One Week on the French Riviera: A 7-Day Itinerary

A week is the ideal length for the French Riviera. It gives you time to see the big names, and also to swim, sit on a terrace and do very little. This plan assumes you stay in one place, because changing hotels eats up time and the coast is compact. Nice is the obvious base: it has the airport, the largest choice of hotels and direct trains in both directions.

Before you go: transport basics

From the airport. Tram line 2 runs from Nice airport to the city center in under 30 minutes, with a tram every 7 to 8 minutes on weekdays, according to the airport. It lists an Aéro return ticket at €10.

The train. TER regional trains follow the coast, and they're the backbone of this itinerary. Average times from Nice, drawn from SNCF schedules, are about 5 minutes to Villefranche-sur-Mer, 20 to 25 minutes to Antibes, 35 to 40 minutes to Cannes and 40 to 50 minutes to Menton. Monaco is about 20 minutes away. Check the SNCF Connect or ZOU! app for your date, because engineering work and strikes do happen.

The pass. The Sud Azur Explore pass gives unlimited travel on the trains, trams and buses of the Alpes-Maritimes and Monaco. ZOU! lists 7 days at €50 for adults and €40 for under-18s traveling with an adult, or 3 days at €35 and €30. An anonymous card requires a refundable €2 deposit at Lignes d'Azur machines. If you follow this whole plan, it's worth comparing with single tickets. Our guide to getting around Nice and the Riviera has more detail.

Day 1: Nice

Keep your first day simple and stay on foot. Start with the market on the Cours Saleya and the lanes of Old Nice, then climb Castle Hill for the view of the Baie des Anges. The park is free and opens at 8:30am. In the afternoon, walk the Promenade du Paillon and the Promenade des Anglais, and have your first swim. Our one-day Nice itinerary has the hour-by-hour version, and Nice's beaches explains the public and private options.

If you'd rather see art, go up to Cimiez for the Matisse Museum, which is closed on Tuesdays and open from 10am to 6pm between April and October. Admission is €10, and under-18s get in free.

Day 2: Villefranche-sur-Mer and Cap Ferrat

Take the train for the short hop to Villefranche, one of the prettiest bays on the coast. Wander the old town and the Rue Obscure, see the Citadelle Saint-Elme, then step into the small chapel decorated by Jean Cocteau. Our Villefranche guide covers it all.

After lunch, continue to Cap Ferrat. Lignes d'Azur bus 15 runs from Nice toward the Port de Saint-Jean terminus. You can also take the train to Beaulieu-sur-Mer and pick up the same bus there. Choose between the gardens of the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and the walk around Cap Ferrat. Doing both is possible, but it's a lot in one day.

Day 3: Monaco and Èze

Take the train to Monaco in the morning. Visit the Rock, the Prince's Palace area and the Oceanographic Museum, which suggests allowing about 2 hours. The museum closes on the Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend, and Monaco gets very busy around that time, so check your dates.

On the way back, ride the ZOU! line 602 bus, which links Monaco, Èze Village and Nice Vauban, and stop off in the perched village. Its schedule changes by season, so look it up in advance and allow for full buses in summer. Wear real shoes: Èze is all steep steps and cobblestones.

Day 4: Antibes

The train gets you to Antibes in about 20 to 25 minutes, and the station is a short walk from the old town. Walk the ramparts, see the Picasso Museum in the Château Grimaldi (closed on Mondays) and browse the Provençal market, as described in our guide to Old Antibes.

This is the first good kayak day. Our Cap d'Antibes tour leaves from Plage du Crouton at 10am or 4pm and lasts 4 hours, so pick the morning tour and see the old town afterward, or the reverse. If you'd rather stay on land, the Cap d'Antibes coastal path is the classic walk. It can close in rough weather, so check before you go.

Day 5: Cannes and the Lérins Islands

Allow 35 to 40 minutes on the train. Do the Forville market, Le Suquet and La Croisette in the morning, following our one-day Cannes itinerary. In the afternoon, take a boat from the Old Port to Île Sainte-Marguerite to see the Fort Royal and its forest paths. Note the time of the last boat back when you buy your ticket. Our guide on getting to the Lérins Islands explains which company goes where.

The alternative is to swap the ferry for the Lérins Islands kayak tour, which leaves from the Palm Beach public parking lot and includes a visit to the Fort Royal. Make it a morning tour and see old Cannes afterward.

Day 6: The Esterel

Today you swap town for red rock. The coastal line continues west past Cannes to Théoule-sur-Mer, and the Théoule tourist site lists it as a stop on the Nice to Les Arcs line. Check the timing, since it's one of the longest train rides of the week and not every train stops there.

You can walk out to the Pointe de l'Aiguille and swim, following our Théoule-sur-Mer guide, or hike, using our list of Esterel hikes. You can also see the rocks from the water on our Esterel kayak tour. The exact meeting point is sent before the outing, so check your train against it.

Day 7: Your choice

Keep the last day flexible. It's also your spare day if the weather or a train strike upsets your plans.

• Menton: the end of the line before Italy, about 40 to 50 minutes by train.
• Saint-Paul-de-Vence: take the train west to Cagnes-sur-Mer, then ZOU! line 655 toward Vence, which stops at Saint-Paul. Check the current schedule on the ZOU! site.
• A Beaulieu-sur-Mer kayak tour: the Beaulieu tour is the gentlest of our four routes, and it's close to Nice. The exact meeting point is sent before the outing.
• A real beach day: you've earned it.

How to adapt this itinerary

With kids. Slow it down, and use our guide to the French Riviera with kids.

Summer crowds. In July and August, start early, plan sightseeing for the morning and swim in the late afternoon.

One kayak day or two? One tour is plenty for most people, and our kayak tour comparison can help you choose. Book it for early in the week, so that you have spare days if the sea is too rough.

Staying in Cannes or Antibes. The plan still works, you'll just reverse the train trips. Staying further west makes Monaco and Menton a longer ride.

Kayaking with Azurkay

To add a day on the water to your week, each of our four routes fits this itinerary: Cap d'Antibes on day 4, the Lérins Islands on day 5, the Esterel on day 6 and Beaulieu-sur-Mer on day 7. Tours last 4 hours in groups of up to 16, led by a state-certified instructor, at €75 per adult and €65 per child up to age 13.