4 Days Exploring the French Riviera from Nice: Your Ultimate Guide

The French Riviera, on the South Coast of France, is a great place for a sunny holiday. There are beautiful towns and villages, as well as stunning coastal scenery. Here’s my guide to 4 days exploring the French Riviera from Nice.

How to get to and around the French Riviera from Nice

Nice, in the South of France, is easy to get to from many countries. This makes Nice a great base for 4 days exploring the French Riviera from Nice. Nice has a large airport with frequent direct flights from all over Europe. Arriving by plane is really fun, because the airport in Nice is built over the sea. So when you’re coming in to land on the plane, it looks like you’re about to land on the sea! Arriving in Nice by plane is quick and easy, so a great choice for a weekend break.

Nice also has excellent train connections with other destinations in France, and also across to Italy. If you’re visiting Nice as part of a trip around France, for example from Paris or Bordeaux, it might be better to travel by train rather than fly. You can see more of the beautiful countryside when you travel by train, and it can be almost as quick, if not quicker, once you factor in the time it takes to get to an airport and through security.

Getting around the French Riviera is fairly easy by train as well. There are frequent trains that run along the coast. So getting to other towns and villages along the coast is easy.

If you’d like to explore some of the more remote villages in this part of France, or travel more inland to the gorges and edge of the Alps, it’s best to have a car. The public transport here isn’t as frequent or reliable, so you’d be very restricted trying to explore these areas by public transport. Hiring a car will be best here. Or, if you’d rather not drive yourself, you can look for a small group day tours.

When to visit and top things to pack for a trip to the French Riviera

The French Riviera can get very hot in the summer months, especially in July and August. At this time of year, you’ll need plenty of sun cream, sun hat and sunglasses. You’ll probably also want to bring a beach towel and swimming things, so you can cool off in the sea. If you’re looking to spend a lot of your time sunbathing or relaxing on the beach, the summer months can be a good time to visit. However, this can also be the busiest time in the area, so be prepared for lots of people.

Spring and autumn are my favourite times to visit the French Riviera. I visited in mid May, and the weather was perfect – sunny and 20 degrees each day. I felt like this was great weather to be out exploring. However, the sea is still a bit cool at this time of year for swimming. I was still wearing shorts and t-shirt every day at this time of year, with just a light cardigan or jacket for the evenings.

The winter months, from November to February, are the quietest months in the French Riviera. There won’t be many crowds at this time, so you’ll have more space to yourself. However, the weather will be the least warm and the most rainy. You might be lucky and still get some sunny days, but it’s very unlikely to be warm enough to sit on the beach or sit outside for dinner in the evening. If you’re visiting at this time of the year, you’ll definitely need a waterproof coat and warmer jacket.