Are you planning your next trip to the French Riviera and looking for a great place to stay in the area? Then you’re in good hands! So far we’ve lived on Cote d’Azur for over 1 year in a few different towns. And during that time we’ve visited quite a large part of this beautiful area of France and got to know it pretty well. Whether you’re looking for vibrant cities, historic towns, medieval villages, or amazing holiday spots you’ll find it all there. Keep reading and discover our recommendations for the best places to stay in French Riviera.
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About French Riviera
French Riviera, or Cote d’Azur, is located in the South of France and apparently has no official borders! It’s a coastal area extending from Menton to somewhere near Marseille, but everyone has their opinion on where exactly it ends.
Overall, the best place to stay in French Riviera will depend on a couple factors like the purpose of your visit (i.e. discovering the region vs beach holidays), the part of the region you want to explore (eastern or western), places you want to discover and how you plan to move around. Let’s take a closer look at our suggestions and choose the best place for you.
If you don’t want to put too much effort into planning, you can always take advantage of the guided tours and let someone else take care of all the details. For a wide selection and well-reviewed tour options be sure to visit GetYourGuide or Viator.
To find great accommodation in the area visit Booking, Hostelworld, or Airbnb.
How to move around the French Riviera?
The fastest way of getting to all the mentioned places and then traveling around them is by car, either yours or rented. If you don’t travel with your own car, you can easily rent the best one for your needs through the Rental Cars website.
Most of the places are also accessible by public transport, by trains or buses. You can search for the connections that might interest you on the rome2rio.com or sncf-connect.com website. For great train ticket deals visit Trainline.
Best places to stay in French Riviera – Near Nice
Antibes
Antibes is a picturesque town that perfectly blends old-world charm, luxury, wealth, and natural beauty. The pleasant old town located within ramparts, luxurious villas and superyachts, interesting museums, magnificent beaches, and coastal trails with striking views attract thousands of travelers each year. No wonder many felt, and still fall, for its captivating charm!
Antibes will be a great place to stay in the French Riviera if you’re looking for a not-too-big and yet not-too-small town with many things to do. It’ll also be great if you like to spend time in nature or looking for a nice holiday spot.
Thanks to its great location Antibes is also a great starting point for discovering many places of the eastern French Riviera. You can quickly get to many towns and villages by train, bus or car.
Learn more: 15+ Things To Do In Antibes, France
Nice
Nice is a fabulous town on Cote d’Azur. Relaxed vibe, compelling turquoise waters, colorful old town, splendid architecture, striking views, delicious food… Nice has all of these and more! The town is full of interesting places to discover and a huge number of activities that will keep you entertained for hours. It doesn’t matter what kind of traveler you are and what attractions you’re looking for, you’ll find it there.
Nice will be a great place to stay in French Riviera if you’re looking for a vibrant city where you can’t get bored. Thanks to its great location it’s also a great starting point for discovering the area – you’ll easily get to many nearby places by train or bus.
We wouldn’t recommend Nice for beach holidays (unless you don’t mind really crowded beaches). It also isn’t the best place if you hate crowds, and they are there all year round.
Learn more: What To See In Nice, France?
Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer is one of the most radiant places on Cote d’Azur that will fill you with positive vibes and good energy. It’s pretty, colorful, captivating, and it’s a real delight to explore. Whether you want to explore charming old town streets and historic sites or just relax on the beaches in a scenic setting – you’ll find it all in Villefranche-sur-Mer.
Villefranche-sur-Mer is located right next to Nice and will be a great place to stay on Cote d’Azur if you’re looking for a more peaceful spot, yet still just a few minutes away from lots of attractions and with train/bus connections to many nearby towns and villages.
This town might also be a good holiday spot – Villefranche-sur-Mer beaches are known for being relatively quiet and more sandy than pebbly (which is quite rare on Cote d’Azur).
Learn more: 8 Things To Do In Villefranche-Sur-Mer, France
Cannes
Cannes is the world capital of cinema where glitz and glam reign. It’s a picturesque town that perfectly blends old-world charm, luxury, and natural beauty. Iconic film festival, colorful historic old town, magnificent sandy beaches with turquoise waters, striking views, fancy shopping, posh parties… All of that makes Cannes one of the most popular places on Cote d’Azur that attracts thousands of travelers each year.
If you’re looking for a bit more luxurious or partying spot on the French Riviera, Cannes will probably do for you. Thanks to many amazing beaches it can also be a nice, although quite crowded, holiday spot.
Thanks to its location and many train connections it’s also a good place to stay if you want to explore the area from Menton up to Saint Raphael or even Saint Tropez.
Learn more: One Day In Cannes, France – 10+ Things To Do
Saint Jean Cap Ferrat
Saint Jean Cap Ferrat once was a sleepy fishing village and nowadays is a haven for millionaires. It’s home to some of the most expensive real estates in the world and thanks to that it’s affectionately called the Peninsula of Billionaires. With its luxurious villas, pretty beaches, lush vegetation, natural beauty, and charming old town Saint Jean Cap Ferrat is ready to win you over!
If you’re looking for a luxurious and peaceful getaway in the South of France, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat will be perfect for you. The town is also next door to Villefranche-sur-Mer and Nice so many attractions await nearby too.
Cons? There is no train station in Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, but the closest ones are located in Villefranche and Beaulieu, no more than 4km away.
Learn more: Things To Do In Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, France
Menton
Menton is one of the most colorful seaside towns on Cote d’Azur that will fill you with positive energy, good food, and… lots of lemons! Whether you want to explore a picturesque old town, relax on a beach, admire breathtaking views, eat tasty food, or take part in a unique Lemon Festival – you’ll find it all in Menton.
To be honest, Menton isn’t the best place to explore the whole eastern French Riviera. But it’s a good place to stay if the area more or less up to Antibes will be ok for you and you also fancy exploring the Italian Riviera.
In Menton you can just hop on a train and you’ll easily get to most places in the area, both in France and Italy.
Learn more: What To Do In Menton, France?
Explore local attractions
Saint Tropez
Saint Tropez is one of the most emblematic towns in Cote d’Azur made famous by movies with Brigitte Bardot. Once a small fishing village, now a world-renowned travel destination loved by celebrities and tourists alike. The pastel-colored old town, luxurious yachts, iconic beaches, coastal walks, striking views, fancy shopping, vivid nightlife… Saint Tropez perfectly blends luxury, natural beauty, and old-world charm.
If you’re looking for a more luxurious place to stay in French Riviera with great beaches, you should definitely consider Saint Tropez. Cons? There aren’t many towns to discover nearby and there is no train station in the town.
Saint Tropez will also do if you want to explore the two biggest cities on the coast, Nice and Marseille, in one go – it’s located practically halfway between them.
Learn more: 10+ Things To Do In St Tropez, France
Grasse
Grasse is an interesting town in the South of France where everything revolves around scents and perfumes. World-renowned perfumeries, perfume museums, perfume-making workshops, flower fields, streets dotted with shops selling… perfumes. It’s not without reason that Grasse is widely known as the perfume capital of the world! Add to that mixture a charming old town and great views of the surroundings and you’ll get a perfect blend.
Grasse is located inland and will be a good place to stay on Cote d’Azur if you want to explore many medieval villages – there are a lot of them around the town! To many of them you’ll be able to get from Grasse by bus, but renting a car will be a more convenient option.
There’s also a train station in Grasse from which you’ll quickly get to nearby coastal towns like Antibes, Cannes or Nice.
Learn more: 10+ Things To Do In Grasse, The Perfume Capital Of The World
Cagnes-sur-Mer
Cagnes-sur-Mer is a peaceful village located just a few steps from Nice but even despite that fact it didn’t become popular among travelers. Cagnes is split into two parts – the inland village of Haut-de-Cagnes and the seaside area of Cros-de-Cagnes. Lovely (but pebbly) beaches, picturesque alleys of hilltop village, and amazing views await you in Cagnes-sur-Mer.
Cagnes seaside area is a great place if you’re looking for a great holiday spot where you can spend some relaxing time on the beaches, away from huge crowds. But thanks to its great location you’ll be only just a few minutes away from many attractions in Nice.
If you get bored of lying on the beach and feel like exploring the Cote d’Azur, you’ll be glad to know that there’s also a train/bus station in Cagnes-sur-Mer, located somewhere between the seaside area and the old village. From there you’ll easily get to many towns and villages nearby.
Learn more: Cagnes-sur-Mer, France – Delightful Village Near Nice
Saint Raphael
Saint Raphael is one of the most popular holiday destinations on the French Riviera that attracts thousands of holidaymakers each year. In its coastal area you’ll find magnificent beaches, coastal trails, as well as the old town with some historic monuments and charming streets. Bonus? Beaches are mostly sandy! There’s also Massif de l’Esterel mountain range where you’ll be able to get active while admiring magnificent views from above.
Saint Raphael is a great place to stay in French Riviera if you’re looking for an amazing holiday spot with magnificent, mostly sandy, beaches. It’s a popular area, yet it’s not as crowded as Nice.
Possible cons? There’s not much to do in its closest surroundings. But there is a train station from where you’ll easily get to towns like Cannes, Antibes or Nice. You can also hop on the bus and go to iconic Saint Tropez or Port Grimaud.
Learn more: 10+ Things To Do In Saint-Raphael, France
Medieval villages in French Riviera
- 10 Things To Do In Medieval Village Of Eze, France
- Things To Do In Mougins Village In France, The Death Place of Picasso
- Saint Paul de Vence, France - Things To Do In Artist's Village
- Sainte-Agnes, France - Things To Do In Highest Coastal Village In Europe
- Gourdon, France - Things To Do In Medieval Village On Cote d’Azur
- 15 Medieval Villages On Cote d’Azur, France
Best places to stay in French Riviera – Near Marseille
If you want to discover the western part of Riviera, Marseille and its surroundings, we’d recommend staying in towns like Cassis, La Ciotat, Toulon, or Sanary-sur Mer. All are fairly small yet very pretty, and located in great spots a stone’s throw from Marseille. In all of them, you’ll also find amazing beaches, ports and charming old towns.
Many places in the western part of the French Riviera are connected by trains but it looks like this area isn’t the best to travel by train. Sure, it’s doable but a car is recommended.
More details about each place coming soon.
Best places to stay in French Riviera – Summing up & our opinion
As you can see now, there are so many beautiful places in the area that will make for your great holiday base. We hope this post was helpful, and now you’re one step closer to choosing great places to stay in French Riviera, best suited to your needs. Enjoy the time!
As we’ve already mentioned at the beginning, so far we’ve spent over 1 year on Cote d’Azur living in various places near Nice and Marseille. The whole region quickly became our favorite in France and it just keeps drawing us back…
Based on our experience, we would choose:
- Cagnes-sur-Mer for typical beach holidays,
- Antibes to explore the eastern part of the French Riviera,
- Sanary-sur-Mer to explore the western part of the French Riviera,
- Saint Paul de Vence to experience medieval life for a bit.
Book now: The Best of the French Riviera Small group Guided Tour from Nice
