The Cote d'Azur was my favorite travel destination on my recent excursion to Europe. In the month of August, the south of France begins the destination for chic French and Americans as well. Since most French get the entire month of August off from work, I found there to be more natives than Americans which I thought was great!
I selected Nice as the town to stay since it has the airport and lots to do. There are TONS of small towns and villages on the Cote d'Azur, and each one is equally amazing and beautiful. Nice offers an airport, public and private beaches (which are stone), a promenade, and port.
Why is the Cote d'Azur my favorite place? As you can see from the images, it looks like a postcard everywhere you look almost everyday. The water is truly a deep azur blue. Additionally, as someone who speaks French, it is always great to get to use and practice the language. It makes restaurant and travel experiences much more enjoyable and less stressful!
It is very easy to get from Nice to neighboring towns such as Antibes, Cannes, Villefranche, and Monaco. I took the train to Villefranche (2 minute ride from the nearest Nice station) and to Monaco (17 minute ride). The trip to Monaco was only about $6 roundtrip. My favorite town was Villefranche. It was absolutely incredible with its famous "Citadelle" overlooking the bay filled with swimmers and yachts. The town itself is beautiful with narrow stone streets and pastel colored houses.
I choose to stay in an apartment rented from the owner rather than a hotel. In Nice, this is definitely a less expensive option as hotels can be quite expensive, but I also feel like it provides for a more authentic travel experience. Ours was quite authentic as we got to deal with native Francophones who owned the apartment- French came in handy once again! Our place was right near the port of Nice and the Vielle Ville which was great. If you are traveling to Europe I definitely recommend apartments before looking at hotels!
Have you been to the South of France? What was your favorite town? There are a few on my list that I didn't get to go to so that will have to be saved for the next trip!
