My husband and I just booked a trip to Nice coming up in three weeks.We land in Nice around noon on October 9th and fly out of Nice on October 18th.We’ll stay the first night in Nice (suggestions welcomed). We’ll spend the next day making our way to Rapallo (suggestions welcomed for where to stay) for five nights (one day for Rapallo, one for Santa Margherita Ligure/Portofino, one for Cinque Terre and one for Lucca and one for Pisa).That leaves us 3 nights.From my research on this forum I’m interested in Eze, Villefranche and Antibes.My husband and I like history and food.He likes cars and I enjoy shopping.I’d appreciate your feedback on the itinerary so far and your suggestions on where to visit and spend the last 3 days/nights.I think we’ll have a car for the whole time and take trains for our day to Cinque Terre.Thank you!

For that first night in Nice, I heartily recommend staying at the Hotel Westminster, located right on the Promenade des Anglais. The hotel staff is welcoming and helpful, and the location is excellent. Do ask for a room with a view!

For what you've listed, you'd be better off flying into Pisa and out of Nice. Oh well. At a minimum, I'd split the Italy hotel stays between Rapallo and Pisa.

Some train journey times...

Nice to Rapallo, 4.5 hours, 2 changes
Rapallo to Lucca, 2 hours each way, 1 change
Rapallo to Pisa, 1:48 hours each way, no change
Train between Lucca and Pisa, 30 minutes, no change
Pisa to Eze, 5.5 hours, 2 changes

Hello phyffer, if you are interested in Villefranche, Eze and Antibes, I suggest you consider staying in Nice for 4 nights when you arrive and use it as a hub for visiting the Côte d’Azur. Use the bus or train as parking can be a challenging. Then take the train to Rapallo for 5 nights or alternatively go to Genova and use that as the second hub for the rest of your visit if you definitely want to visit Pisa and Lucca.

In the 5T think about using a boat rather than a train within the towns, obviously weather dependant but the best views of the land is from the sea

You might want to spend your last three nights in Villefranche- the Hotel Welcome and Hotel Darse are often recommended here ( haven’t stayed in either). This would give you easy access to places like Antibes, Nice and Monaco, as well as Eze.

You could end in Nice instead as others noted, but you could also just add a day or two at the start. You can arrive and transfer to a hotel downtown. Then you can take the train to Antibes and Villefranche on the 1st full day. You can take another day in the area (especially if you want to do some shopping in Monaco, Cannes or Nice) or pick up a car and depart to Italy, stopping at Eze (and continue up to La Turbie for great views down on Monaco). You can take the main highway but I do suggest take at least some time driving along the coast. You can cut from the main autoroute to do the small stretch between Finale Ligure and cut back after Noli. The coastal road from Finale Ligure and Noli is especially nice (but don't do it in bad weather --- the road hugs the sea). Heading down to the Cinque Terre area, the area around Santa Margherita, Camogli or Portofino are relatively close Since you mention shopping, east of Genoa by 45 minutes (and 1 hr from Rapallo) is a very large outlet center (Serravale). After the Cinque Terre, you can head down to Pisa. Lucca is an easy day trip from Pisa.

Thank you for all the helpful feedback. We are going to stay in Villefranche for three nights at the beginning of our trip. We'll rent a car for two full days and see Tourettes-sur-loup and St. Paul de Vence one day and Eze, Menton and that area the next day. We love to explore and get lost, so we like having a car. Do you have any recommendations on a car company to use? We will drive the coast between Finale Ligure and Noli. Sounds beautiful. Thanks for the Serravale shopping tip. I hadn't come across that place. We're then staying in Santa Margherita Ligure for three nights, so we can visit Cinque Terre (by boat), Rapallo and Portofino. I think I'm going to book two nights in Lucca with a drive by of Pisa. I would l appreciate any tips on what not to miss in Lucca and surrounding area. We'll then head back to the Nice area for our last night. I'm looking for a quiet place to spend our last night with easy access to the airport. Thanks again!

Lucca; the main sights are the city itself. You will have to park outside the walls as inside is just impossible. The walls are very big and you can hire a bike to ride around the top. Inside it is really a question of walking and looking. Do go out for evening passaggiata. Basically a time to chat to friends, make contact with new ones and work up an appetite for la cena. There is also the usal Duomo, and a bunch of ancient towers you can go up. There will aslo be a local winery tour opportunity.

I stayed in a lovely AirBnB in Lucca in July. It was an easy walk from the train station and was centrally located within the wall. DM if you'd like info.

In Noli dine at the Ristorante Vescovane, fabulous!

Lucca is a great place to stay, and day trip to Pisa. I forgot to mention, but as you cut down from the main autoroute to Finale Ligure, the medieval town is actually up high and you'll have to slog a bit through the newer town to break free of buildings and get the best views (peaking as you head into Noli).

If you go to Tourettes-sur-Loup, continue on up to Gourdon for a great stoney hilltop village (but eat in Tourettes --- some really good restaurants there, but reserve ahead).

There are a number of hotels close to the Nice airport, including some very new major brands. However, you may want to stay further down the Prom, like at the Raddisson, or even in the city.

I highly recommend staying in Santa Margherita Ligure or Camogli instead of Rapallo.

Since you plan on going to St. Paul de Vence, to which we rented a car from Nice just for the day, do plan to lunch or have dinner at Colombe d'Or, one of most famous and historical spots on the Riviera. Better yet, spend one night there at their 25-room auberge. It is a treasure chest of art, as the original owner housed Matisse, Braque, Leger, Miro, Picasso and Chagall, who paid for their room & board with paintings which hang all over the dining room, bar, and on the terrace. Simple-chic style, rustic, no high-end tech, but true feel of Provencal inn. Reservations can be made onlline easily from their website.

I'm a big fan of SanRemo/Albenga/Ventimiglia though they might be deadening up in October, but the sumptious market and the old town (built on a sharply elevating hill) in SanRemo has charm every turn. I do prefer the Italian Riviera there, with it's beautifully fading glory, to the Cote d'Azur, with the dull architecture and all those yachts. Here are pix from landing in Nice and heading directly to SanRemo, with focus on the old town: