French Riviera, France

Experiences in and around the French Riviera, France, as curated by Your DTS Bestie.

Highlights

Passable Beach Club, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat

This was my favourite beach club in the French Riviera! While Passable Beach Club has a pebble beach, it offers scenic views of the Bay of Villefranche that are reminiscent of small towns on the Italian coast.

This beach club offered excellent service and food and the sunbeds were more affordable than beach clubs in Nice and Cannes. They also accept reservations.

Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat

A beautiful soft pink villa boasting romantic architecture, unparalleled views of the sea, fountains that offer a watershow and gardens you can wander in for hours.

Check out my TikTok featuring the villa here!

Bocca Mar, Nice

This elegant beach club is a must-visit in Nice. Bocca Mar offers excellent service and food, so the only downside is the pebbled beach. They also accept reservations.

PSA: We only experienced sandy beaches in Cannes!

Where to Stay

Nice

I recommend using Nice as a “home base” for travel throughout the French Riviera reason. Nice is a bustling city with good connections to all the neighboring towns, an airport and much more affordable accommodations than surrounding cities such as Cannes.

Where to Eat

Lunch at Le Café du Jardin, Èze

This restaurant, situated in the famed La Chèvre d’Or hotel, is an oasis in the sky. We took in scenic views of the Mediterranean Sea as we walked through the hotels magical gardens (complete with statues and stone benches) before we got seated.

Once seated, you can enjoy views of the water from one of the highest points in the town of Èze. Reservations are required.

Lunch at La Pinède, Cap d’Ail

We actually stumbled across this restaurant as we were exploring the beach by the Cap d’Ail train station.

This restaurant has lovely views of the water and an excellent cheese board. While we walked in during the afternoon, the restaurant is pretty booked in the evenings, so I suggest making a reservation.

Check out my TikTok featuring this restaurant here!

Dinner at La Voglia, Nice

Everything we ate at this restaurant was heavenly!

I had the best lasagna of my life here (pictured) and the portion sizes were huge. We shared both the lasagna and pizza and still had leftovers!

There was a very long line when we got to La Voglia (it is walk-in only unless you’re having an event), but the line moved pretty quickly and the food was worth the wait.

Travel Tips

What to bring for day trips:
- Portable fan: it’s really hot and so many places do not have air conditioning.
- Water bottles: it’s Europe, so you will have to pay for water everywhere, but there will also be times while you are travelling that you’ll get thirsty and there won’t be a shop or restaurant nearby
- Swimsuit: there are so many places to take a dip, so bring a swimsuit to stay ready!
Lignes Cotes d’Azur Pass: This pass will let you take trains throughout the French Riviera region. You have to tap (“validate”) your trip for every ride. (The fine is 40 euros and they check very often, so it’s important not to forget. An unlucky couple forgot to tap while trying to get on the bus with two small children and they were fined). The Lignes Cotes d’Azur pass will also let you take the train to Monaco (but not use transport in Monaco). We paid 50 euros/per person for a week-long pass (as of 2024).
Make reservations: Restaurants and beach clubs will get booked quite quickly, so I would make reservations just to play it safe.