An Epic 10-day South of France Itinerary
This 10-day South of France Itinerary will hit all the major highlights from the lavender fields and kayaking in Europe’s largest canyon to cute small towns and sailing in Calanques National Park.
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Do I need a Car for this South of France Itinerary?
Yes and no!
No, I’ll train around
When staying around Nice, it was easy to use the trains to get around the small towns along the coast. The trains mostly ran on time and were typically within an hour of each other if they were delayed.
One of the tricky things with the small towns around Nice is that their train stations are on the coast, but the towns themselves are a 1-hour hike up from the station. Parking can be pricey and difficult to find. Ubers sometimes make sense when you’re 2 or more people unless you plan on hiking.
You can also go on day trips or tours from Nice to explore places you need a car. Places like the Canyon and Lavender fields can be accessed by tours.
Yes- I want to be in control
To visit tiny towns between Nice and Marseille, or to head up to the lavender fields or the mountains, then you should rent a car.
I rented a car for 7 days, roundtrip from Nice, and it cost €310. And, I spent a further €130 on gas.
I paid another €120 for overnight parking on our trip (some places had free parking).
Plan to pay around €25 per night to park the car.
Where to Stay Along the Way
The south of France is not a budget destination. Additionally, although the places we booked were mid-range in cost (around €100-200/night total), the actual state of the accommodations felt closer to a €60/night accommodation (which is what it broke out to per person generally). Besides a cute Airbnb in the middle of nowhere by the lavender fields, most of the accommodations were slightly disappointing. Also, please keep in mind that I was booking places for 3-4 people so 2-person stays may have better value for money if you plan on around €100 per person.
That said, for the 10-day stay, I only spent €445!
10-Day South of France Itinerary
For this 10-day South of France Itinerary, you’ll start and end in Nice, though you could also depart from Marseille if you wanted! The itinerary isn’t jam-packed, so you’ll have time to lounge or add in other activities too. There is a mix of small towns and cities, as well as mini adventures and plenty of photo ops along the way.
Day 1: Èze and Menton
Stay around the Riquier area for around €130/night
Afternoon arrival
Take the tram into Central Nice or grab an Uber to your accommodations. Do not take a taxi like I did (Uber is much cheaper and I felt totally scammed).
Èze
Get a €20 Uber to Èze. Although there is a train station to the cute town of Èze, it’s at least an hour’s walk up—you’ll need a comfortable shoe that’s good on loose rocks, water, shade… The trail is not well maintained. It’s worth it to grab an Uber unless you’re prepared for a mini hike. You can also take the train and then wait for the bus (which we later noticed was unreliable according to the timeline).
Get lunch at the Cactus. This spot is popular during lunch hour so you may need to wait a bit to get a table. The vibe is worth it though there are plenty of other restaurants around. We spent €40 for a burger, salad, and coffee.
Once you’re fortified, wander around the old town. It’s impossible to get lost.
Visit the Le Jardin Exotique for €8 per person. The garden is perfect for views overlooking the South of France and has several succulent species to observe. You can stand in line to get a ticket or look for one of the booths that sell tickets. The best option would be for you to get a ticket right as you enter the pedestrian-only area across from the City Hall.
Then, walk or bus down to the train station. The bus only ran every hour and we thought we’d be faster than waiting around for it… I don’t think that was the case because it took us 1 hour in our sandals and dresses to hike down.
Menton
At the train station, get tickets for the train to the next town, Menton, for €4.30/pp one way. Menton is mostly a photo op and drink destination.
Walk towards the waterfront and take the first pier out to the rocks to get some great pics.
Eat at one of the waterfront restaurants or just get a drink. Although we didn’t eat at it, Cocotte Café looked great.
Drinks at Coco Loco
Evening
Train back to Nice for €5.50/pp. (It could be a little more depending on which station. We used Nice Riquier for all our Nice travels)
We were exhausted after our adventures and had pizza at 11pm from a spot near our Airbnb, Illico Pesto. If you happen to stay around, it’s open late, has excellent pizza, and is pretty cheap.
Some popular-looking dinner options in Nice are Chez Acchiardo and L’épicerie Georges. Both had lines outside when I passed by around opening time (7pm) so make a reservation or be there early.
Day 2: Villa and Wandering
Morning
Wake up and head to Villefranche-sur-Mer for €2 per person. Don’t bother eating breakfast when you wake up. Instead, head to Bakaro. We spent €15 per person for an omelet and coffee. There are plenty of cafes around so if something else suits you, do that!
Walk around town and take some pictures in the middle of the street. The cafes lining the waterfront are so lovely but their prices are insane. Be sure to check them before sitting down.
Afternoon
Then, do the leisurely coastal walk towards Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild. You could stop at the beach here, it was overcast and lightly raining when we came but this would have been a great place for a quick dip.
Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild is a 20th-century villa that has several themed gardens and a water show. Tickets are €17 and totally worth it! We spent about an hour and a half wandering the gardens.
The gardens are just lovely!
And you can tour the inside of the mansion as well.
For lunch, stop at the restaurant on site with excellent-looking pastries.
Or, walk to the beachfront to explore the restaurants there. It was a hot day in June when I visited and instead of food, what we really wanted was prosecco… Although the reviews online aren’t that great for Le Cadillac, we had a great experience with just the drinks.
To get back to Nice, take the train or Uber. Our uber ride was just €20 so we opted for that.
If you’d rather go on a tour than deal with public transportation, check out this tour that makes several stops, including Monaco and the Parfumerie Fragonard which I didn’t have time for.
Evening
In the evening, walk around the old town of Nice. Check out shops like the famous perfumery Fragonard, Boutique Nach (I loved all the handmade charms!), and linen clothes at Côtes et Lin. Shops typically close at 7pm but some stay open until 9pm.
For dinner, if you ate at Chez Acchiardo the night before, try L’épicerie Georges tonight.
Day 3: Antibes Beach Day
Morning
Take the train to Antibes in the morning. We attempted taking the 10am train but it was inexplicably cancelled and instead, we took the 11am. The tickets cost €12.6 per person round trip per person, but you could also Uber for around €60 one way.
Get brunch at Mellow Cafe, open until 3. The brunch options were amazing—I loved the chia pudding with fresh fruit so much that I started making it myself at home. Service was a little slow but there was just one staff member cooking and another taking orders. Besides the outdoor seating, you can go downstairs (as we had to because it started raining) for a cozy, cave vibe. We spent about €18 per person for coffee and a meal each.
Our original plan for the day was to visit the Bay of Billionaires, a 1-hour walk from Antibes. However, it was raining and overcast. If it’s a sunny day, head over here. if not, you can still fit this into your itinerary tomorrow when you pick up your rental car.
Next, wander in and out of the shops. I stopped in soap shop Nérèa and ended up with the most luxurious-smelling oil (carry-on size friendly) made with carrot oil. The sales lady was so sweet and explained (in French) the different unique characteristics of the soaps, lotions, and oils. My sister walked out with a body lotion block and my cousin bought the same oil as I did. We smelt like heaven!
For an indoor activity, check out the Picasso Museum. The museum was undergoing an exhibit change so our tickets were discounted at only €6 each, full price is €12 each. As a fan of Picasso’s works, I really enjoyed the museum.
Then, check out Gallery Eleni across the street. It doesn’t seem to have a Google map location but is around here. The works are so unique.
After the museum, head back to Nice to grab dinner at Posto 17 – Le Port for Italian-style pasta. The owner was hilarious and even gave us a free glass of wine
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Day 4: Château Barbeyrolles Winery
Spend one night in Sainte-Maxime at a simple hotel. Park your car overnight at this garage (for us it was €26 from 7pm-11am)
Morning
This starts the driving portion of your South of France Itinerary. The coast between Nice and Marseille that you’ll drive is also accessible by train and you can combo day trips with tours as well to see as much as possible without a car.
In the morning, get a rental car and pick it up at the airport (we used Uber to get back to the airport for about €25.)
Because we missed out on going to Bay of Billionaires the day before, we drove to a random cafe to pick up some croissants and then drove as close as we could. The bay is on a private road that cars can’t access. Instead, try to park in the surrounding neighborhood. I parked around here; there were no parking signs indicating I couldn’t park there but look out for that if you’re on a main road. Then, walk to the start of the private road and walk 20 minutes down to the bay.
There are two inlets to hang out. The first is more spacious.
To get to the second, keep walking along the trail until you get a staircase that goes down.
And you’ll come to this hidden gem!
Be sure to bring shoes if you want to get into the water as the rocks are tough.
Afternoon
Next, drive up to Château Barbeyrolles Winery, which will take about 2.5 hours. The tasting is free and you can buy a bottle to go. We bought two bottles; each cost €20. The experience is nice and when we visited, there was no one else around! It feels like a private villa. Tastings are available Monday to Saturday, 9am to 7pm, but you can double-check for yourself here.
You don’t need to make reservations in advance unless you want a cheese platter to go with the wine.
If you love wine, then you might want to check out this wine tour that leaves from Nice and makes stops at three different Châteaus.
Evening
Drive towards the beach for dinner. As we were a little too early for the 7pm kitchen opening time for the restaurants along the water, we were too hungry to wait because we didn’t have lunch and instead opted for pizza instead here. It was delish and a steal for two large pizzas with drinks for €36.
If you’re there after 7pm, Lémy Plage Restaurant looked great for food and drinks. Parking was free.
Spend the night in Sainte-Maxime or another coastal town that suits your vibe. The hotel cost/value ratio is not that great throughout our South of France Itinerary. We stayed at Hôtel Le Chardon Bleu and although it was fine, for €200 a night, it didn’t feel like something worth that much (especially with the pool carpet covering the floors. The beaches around Pampelonne look beautiful, so you could stay there too. If so, check out Plage de Tahiti or Pampelonne Beach.
Day 5: Villa Life and Lavender Fields
Spend 1 night at a cute villa like this for around €190 by the lavender fields. Buy your dinner/breakfast groceries in advance.
Morning
If you want a lazy day on this South of France Itinerary: Walk around town and grab some breakfast at a cafe. The “breakfast formula” can be a fun experience so we sat at Brasserie L’Escapade.
If you want some adventure: grab something quickly in the morning for breakfast and drive 2 hours to Pont du Galetas to take a boat ride or paddle down the gorgeous canyon and around Lac de Sainte-Croix. We left Sainte-Maxime too late in the day to do the adventure ourselves (because honestly, we didn’t know we’d be passing by this gem). Rent kayaks and more from Activité nautique.
Either way, you can stop by the bridge and park to get some pictures.
To combo the lake and lavender fields with a guide, check out this excellent tour.
Afternoon
One of the highlights for us on this South of France Itinerary was visiting the lavender fields which bloom between mid-June and early August. If you’re visiting outside of this time, then forgo the fields and instead spend the night around Lac de Sainte-Croix.
My best advice for visiting the lavender fields during this South of France Itinerary is to just drive slowly and stop whenever you see a nice field you want to take pictures in. Even with all our enthusiasm, we only managed 3 stops before we stopped taking pictures.
I’ll give you the GPS points where we stopped but I assume you’ll just stop along the way wherever you want.
Drive here first because this spot has a view of the mountain in the background.
Then, stop here for the sage fields.
And, here for more lavender.
(I’m sorry if I got any of the GPS points wrong…Please just stop whenever you love the view).
Be sure to park safely and put on your hazards if you’re driving slow so other cars can pass you. Some fields have obvious parking spots.
There are also several shops and stalls along the road. I liked Lavandes Angelvin (it also has a sunflower field on the left-hand side of the shop). There was an ice cream truck with lavender ice cream.
And also, TERRAROMA Lavande Amandes (which also had a small cafe and lavender syrup for sale—check-in size only, not carry-on friendly). Stop at stalls along the way too!
On your way to your Airbnb, stop at Fresh in Manosque for dinner and breakfast groceries.
Evening
Enjoy your pool and villa! I made a simple pasta dinner and we had it with our wine from Château Barbeyrolles Winery.
Day 6: Marseille
Spend 3 nights in Marseille. I stayed here. It was good for the price and the location but unless you’re on a budget like us, you may want to splurge or something nicer. On the weekend, people were chatting literally 10pm to 5am and it was insane.
Morning
Have a lazy morning at the pool.
Afternoon
Then drive to Tuba Club in Les Goudes, about 1.5 hours from the villa Airbnb. My sister spotted this restaurant on Instagram and we made reservations about 2 weeks in advance. The views were lovely and the service was good but try to get a table in the shade because the sun beating down on us totally discouraged us from spending more than 40 minutes there. We opted for drinks and the seafood tower and it cost us €145 total (for 3 people).
We asked for hats from the staff, haha.
Parking in town in Les Goudes may be a little difficult. Keep driving through and you can park at one of the lots here.
Keep the car parked or move it again closer to here to enter Calaques National Park. Parking is not allowed inside the park so park as close as you can to the end of the road (we got lucky) and then walk 15-20 minutes toward the beach.
Continue further to take some scenic pictures here. The current is strong and the rocks are very sharp so don’t go into the water.
The sun was sooooo strong this day, the sky literally looked white at times.
Evening
Drive into Marseille and check into your accommodation. I found this to be an excellent parking spot with in-and-out access; I paid upfront for 4 days for a total of €105; this is about €26 a day for city parking and I thought this was normal. There are other parking garages but this had good reviews and street parking is not recommended because (like in many major cities) there are random break-ins.
(My cousin Vivienne joined this portion of the South of France Itinerary so you’ll start to see her in pictures).
Walk around the neighborhood of the Old Port, around here. It’s a quirky area with plenty of shops (mostly open during the day) and cool-looking restaurants.
We got dinner at one of the restaurants that looked good to us. I also liked the look of Entre Terre & Mer and Rendez-vous des Amis.
After dinner, walk down toward the Cathédrale La Major and walk along the water. There are several museums such as the Musée Regards de Provence, Museum of Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean, and the Fort Saint-Jean along the water that you could consider for another day.
Alternative:
We spent 3 nights in Marseille as we thought it would be nice to stay in the same spot rather than chance hotels every night again. The below Day 6 Itinerary reflects that but it adds an extra hour of driving on Day 7. Plus, we didn’t really do anything in Marseille that night. Tuba Club was cool but not worth going too much out of your way for. Instead, I suggest waiting to go to Marseille…
As a Day 6 South of France Itinerary alternative, you can:
- Drive to Hyères either to (1) hang out at the beaches there and spend the night or (2) take an afternoon ferry to the cute island of Porquerolles (which is on the itinerary for Day 7 anyway.) You’ll need to leave your car overnight at the ferry station as the island is car-free, but you can rent bikes to get around.
- Spend a night in Sainte-Baume Natural Regional Park to hike. The hikes around La Roquebrussanne look like a great option!
Day 7: Porquerolles Island Adventure
Morning
Wake up and start driving towards Hyères. It took us an extra hour to drive there because of traffic, but we still managed (while running) to make the 12pm boat. Check the schedule here and then book your tickets in person or online. We booked in person because we weren’t sure if we would make the 11am, 12pm or 12:30pm. Although we didn’t experience any issues, the website recommends that you buy tickets in advance. Tickets are €24, roundtrip.
Afternoon
Spend the day in Porqurolles. This is a car-free island so you can either walk or bike around.
You can easily rent bikes in town. Prices are generally the same between bike rental shops and there are normal and electric bikes. This is the first bike rental location and this is the other.
We chose to walk since we wanted to just check out one of the beaches, Plage Notre-Dame. The walk is a lovely 50 minutes.
To the left of the staircase, there is a small patch of rocks that’s perfect for giving a private feel to the beach.
We brought some bread, jam, and cheese with us for a picnic. Plan to get lunch before or after in town if you’re not carrying snacks.
Next, head over to the Domaine de l’ile Vineyard for free wine tasting. Bottles cost €40-ish so we just did the tasting. The vineyard is beautiful. No food is available nor can you drink on the premises (besides the tasting).
Stop at one of the many ice cream spots.
Evening
After driving back, have a chill dinner by grabbing some pizza near your accommodation.
Day 8: Sailing in Calanques National Park
Today’s adventure is a full-day sailing trip around Calanques National Park. I loved this experience and highly recommend it. Read all about it and book the same tour here. You can catch the boat that leaves at 10am from the harbor in Marseille.
For breakfast, I suggest something light (or nothing at all if you get seasick; the ride can be a little rough but the crew does everything they can to make it easier on you!) For dinner, we opted for quick falafels here to take back to our accommodation. Why was it quick?… Half of us had a little too much to drink on the sail back as we were sitting close to the drink station. I won’t tell you who!
Day 9: Explore Marseille
Check out of Marseille. Leave your stuff back in your rental car.
Or, plan to fly out today or drive back to Nice in the evening for a return flight. Spend the night at the lovely Bed & Breakfast Les Hauts de Cagnes vue mer et montagne for €95, parking included.
Late Morning- Early Afternoon
Get a cute brunch at Deïa. The food is excellent, as are the drinks. Our service was a little slow (though idk why parties of the same size that ordered after us were served food and drinks faster than us… This happened a lot to us, but I’ll spare you the rant). I loved the black sesame with coconut milk drink.
Stop at Azul for some souvenirs…
As well as The Shop. Me, Sitara, Lili, and Vivienne purchased matching necklaces from here.
Then, take a walk to the Basilica of Notre-Dame-of-la-Garde. There is a bus route (60) that goes to the Basilica but we were up for a walk, which wasn’t so bad. The visit is free and has a great view over the coast.
The views from the top are spectacular.
Evening
Make moves to the train station or the airport to head back home!
I had to drive back to Nice to get my flight back, but my sister and cousins had the train + flight options. There is a train back to Nice as well, but my flight was at 8am, and it was more economical to return the car in Nice than to buy a train ticket.
I stayed at a cute BnB that included parking. The town was so cute and I suggest staying here for a full day, if you can.
Get dinner at Le Village with a view of the church. I had a drink and delicious risotto.
Day 10: A Final Cute Village
Morning
Explore Le haut de Cagnes-sur-Mer and then catch your flight out to end your South of France Itinerary.
