We have decided to drive from Aix-en-Provence to Nice in August, We want to leave after farmers/food market by 11AM and we have all day for the drive.

Interested in coastal drive.

I searched Fodor and other travel forums but they are pretty old.

I appreciate your feedback, dos and don'ts.

If you have done this, can you please share the map?

Thank you

The main coastal route can be bumper to bumper in season and not that scenic -for small roads that hugs the coast and go thru many towns you would need a few days I fear. One nice route is an inland one via the Gorges de Verdon, Europe's biggest canyon, and down thru Grasse, nice old town.

The coastal drive is beautiful but will be slow with the August traffic. For a map, look at the viamichelin.com web site, where you will find other useful information.

I've driven three different routes - the inland route via Gorges de Verdun and Grasse and the autoroute that goes vaguely along the coast and the regular road that hugs the coast. If OP wanted to settle on an extra day that route would IMO be by far the most scenic. -skip Marseilles and hit the coast that goes thru popular seaside towns and beaches and also St-Tropez and Cannes. choice of

Thank you. If time permits, I will make a small detour to saint raphael and return to A8.

Make that the Gorge du Verdon. The Gorge de Verdun is in a different area.

Thanks - but is that not called Gorges du Verdon?

If you are going to get off the A8 to St Raphael, then continue along the coast to Cannes. It will be very busy, but this is a beautiful road; the Corniche d'Or, also called Corniche de l'Esterel. Rejoin the A8 at Cannes Mandelieu, or continue through Cannes along the seafront. It will be bumper to bumper in August, though.
Getting off the A8 at St Raphael and back doesn't make sense; you'll be in a traffic jam from the A8 to the coast and back again.
At least on the Corniche you will have beautiful views.

It's the difference in Verdun and Verdon. Although there are no "gorges" of Verdun AFAIK, that's up to the NE, WWI territory (ie Battle of Verdun).