Oh my gosh, lemidi, the drive to St. Trop is that bad and worse! I live in NYC (obviously) thus the absolute LAST thing I want to do when I'm on vacation is sit in bumper to bumper traffic for hours on end, regardless of the scenery!

Michelle, I also live in NY, and it's no worse than Hamptons traffic!!! Plus, it's so worth it. We did just as lemidi suggested, the scenic route early morning (I think we stopped at a small town and vineyard?) and then the highway after dinner/sunset. We were there while a regatta was in town and didn't want to leave. If you can, definitely stay the night (or two), but if not, I still would DEFINITELY go. It was just worth it IMO. Just know what you're getting into.

I assume that your wife just wants to be comfortable with other topless women sunning nearby? I am sure she will be allowed to bathe topless irregardless of what others are doing.

On Cap Ferrat there are numerous coves where some women are topless. I felt at the time that there were mostly locals at these.

The beach in Nice was rocky, and the beach in Cannes was sandy and very nice (in front of Hotel Carlton). About 10% of the women were topless on both beaches.

Stu Dudley, may I have a copy of your Provence/Cote d'Azur itinerary?

I'm planning my honeymoon for the end of June. I've never been to the south of France before, but here's what I was thinking:

Spend the first two nights somewhere luxurious (perhaps Eze?), then spend 4-5 days by the beach (would Cannes be best? Is it worth going to St Tropex?). Then I want to drive up to Aix-en-Provence and see that area, and probably stay 2 nights there, then back to Nice to fly out.

Any suggestions? Any better ideas?

eastcoast - that sounds fine. Cannes would be a good choice for a beach place, although I enjoy Nice more as a city. The beaches at St Tropez (actually outside of town) are a little more decadent.

Make sure you don't hit Aix on a Sun or Monday morning when most of the shops will be closed.

e-mail me at [email protected] if you want a copy of my itinerary

Stu Dudley

The info here is great... but I have one more question.

How far of a drive is it from Aix-en-Provence to Nice? Would it be do-able for us to stay in Aix-en-Provence for our last night, then fly out of Nice the next day?

This is a much less expensive option than flying out of Marseille... but is it very far of a drive?

It's about a 1 hr 45 min drive.

However, we've driven into the Nice airport about 10 times - and I still make a wrong turn & get lost. I would add 20-30 mins for getting lost. We picked up a car at the Nice airport last year, and I can't remember if it's within walking distance from the terminal. Over the years, the rental lots have moved around to different locations.

Stu Dudley

In 2007 the car that I rented in Nice was in walking distance from the terminal.

SeaUrchin,

You guessed it about the reasons for toplessness.