Hi everyone,

I may try to post this on the France boards as well but I was curious to know if anyone knew if there is a "Positano" type of town in France.
My husband and I went to the Amalfi Coast last spring. Our favorite place was Positano. I have been to Nice and Monte Carlo (which to me is on par with Capri).
Please let me know what you think!

Thanks!

Hi T,

There is only one Europe board.

What do you mean by a "Positano-type town?" Do you mean a town terraced on a seaside cliff? Are you asking about the topography or the atmosphere of the place?

I am not sure what you mean when you say that Monte Carlo is "on a par" with Capri..I can't really see many similarities between the two places other than their fame and their seaside locations.

Thank God, places are unique.

There are many beautiful towns in France, but Positano, with the dramatic setting on the steep coast, is unique.

Cap Ferrat? Villefranche sur mer?

Ramateulle above St-Tropez?

Vence and St. Paul de Vence? Or, on the Atlantic side, though not really close to the water, St. Emilion? Have to agree with the other poster who said that Positano is unique. It really is, but any of the towns mentioned above or by other posters are definitely worth a visit.

Thank you for your suggestions, I will look into all of them! The topography of Positano made it one of the most unique and beautiful places, we loved the black beach as well.
I only mentioned Monte Carlo with Capri because perhaps at both places I stayed amid a particularly touristy expensive hotels and crowd.

Thank you all, we are looking forward to our trip to france but I am already wishing we were going back to Positano!!

We've spent a considerable amount of time on the Mediterranean coast, Brittany coast, Normandy, Biarritz area, La Rochelle - and have found nothing like Positano. The closest we've seen is the Cinque Terra - in Italy.

Stu Dudley

Like I stated earlier, there is nothing like Positano in France if you expect to see something very similar. Here is my top 4 choices if you enjoyed Positano.

Villefranche sur Mer next to Nice. Has the same vertical setting as Positano but not nearly as dramatic. There is a harbor there, but the beach is not right at your feet like it is in Positano - it's 1/4 mile away or so. I've never spent the day at the beach in Villefranche, but it did not look as nice as Positano with the lounges you can rent. We "did" the entire town in 1 hr. Not quite the same "buz" as the boardwalk in Positano - but Nice is just a short distance and you will find plenty of buz there in Old Nice.

St Tropez is our favorite coastal town. We've spent over 4 weeks there. It's flat, so it does not have the vertical feel. Lots of BUZ morning, noon, and night from June through Sept. Good shopping & plenty of cafes where you can sit & watch the action at the harbor.. The 'famous" beach (the most decadent we've experienced), is a drive (not a walk) away. Lots of other things to do in the immediate area (Ramatuelle (like someone mentioned), Gassin, Grimaud, Bormes, Aix is 1 1/2 hrs away)

Cassis - like a mini St Tropez & Positano. Has some vertical elements, but not nearly as much as dramatic as Positano or Villefranche. Not as large as St Tropez or Positano. Very enjoyable boat trips to examine the coast closely. Port area is extremely nice with lots of restaurants & people watching. Town is not as much "fun" as St Tropez. An overnight there was fine for us, after a rew prior day trips.

La Rochelle - lots of action and interesting architecture in this town. It's much larger than any of the others. Nice port, but not quite as charming and 'quaint" as Positano, but still very scenic. Lots of things to do in town. Good shopping and scads of cafes to sit in. The one "problem" might be the weather. It's on the Atlantic coast and the weather is not as consistent as the Med. On the two nights we were there the last week in Aug, we dined outside one night, and it was a little too chilly to sit outside the second night - and a little windy also.

Biarritz - St Jean was always cloudy/cold when we were there in the area the first 2 weeks of Sept.

We've spent 5 weeks in Brittany in late June & the first 2 weeks in Sept. I don't think we've ever dined outside.

Honfleur in Normandy is nice - but the weather can be iffy. The weather was quite drab in late June & early July along the other coastal resort towns in Normandy. There was nobody sunning on the beach in early July - the umbrellas were not even set up.

Stu Dudley