Best Things to Do on the French Riviera (2026 Guide)

The French Riviera has attracted artists, aristocrats, and celebrities for 150 years — Matisse and Picasso both lived and worked here, and their legacy is embedded in the region’s museums. The best things to do on the French Riviera start in Nice: a walk along the Promenade des Anglais (7 kilometres of seafront promenade), a socca crepe in the Old Town’s Cours Saleya market, and the Matisse Museum in the Cimiez hills above the city. From Nice, day trips run to Monaco (30 minutes by train: Casino de Monte Carlo, Prince’s Palace, and the Oceanographic Museum), Eze village (a medieval perched village with panoramic Riviera views), Antibes (Picasso Museum in the Grimaldi Castle), and Cannes (La Croisette promenade, a day on the Iles de Lerins). The three Corniche roads from Nice to Monaco offer some of Europe’s most dramatic coastal driving.

Best time to visit

May-June and September-October are the Riviera’s sweet spots: reliably warm (22-25°C), sea-swimmable, and without July-August’s extreme crowds and prices. The Cannes Film Festival (May) is a spectacle even without invitations — the red carpet screenings are ticketed but the Palais steps and La Croisette are public. July-August is hot, expensive, and crowded; St-Tropez is almost impassable. The Monaco Grand Prix (late May) fills every hotel within 30km and requires booking a year ahead. Winter on the Riviera (December-March) is mild (12-15°C) and very quiet; Nice has the best winter climate of any major French city.

Getting around

Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport is the second-busiest in France. The train line from Nice to Ventimiglia (Italy) stops at every Riviera town: Monaco (30 minutes), Eze (20 minutes), Villefranche (10 minutes), Antibes (30 minutes), Cannes (40 minutes), Menton (40 minutes). The No. 100 bus from Nice to Monaco is famous for its clifftop Corniche route and costs only €1.50. Driving the three Cornickes (Basse, Moyenne, Grande) is a bucket list experience but parking is difficult in most Riviera towns. Ferries to the Iles de Lerins (Cannes) and St-Tropez (summer only, from Nice and Cannes) are scenic alternatives.

What to eat and drink

Nice has its own cuisine distinct from the rest of France, with strong Ligúrian (Italian) influences: socca (chickpea flour crepe, eaten hot from a wood-fired pan), salade niçoise (the original version uses canned tuna, hard-boiled eggs, olives, and green beans — never cooked potatoes or grilled fresh tuna), pissaladière (onion tart with anchovies and olives), and pan bagnat (the socca sandwich of Nice). The Bellet wine appellation makes wine in the hills above Nice using grape varieties found nowhere else in France (Rolle, Braquet). Monaco has Michelin-starred restaurants but Nioise market-hall eating is more memorable.

Cities & villages to explore

Nice — The Riviera capital: Old Town (Vieux-Nice) with its Baroque churches and market, the Matisse Museum, the Chagall Museum, and the Promenade des Anglais. The most liveable and authentic of the Riviera cities.

Monaco — The world’s second-smallest country: Casino de Monte Carlo, the Prince’s Palace (Changing of the Guard at 11:55am daily), Oceanographic Museum (founded by Prince Albert I), and the Formula 1 circuit.

Cannes — La Croisette promenade, the Palais des Festivals (Film Festival venue), and ferry access to the Iles de Lerins (Sainte-Marguerite island, where the Man in the Iron Mask was imprisoned).

Antibes & Juan-les-Pins — The best-preserved old town on the Riviera, with the Picasso Museum and the Cap d’Antibes peninsula (Villa Eilenroc gardens, Garoupe lighthouse).

Eze — A medieval perched village 400 metres above the sea, accessible by the Moyenne Corniche road or a 45-minute coastal hike from Eze-sur-Mer train station. The cacti garden at the castle ruins has panoramic views.