What else is there to see?
If you haven’t been to the Côte d’Azur yet, we can definitely recommend extending your stay and enjoy a nice holiday on the French coast. The weather in September is usually very pleasant, the sea water is still warm, and there are many beautiful places around worth visiting. To make you excited about your holiday, we’re listing a few of them that we know and like coming back to.
Main attractions
The most well-known towns in the area are Nice, Cannes, and Monaco. They are all easily accessible by the rail line running along the coast. Nice has a very nice historical center - you can visit the cathedral, climb up on the castle hill, or go to the beach, take a swim in the sea, and walk along the Promenade des Anglais.
In Cannes you can visit the Palais du Festival, the iconic venue of the Cannes Film Festival, take a walk through the port with luxury yachts, or walk up to the church and enjoy the view back over the center.
Lastly, the city-state of Monaco will wow you with its grand buildings, beautiful cars, and fancy atmosphere. You can walk along the famous Formula 1 race track, make a visit to the Casino, or look at the Prince’s Car Collection. We also recommend going up to the old town, seeing the palace and visiting the Oceanografic museum. If you’re going to Monaco by car, be aware that most rentals won’t allow you to drive into Monaco itself, so you will have to stop at Cap d’Ail and walk the last 3 kilometers. Also be careful about mobile data usage - Monaco is not in the EU!
Painters paradise
Many modernist painters have lived and worked in the region, and today you can find many museums in the region dedicated to them.
Among others, we can recommend the Picasso museum in Antibes, the Matisse chapel in Vence, the Chagall museum in Nice, or the Leger museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer just a few minutes walk from Château de Vaugrenier.
Small villages off the coast
If you venture out a little bit off the coast, you will find many cute villages worth visiting. Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Mougins, and Biot have very pretty old towns, where you can walk through their narrow streets, take a look in some local galleries, or sit down in a small café and enjoy a fresh cup of coffee.
Taking a trip further into the hills, you will find Gourdon, where you can admire a view over the entire French riviera.
But our favorite village in the area is Eze. It lies a few stops east of Nice, a few hundred meters straight up from the coast. Apart from enjoying the spectacular views over Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, you can visit the exotic garden with many beautiful cactuses and modern statues. If there is one village you should go to, it would be this one.
Nature
Last but not least, the Côte d’Azur offers many things to do if you are looking for something more nature and sports oriented. There are many natural areas, where you can hike, admire the views, and spend some quiet time. We can recommend Gorge du Loup, or the red rocks of Massif de l’Esterel.
Or, if you prefer to stay by the sea, you can choose from the two peninsulas of Cap d’Antibes and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, and follow the picturesque coastal walks around them. They are great stops for people who choose to rent a bike and cycle along the coast as far as their legs can carry them.
Last on this list we want to mention the Cannes islands. You can take a ferry from the port in Cannes and go to Ile Sainte Marguerite or Ile Saint-Honorat. Both offer very quiet time in the vineyards and between pine trees.
