Beginner’s Guide to South of France: Places Worth Visiting
South of France being part of the huge and beautiful country that often appear in every beach-lovers-and-enthusiasts type of tourists. If you are looking for a relaxing, healing kind of vacation, while enjoying gorgeously magnificent sceneries, with affordable range of prices – then, South of France is the one for you tourists. Also, not to forget their small villages that absolutely need to be in the itinerary list!
Tips and Tricks while Travelling
A. Planning Itinerary
If you are planning to travel here, it is worth staying just a few days (ideally would be 3 days maximum), as most places to travel in the South of France are small villages that can easily be travelled and enjoyed on day trips. The best tip would be, to book an Airbnb in one of the cities – for example, Nice, and enjoy the rest of your holiday, day trips to its small villages and places, which those only a few stations train rides away from the city of Nice.
B. Transportation
Public transports in Nice are very accessible and easy to find everywhere, literally, you do not have to walk miles from one destination to another with all those heavy backpacks when travelling. Public transport stations in Nice offer a ticket for 1 “joir” or for 1 day for only €5. This ticket will be so much worth it and useful if you use buses and trams more than 4 times per day, for 24 hours as one trip will cost €1.50 each. Also, the routes are very easy to search for and not confusing at all, just install Google Maps or CityMapper and you will survive!
Also, for day trips to small villages in Nice such as Cannes, Antibes, Eze, Monaco and Villefranche, you will have to purchase separate train tickets from Nice-Ville train station and each destination have different ticket prices due to their distance from Nice.
C. Villages/Places to Visit
1. Nice
Nice is a city in the South of France where the main Nice-Ville train station is only 43 minutes away by train from the Nice Cote D’Azur Airport. Near the train station, you will discover lots of main attractions and shops, along with beautiful buildings that people usually refer to as Instagrammable spots. Check out their daily market, Old Towne, where you can find those tourists’ gifts and presents, bars, restaurants and more there. Also, don’t forget to try their croissant for breakfast and stroll around Nice’s famous beach nearby there, Blue Beach or Beau Rivage. For more for-the-gram pictures, you can visit the Fontaine du Soleil, and witness lots of colourful buildings there. Not to forget Le Negrasco Hotel which is famous for its artwork and vintage architecture.
2. Èze
Eze is a beautiful village in the South of France, famous for its uniqueness of being a hilltop village, located between Nice and Monaco. You can take the bus from Nice to Eze Village for only €1.50 one way for 27 minutes. Don’t be surprised if Google Maps show you the directions to the Eze Village by walking up the hill, it may take some time and energy, but it will be all worth it by how amazing and spectacular the view of the whole Eze is from the top. Walk around the Eze Village, there are a lot of vintage and small shops, selling a range of items and foods, from cute little miniatures to gelatos and pizzas. Tips: Come there early as shops are open at around 10 in the morning, and the streets will be a bit crowded by late afternoon, because you sure want to take pictures when no one is in the background, right? Also, please include Le Jardin Exotique in your list, it’s a cactus garden and only costs €6 per person per entry, you can get only €4 if you are a student.
3. Monaco
Do not be confused if you search for Monaco and it appears as a city in Europe – fun fact, yes, it is! Monaco is a beautiful and what people would call “a rich city” near the South of France. Take the train from Nice-Ville station to Monaco around €4.40 per person one way. Travel tip: If you are on a travel budget, eat something before your day trip to Monaco, as food and things are beyond expensive there. But Monaco’s sceneries are magnificent there, you would see cruises and rich buildings everywhere. If you are a Selena Gomez fan, don’t forget to check out the Hotel de Paris Monte Carlo as it appears in the Monte Carlo movie starring Selena Gomez. Also, don’t forget to witness its beautiful casino, Casino de Monte Carlo to take some pictures of it. Another fun fact, Monaco is also known for having Grand Prix F1 races, so F1 fans slash-tourists would come to Monaco just to witness the street circuit. Day trips to places in the South of France won’t be complete without its own beach, right? So, do come to Larvotto Beach in Monaco to have some relaxing moments and playing water sessions.
4. Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer is a town near the South of France which you can travel there by train for €2.10 from Nice-Ville station and it’s only 8 minutes away from Nice. People usually come to Villefranche for its famous sandy beach which is the Plage Villefranche-sur-Mer, and it’s only a few minutes walking from the train station. For a more memorable journey, walk around the beach and check out the colourful and adorable buildings that surround the beach. There are lots of small cafes and restaurants near the beach, so you could enjoy having evening tea or lunch by this beautiful stunning beach. Plage Villefranche-sur-Mer also became the beach where people would just come leisurely from Nice just to swim in the water and sunbathe because of its uniqueness by being a sandy beach as compared to other beaches in South of France that are famous with its big rocks. So, do enjoy the beach in Villefranche, you surely don’t want to miss the hype!