alldaytravel

Hi All - Trying to plan a trip for August or early September of this year, and the Italian OR French Riviera are top contenders for 10 days or so. I'm sure they are both beautiful, but for those of you lucky enough to have visited both, which did you like better? Is one more expensive than the other? Also, do both require a car to get around the region? Any suggested itineraries for each place are also MUCH appreciated! I have a little time to plan, but not much as I would really like to book within the next couple of weeks. Thanks all!!

StCirq

The French Riviera is more upscale. Some of the Italian Riviera towns are lovely, but there are also some that are kind of shabby chic. I'd say it's a toss-up, depending on your interests. I prefer the food on the Italian side. But neither place is really my cup of tea, so I'm not the best judge.

jetsetj

I have been to Cinque Terre in Italy and Camargue in South of france. I prefer Italy.
The food, wine, scenery, and friendliest people.

NYCTS

They both have their unique charms but when you are blessed with the glorious Hampton and Fire Island beaches on America's East Coast, it's hard to get excited about the stones in France and the dirty sand of northern Italy. At least Monaco got smart and imported its sand. It's the closest thing you'll find to a luxury beach experience in that area.

pdx

I would suggest a car if you are there to sightsee. If you are going for a beach vacation you could probably get away without one.
You would be better off researching which country most appeals to you and then come back to ask more specific questions.
Both Italy and France will provide a beautiful vacation. Spain, too. You'll have to decide and then the Fodorians can help with the details.

alldaytravel

I am now considering a combination of the South of France and Italian Riviera (or at least the Cinque Terre area). For those of you who have said it's not your "cup of tea" - why? I have heard that a couple of times on this board, so I'm just curious...

adrienne

It's difficult to suggest an itinerary without knowing your interests. Do you want to lie on a beach, shop, sightsee, hike?

I've stayed in Nice, Antibes, Grasse, and Peillon in France and much preferred the small towns in the hills rather than those along the beaches.

traveller1959

On the Italian side, there are two Rivieras:

1) The Riviera di Ponente between San Remo and Genova.
2) The Riviera di Levante between Genova and Cinque Terre.

The most famous section is the Riviera dei Fiori (Flower Riviera) which is a part of the Riviera di Ponente around San Remo. The Italian Riviera has seen better days and, as others have said, is kind of run-down. Cinque Terre is a different story, it has become a paradise for serious hikers because of those breathtaking trails on the edge of the cliffs.

The French Riviera is a center of modern art with perhaps the highest density of art museums in the world. Besides, you find a bit of everything: glamourous seaside resorts, big cities, picturesque villages and all kinds of beaches ranging from extremely beautiful to extremely ugly.

Generally, cruisers who spend just a few hours at the Cote d'Azur get a rather negative impression of the area - it takes a little more time than just a few hours in a tour bus to find the really beautiful spots. We have spent almost a dozen summer vacations on the Cote d'Azur and we consider it still one of the world's most attractive vacation regions.

See also this recent thread:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...a-366599-2.cfm

cri80

If you want to see the seaside in Italy,choose Sardegna. Wonderful beaches with stunning views, clean water and good food, also a lot of things to see. Avoid the beaches in north, I wouldn't recommend Rimini.

beefeater24

I prefer French Riviera

alldaytravel

Thanks for the feedback! We are not going for the beaches, but may spend a day or two on a beautiful beach if we can find one. Our interests are more in sightseeing, beautiful scenery and dining/drinking wine. We would like to check out some of the quaint sections of Nice, Provence and the surrounding areas. Then hopefully catch a train to the Cinque Terre area to see some of the stunning cliff side villages - maybe visiting Portofino and a couple of other towns on the Italian side as well. Of course, we enjoy great food and wine, so hoping to incorporate that into our travels. Hope that helps! Thanks again for all of the suggestions...

scatcat

I love both the French and Italian Riveria. I go at least twice a year. And I love the Cinque Terre. But my favorite way to see them is by boat. You can go to Monterosso by train, then walk to the ferry. Approaching the villages by boat is absolutely beautiful.

I think the cost of the boat is 11-18€--18€ being an all day pass.

zeppole

Having lived near Fire Island and other Long Island beaches for a very long time -- with their Lyme disease, polluted waters, algae blooms and occasional bouts of medical waste -- I'll take the pristine waters of the Italian riviera any day, and should I want sand with it, enjoy the two fine sand beaches of Sestri Levante -- and those aren't the only ones.

Surfergirl

Hmmm, I think both have its beauty and highlights. We spent 3 weeks there a few summers back, with combined beach and sightseeing. I found it interesting that it seemed (maybe true, maybe not) that west of Nice, the beaches are all sandy -- St. Tropez, Ste. Maxime, Cannes, Juan Les Pins. It seemed impossible to get to many places (St. Tropez, St. Paul de Vence, Grasse) without a car, as much as I prefer to travel by train. We're heading back down to the area in September, and there's a few places for dinner I really want to return to. Lots of choices in Cannes, of course, but there's this whole area in Ste. Maxime that's very cool and has one restaurant after another. We had some of the best paella ever in one of them. We were going to stay in Arles, but they're having their Feria du Riz (rice harvest festival) -- so we'll be in Avignon and head over there for some street food. That's early September (11-13th).

panello

"cri" mentioned Rimini ("I wouldn't recommend Rimini" which isn't on the Riviera at all, it's on the Adriatic coast.
Nobody has mentioned the vast difference in the people you will have to deal with on both the French and the Italian Rivieras. The Italians are much more welcoming than the French - - - and their waiters sing. Italy is the rear-view mirror of European art and culture (prize question: who wrote that?)
I have lived at the intersection of both Rivieras for the last 17 years.