Hi fellow travellers! My name is Samantha Cormier and I am from West Virginia. Welcome to my short travel guide on the beautiful French Riviera – one of the most stunning regions not only in France but the entire world.
I grew up in a town of about 4,000 people that not many people ever leave or even want to leave – which is okay! It just wasn’t for me. I knew there was a big wide world out there and I wanted to explore it. So a few years ago I got married and my husband and I decided to teach English in Japan.
We lived there for a year and then did another nearly three years in South Korea teaching as well. We have continued to make traveling a priority in the last ten years. I am always honing my photography skills along the way!
Four Days on the French Riviera
France holds a special place in our hearts. My husband’s first language is French. So on our first visit we realized that we could travel the country unencumbered by a language barrier. That opened up a place to immerse deeper in the culture and make authentic connections with locals.
We have come to truly adore France over the years and the French Riviera is so glamorous and wonderful. On our first visit there we went on a road trip and on our most recent visit we made a special planned trip to go back.
It was a short and sweet four day vacation in the French Riviera. Travel isn’t our full time job and therefore we like to take quick trips. We stayed in Nice and explored from there. One of the best experiences was renting a boat and having a captain take us out on a day trip in the Mediterranean.
While out on the Mediterranean with our boat rental, our captain (who was fantastic) took us to Billionaire’s Bay and we boated around all the mega yachts. My head was spinning at the sheer size of these things.
We got super lucky and got to cruise right up close to the world’s biggest yacht at that time (I think another has surpassed it now) which happened to be there at the same time of year we were. I nearly died. It was so cool!
Favorite Place on the French Riviera: Saint-Paul-de-Vence
My favorite place on the French Riviera is Saint-Paul-de-Vence. I have a thing for wandering around villages and this one hit the mark. I love roaming the streets and imagining what life was like 500 years ago. Knowing that architecturally it hasn’t changed much blows my mind!
Things To Do on the French Riviera
My must-do things on the French Riviera start with hiring a boat. It was affordable at $170 for the day with a captain from Cannes through a company called Click & Boat. I also recommend hitting up the small hill villages in the area. There are so many villages to choose from.
They are wonderful places to get lost in the cobblestone alleys and buy local goods. You can’t skip the beaches too – but bring some water shoes! Those rocks will kill your feet. Another must-do is grabbing a glass of rose and appetizers in central Nice. I love people-watching in places like that.
Need to Know Before you Go
What you should know is that most of the beaches are rocky on the French Riviera. Also, the traffic can get bad. So just keep that in mind if you are hiring a car. I recommend hiring a car so you can explore the surrounding villages – especially those higher up in the hills with epic views.
We stayed in nice Airbnb’s and I would recommend that for your trip as well. Especially at places higher up in the hills rather than directly on the beach level. The views are just so much better from up there. Thanks for reading and enjoy your vacation on the beautiful French Riviera.
