Next summer I'll be travelling all around Europe, including a stop to the French Riviera for four nights. I'd like to see a few different places, but stay in one central hotel/hostel the whole time. I know one of the places I'd like to visit is Eze, and maybe Arles or Nice as well. Does anybody have any suggestions of what town to stay in, and what places I should visit? I'm not very interested in art or museums and will be seeing enough cathedrals on the rest of my trip. I'd really like to spend a lot of time on the beach. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

I would definitely recomend Nice. It is a fabulous city and the public transportation to surrounding cities is fabulous. The one drawback if you are a beach person might be the beach which is pebbly,however that does not seem to be a deterrant to most . The beach in Cannes is sandy, however I personally would choose Nice. I recently returned from 12 days in Nice and could have stayed longer.

I think Nice would be a fun city for you also. I wouldn't go to Arles if you want beaches, it's not on the beach. I would say calling Nice's beach pebbly is being generous, they were more what I would call rocks, much larger than pebbles. People sit out there on chairs and things, though.

For the beach, I would send you in the direction of Languedoc and not anywhere near the Côte d'Azur.

Tara, I agree with others that Nice is an ideal location. But remember, Provence is very large.

I just came upon some great pics on this site that include Aix en Provence, Rousillon, Gordes and others. Monica posted over a period of days so scroll down through the whole thread to see each grouping of photos. They are breathtaking and may help you decide which areas you would like to see. For most travelers, it can't all be done in one trip.

My France Trip Photographs (Monica)

You will love Provence!

It's a long drive from the Nice region to Arles; going there and back with sightseeing in the city would easily take up a whole day. So I think that basing yourself in Nice would work best, taking day trips by train or bus.