South of France by car

The south of France by car is the best option for holidays on the Côte d'Azur

Several regions can be highlighted:

•     Menton - Monaco - Nice - Villeneuve-Loubet
•     Antibes - Cannes - Saint-Tropez
•     Toulon - La Ciotat - Cassis - Marseille

Villeneuve is a small town in France with a number of advantages

•     Convenient location for exploring the region of Nice and Provence in general by car
•     Proximity to a train station for train travel.
•     A huge supermarket near the port.
•     Cheap first line prices
•     Great beaches

The promenade is set up so that you can walk the entire Côte d'Azur along the water - there's plenty of room to walk) There's certainly not much of a need for that. Villeneuve Loubet was used purely for the night, as there is nothing to see. Walking along the port and beaches for once, though for a couple of hours)

Mentona resort town of France is a worthy alternative to Nice

•     In the area of the lighthouse is a beautiful old town.
•     The beaches are clean and beautiful stretching along the promenade.
•     Promenade length of about 3 km - from the old town to Cape Martin.
•     The views are very nice - close to the mountains! And the city seems cozy, in contrast to Nice, which as "sprawled out on the coast" with no end in sight...

In Villeneuve-Loubet we took the train to Menton station. We walked to the lighthouse and then walked back to Cap Martin. Then followed the Corbusier Trail all the way to Monaco, licking over fences. In Monaco we took the train back to Villeneuve-Loubet. This itinerary is not to be repeated!

Mentona is ideal for a full holiday for a week, second week... You can safely go here for a beach holiday and from here you can drive around Provence.

Monaco is a city that looks different to everyone

The "expectation-reality" photo shows the same city - country - the Principality of Monaco. If you arrive by car and drive around the city, you see only construction and traffic jams... If you walk around Monaco on foot, after 10-15 minutes you'll look as there get out) In Monaco it is necessary to go only on a yacht, well, or with the purpose of buying a yacht) Being an ordinary tourist traveler can safely bypass this country to better times! You can go except to admire the local views of the city from the observation deck of the ancient theater. On the map below you can find the parking lot, right on the pier. In the season it is reckless to count on places there, we were in January, then places were "a la he drove out, I drove in". Up to the observation deck you have to climb the steps like the road to the fortress, the landmark is "Fort Antoine Theatre".

Nice - the pearl of the French Cote d'Azur - is it so?

It's the way everyone writes in the reviews on the Internet) In fact, it turned out to be an ordinary city along the water. The beach strip is wide and long, the water is azure, there is a promenade along the water - everything is there... But the city seems not cozy. Nice is "sprawling" along the whole promenade, the mountains are somewhere far away, from which the views are not good enough. And the azure of the water in Menton is no worse! And about the number of people and cars can be silent and so understandable - as in a "market day") Enough to have a couple of hours to walk around the old town.

The cities of Menton and Antibes turned out to be much more interesting than Nice!

Antibes is the pearl of the south of France

The city is divided into a port area with boats in the bay, Fort Carré and a relax zone with beaches and a promenade through the old town and the fortress.

Fort Carré is reached by road to the very top. In the summer season of course it will be packed, but in early October the parking lot was empty and there were no cars. There is a fee to enter at the top, but the views start early) Around the fort you can walk around the trails on foot - a nice walk it turns out. You can come to the port, park in the free parking lot, walk around the port walking toward the fort and around it, climbing to the top from the road to Villeneuve Loubet.

Beyond the port towards Cannes begins the most beautiful part of Antibes. First it's the old town with cute streets and cafes, moving seamlessly into a couple of small beaches. And of course the promenade, which is a walking trail through the town along the azure waters! To call this town a beach town does not really work, because of the small number of places. But how beautiful it is here! The panorama from the end of the second beach is really nice - all over Antibes and the old town as well. You can go here for a week for sure, especially during the velvet season!

An attraction of Antibes is the hiking trail Le Sentier du Littoral, Cap d'Antibes

In fact, the trail is rather monotonous and boring. The parking lot can be said to be large, but it is one and not endless. In January, it is possible to drive in if someone is out. Travel time on the circular trail is about 1.5 hours. We enter the trailhead near the parking lot, walk clockwise along the cape, emerge on a paved road and return to the parking lot. You don't need to come here on purpose! Parking on the map is indicated by a rectangle, as the entire street is the parking lot. In other places there is physically no place or it is impossible to park.

We read the reviews on the Internet, and drove along the waterfront from Antibes to St. Tropez. It was a nice walk, but very tiring. And all because there were no beautiful places that we would have liked to see. We drove along the Croisette in Cannes, came out for a walk in one area and then drove on. Cannes is a big resort town, no coziness, no beautiful views. The rest of the cities we passed were beach type, we didn't even want to stop. If you want beaches, in the south of France, there is clearly somewhere to relax) Expect at least from Saint-Tropez something). In the end, St. Tropez is a "hopper", teeming with people, even out of season (early October). It is also a big port and the old town. Going here on purpose is not worth it! Only if you're passing through, you can stop by for a couple of hours for a walk through the town.

The Gorges du Verdon is an unmissable landmark in Provence

You can get here either from the Nice region or from Saint Tropez. The drive is the same distance. The whole trip takes 1 day or more, depending on the number of routes you choose to ride. You can stay overnight near the canyon. In the season there will be a lot of options for accommodation - hotels, campgrounds. In the winter we had to work hard to find lodging near the area. We were driving from Nice. We went the whole brown and red route. Overnight in the village Siyan la Cascade.

Cannes - beach and promenade, promoted, but not interesting in fact

We came here for the second time in winter. We strolled along the promenade and went up to the local attraction "Museum of Castres" - an ancient tower with panoramic views. And again we can say: there is nothing to do and nothing to see))) Parking right on the waterfront, listed on the map below.

St. Tropez - old town and promenade

In fact, the town is beautiful, but very small. There is nothing to do here more than half a day. The whole walk along the coast and to the lighthouse is 1 hour at most. The citadel above the old town is the biggest attraction) You can also walk around it. Along the coast to the right of the citadel there is a 15 km long path that goes through villas and beaches. There is nothing particularly interesting, but from nothing to do you can take a walk. There is a small panorama from the Citadel to the old town of Saint Tropez. The old town is great - nice cozy streets and houses with brand stores)

Toulon is a huge city in the south of France with the main attraction, Mont Faron

We did not go to the city itself. But to visit the observation points on Mount Faron is a must! The ascent is possible by chairlift (at the beginning of October, it no longer worked) and by car. Serpentine road to Mont Faron - it is a pleasure. Views are gorgeous, around the fragrant pine greenery and the main thing is one-way traffic! Climbing and descending to the mountain Faron is organized as a one-way traffic, in contrast to, for example, Mount Lovcen in Montenegro or Biokovo in Croatia. There you drive and all the time you miss the oncoming cars...

La Ciotat and Cassis are a couple known for the gorgeous serpentine view that connects them

Both towns are not large. Cassis is more attractive for a number of reasons. The La Ciota - Cassis road is a real attraction in the region! The navigator will not show it, but will suggest you the route. Even if you are passing through these places, be sure to stop at this serpentine. Road wide enough for the serpentine and very few cars) But the views here at every turn!

•     La Ciotat - a beach town, which you can skip.
•     Cassis is a tourist town where you can stay for a couple of days. You can walk around the town and take a boat trip along the Cassis-Marseille calanques.

Cassis is a beautiful town in France

There is a beautiful old town, the promenade and of course the calanques of Cassis/Marseille. On the map below is the point from where you have a beautiful view of the lighthouse and the whole promenade of the city. On the right is an excellent and very cozy beach, but small for the season))) You can reach the lookout point only by road, just as soon as the promenade ends on the promenade.

Marseille is a huge city, the main attraction is the Basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde

The peculiarity of this basilica is its location, it offers a view of the whole of Marseille. A must-visit. Drove through the port of Marseille, there was no desire to get out... The flow of people and cars, traffic jams...not suitable for walks at all.

South of France - a great combination of beach and tourist holidays, especially if you travel by car. The main thing is to choose the right city for your goals. Going to Marseille or Toulon for the beach is stupid, as well as looking for attractions in Villeneuve Loubet)