Beyond Paris: A Lazy Traveler’s Guide to the Seaside Towns of Côte d’Azur

Whenever someone finds out you’ve been to France, the first question is always “did you go to Paris?” — as if the Eiffel Tower is the only proof of entry stamped into your passport. Meanwhile, an entire coastline of pastel towns, blue lounge chairs, and questionable Michelin-starred lunches is sitting there in the south, mostly ignored by people who think “France” ends at the Louvre.

I fell for the French Riviera long before I ever set foot there — blame my mom and a rerun of To Catch a Thief on TV, all glamorous coastal heists and yachts I will never own. I finally made the pilgrimage on my first solo-ish trip to continental Europe back in 2014, and I’ve been going back ever since, because apparently one visit wasn’t enough to recover from the lemon gelato.

So, Where Exactly Is Côte d’Azur?

Officially, nowhere — there’s no government-stamped boundary. Unofficially, it’s the Mediterranean coastline of southeast France, generally agreed to stretch from Saint-Tropez in the west to Menton at the Italian border in the east, all sitting inside the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region. Wedged into the middle of it, surrounded by France on three sides and the sea on the fourth, is the tiny, absurdly wealthy Principality of Monaco — not French, but definitely riding the same coastline glow-up.

Beyond the yachts-and-boutiques reputation, the Riviera also has genuine Romanesque and medieval bones, real art history, and decent wine. Spring and summer are peak “look how alive this place is” season, but winter here is mild enough that it beats grey Paris any day.

How to Actually Get There

Flying In: Nice Is Your Gateway

If you’re coming from outside France, Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) is the move — it’s the third-largest airport in France and the main international entry point to the whole Riviera. It’s genuinely well-connected: on average there are well over 200 flights a day to more than 130 destinations across close to 50 countries, run by 60-plus airlines, so unless you’re flying in from South America or most of Asia, there’s a decent chance a direct route exists.

From within Europe, easyJet and Air France dominate the schedule, and you’ll find direct flights from major hubs like London and Geneva, plus seasonal links to Scandinavia and Switzerland. If you’re coming from further afield, there are seasonal intercontinental routes too — Delta flies seasonally from Atlanta, Boston and New York (JFK), United from Washington Dulles, American from Philadelphia, and Air Canada and Air Transat from Montreal. Just note the word seasonal — these routes tend to run in the warmer months, so double-check before you book your December escape.

The airport itself sits right on the coast, about a 20–30 minute tram or taxi ride from central Nice, which means you can genuinely go from tarmac to Promenade des Anglais before your jet lag even kicks in.

Coming from Paris? Take the Train

If you’re already in France — say, you did the obligatory Eiffel Tower stop first — skip the domestic flight and take the TGV instead. High-speed trains run directly from Paris Gare de Lyon to Nice-Ville, and on the fastest services you’re looking at around 5 hours 40 minutes, covering roughly 690 km down through the Rhône Valley, past Avignon and Marseille, and along the Mediterranean coast for the final stretch. It’s genuinely one of the more scenic long-distance train rides in Europe — bring a book, or just stare out the window and let the view do the entertaining.

There are multiple direct departures a day (SNCF’s TGV inOui and the budget-friendly OUIGO both run the route), with fares starting surprisingly low if you book ahead. There’s also an overnight Intercités train from Paris Austerlitz if you like the idea of falling asleep in the capital and waking up to breakfast by the Med. All told, factoring in getting to and from airports, the train can end up just as fast as flying domestically — with a lot less standing in security lines.

Where to Base Yourself

For a first Riviera trip, base yourself in Nice. Spend 2–3 days there, then use it as a launchpad for day trips along the coast — the regional train line runs frequently and makes almost every town below reachable without ever checking out of your hotel.

Suggested 2–3 Day Itinerary from Nice:

• Day 1 — Monaco & Menton: Monte Carlo Casino and the marina full of yachts you’ll never afford, then the pastel calm of Menton near the Italian border.
• Day 2 — Villefranche-sur-Mer & Èze: A postcard harbor in the morning, a clifftop medieval village with sweeping sea views in the afternoon.
• Day 3 — Antibes or Cannes: Old-town history, or red-carpet glamour along La Croisette — pick your mood.

Getting Between Towns

The regional TER train is your best friend here, linking Nice, Monaco, Menton, Antibes, and Cannes with journeys usually clocking in at 10–30 minutes, and running right along the coastline for extra scenic value. Buses fill in the gaps trains can’t reach — Èze’s hilltop perch, for one — but for anything on the rail line, the train wins on speed and convenience every time.

The Seaside Towns you need to visit

Nice

Nice is the Riviera’s laid-back big sister — France’s 7th-largest city, but with none of Paris’s attitude. Spend your days wandering Vieux Nice’s Baroque churches and flower markets at Cours Saleya, climbing Castle Hill for the best skyline view around, and parking yourself on the pebbled beach with an iconic blue lounge chair (bring beach shoes — those pebbles are no joke). The Promenade des Anglais, a 7-km seafront stretch built for 19th-century English aristocrats on holiday, is still the city’s headline act.

Villefranche-Sur-Mer

A five-minute train ride from Nice, this one’s a sleepy fishing village that somehow ended up starring in To Catch a Thiefand hosting a Rolling Stones album recording. Wander the cascading Old Town, swim at Plage des Marinières, duck into the eerie 13th-century Rue Obscure tunnel, and pop by the citadel’s free museums. It’s compact enough to “do” in half a day and charming enough that you won’t want to.

Eze Village

Perched on a rocky hilltop like a medieval eagle’s nest, Èze is equal parts cobblestone maze and Instagram bait. Wander the tiny lanes, tour a perfumery (Galimard or Fragonard, both free and fragrant), and climb to the Jardin Exotique for the single best panoramic view on the whole coast. If your knees are feeling brave, hike down the Nietzsche Path — yes, that Nietzsche, who apparently did his best philosophizing on this exact trail. We skipped that track and opt for the lazy way on taking the Bus. It was a cruel summer when we came, period.

Saint-Paul-de-Vence

The art-world darling of the Riviera since the 1920s, when a wave of impressionist painters decided this hilltop village was worth immortalizing. Walk the 16th-century ramparts, visit Marc Chagall’s grave in the cemetery, and browse more galleries per square meter than seems statistically reasonable. It’s a wander-and-get-lost kind of place, not a checklist kind of place.

Cannes

Once a humble fishing village, now the Riviera’s most expensive flex — especially every May, when the Film Festival turns La Croisette into a red-carpet circus. Even off-season, it’s worth strolling the boulevard’s designer boutiques, checking out the yachts at Vieux Port, and climbing into Le Suquet, the old town, for a break from all that glitz. Shop where the locals actually shop — Rue d’Antibes, one street back from the fancy stuff.

Menton

My most favorite town and also the most Italian-feeling town in France, thanks to its spot right on the border — think lemon gardens, terracotta roofs, and noticeably better prices than its glitzy neighbor Monaco. Don’t miss the Basilique Saint-Michel-Archange towering over the old town, or the Jean Cocteau Museum at Le Bastion — long closed after 2018 flood damage, it’s since reopened with a rotating collection of Cocteau’s work in its 17th-century fortress setting, so tick that back onto your list.

Monaco

The world’s second-smallest country, crammed with more millionaires per square foot than seems physically possible. See the Prince’s Palace, gawk at the Monte Carlo Casino, wander Port Hercules, and enjoy feeling slightly underdressed the entire time. It’s tiny enough to see in a day, and secure enough that you’ll spot more security cameras than actual crimes.

I’ve been twice, and it took me a full visit to actually get it. The first time, grey skies and rain made the whole place feel oddly flat — turns out Monaco needs sunshine the way influencers need good lighting. The second visit changed everything: the view from the top of the botanical garden (don’t skip it) is genuinely one of the best on the coast, and the Oceanographic Museum turned out to be a surprise hit with the kids, who I fully expected to be bored within ten minutes.

Closing Thoughts

The magic of the Côte d’Azur is that no two towns feel alike, yet they’re all stitched together by the same impossibly blue Mediterranean. Some stops are glamorous, some are sleepy, all of them are worth the short train ride. Whether you park yourself in Nice and day-trip your way along the coast or slow-travel from town to town, the Riviera has one real skill: making you forget you ever had anywhere else to be.