coves and such, but a little more low key than the rest of the areas.

Just one word on the coast and similarities --- the big difference is the water temp. You can actually get in the water, compared to NorCal.

NellyC

Our trip was fabulous. Thanks to all who offered their advice, it all helped.
For anyone else going, here is a breakdown of where we stayed and some tips:
Flew into Nice
3 nights: Nice. Stayed at an Airbnb right on Place Massena. Amazing view of Apollo Statue and square. Walkable to everything and right at tram stop. We took train to Villefrance and spent afternoon on the beautiful sandy beach. Amazing meals at La Merenda. Lavomatique, l'alchimie and Piexes. We wish we stayed here another night, or two. We really loved Nice. It felt very safe and clean. Great food, shopping and and so much to explore. Will go back for sure.
2 nights: St Tropez. Rented car last day in Nice. Departed Nice 9am. Avoided traffic, very easy drive. Stayed at Hotel Des Lices. LOVED this hotel. Chill and stylish oasis in busy St Tropez. If love fashion, brunch at Dior Des Lices is a must. Also loved Pampelonne beach. We had planned to go to the beach clubs, but we changed our plans and spent afternoon on public beach. We felt more comfortable, as it was more open and we sat directly by the water. Lots of the beach clubs have rows, so you might be back a bit. We also did not necessarily want to 'see and be seen' and could still hear the music and people watch, but liked not being in the thick of it. It not into the clubs, or renting an expensive lounger, just know the public beach is a great option.
2 night: Cassis. Drive via coastal route. Easy drive. We kayaked to the Calanques, which was the highlight of our trip. Gorgeous. Kayak was rough just outside Calanques, but lots of people around and we felt safe. Most people hiked in, and we saw lots of families with kids. Sunset and evening in Cassis beautiful. Evening picnics on beach. Town is lit up at night with white Fairy lights, very pretty. Amazing meal at Le Possion Rouge.
Drove to Marseille Airport. Dropped rental car.
Flew out of Marseille to London.

We were there during August, and I was nervous about the crowds getting to us, but turns out it was fine. It was perfect beach weather and festive. The only time the crowds was an issue was when we took the train to Villefranche. Train was crazy packed! It was a Saturday afternoon and gorgeous day after two days of rain, so everyone was out. I made all our reservations well in advance, which helped. I was still able to get dinner reservations as needed.
My only regret is not giving ourselves 1-2 more nights in Nice. Another time....

gooster

NellyC --- Thank you for taking the time to report back on your trip. I'm happy you had a great time.

shelemm

Les Calanques are magnificent and I'm so glad you got to kayak there. A super highlight indeed!

janisj

Great to hear bac . Suggestion: You might want to copy/paste that post as a new thread tagged as a Trip Report. As it is, its buried at the end of an old planning thread so many will not see the trip report.

rhon

Sounds like a great trip, and what a wonderful memory for both you and your daughter.

YankyGal

Thanks for reporting back! I’ve always heard August is just awful in that area so it’s nice to hear another perspective. We love Nice, too.

shelemm

August is definitely not awful anywhere in the South of France.

Traveler_Nick

Awful in the sense it's busy? Or?