Sailing the French Riviera
Bonsai and bienvenue friends! I just got back from a trip to France, and am currently miles above the sky en route home. It was absolutely magical, packed with so much to do and see, and aside from the impeding jet lag and emails that await me, it couldn’t have gone any better. My cousin lives in Paris and had her wedding in the Loire Valley last Saturday, so we made the trip across the pond to be there in person and decided to make it a whole adventure. In addition to sightseeing the castles of Fountainbleau, Cheverny, and Blois, we traveled to Orleans, Lyon, Saint Tropez, Nice, Cannes, Antibes, Grasse, Saint Paul De Vence, Eze, Monaco, Gorges de Verdon National Park, Provence’s lavender fields, Avignon, Valence, Beaune, and Auxerre. Sounds like a mouthful, huh? Well I’m here to break it down so you can have the recipe for a perfect trip through the French Riviera! & as always feel free to reach out for any suggestions and I’d be happy to share them along.
Some Castles for for a King:
We began our trip driving from Paris to Fountainbleau, a beautiful castle about 40 minutes from the airport. Renting a car is a whole new way to see France, and take it from someone who traveled to Paris twice while studying abroad alone- there is so so much more to see in the country outside of Paris! It is far less dirty, the people are nicer, and the experience is just more authentic overall. So please consider reading about my Parisian travels here and planning a trip to another part of France: the French Riviera, Lyon, or Champagne, which boasts a delightful champagne tasting experience that is really worth the time.
Fountainbleau has many influences from the era of Louis the thirteenth, as well as years of regal history, housing many popes and members of the aristocracy in France over the last few centuries. We enjoyed getting lunch and exploring the surrounding town, as well as taking pictures both inside and outside the castle walls. As a helpful tip for parking if you are bringing your car, most of the places in France utilize the the Pay by Phone app, which is the same one you utilize in the US as well. It makes parking super simple if you don’t have euros or if you just don’t want to bother with the extra trouble.
We rounded out the evening by visiting a grocery store to get some baked goods and French staples to enjoy in our Airbnb, which was located in Beaulieu-sur-Loire, close to the spot of the wedding (that’s right! We went to my cousins wedding near here and it was an absolutely gorgeous venue). I forgot how incredible French croissants are, but on this trip we truly had some of the largest and most delicious ones I’ve ever tasted. France is also currently getting ready for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, so we enjoyed seeing the many odes to those preparations!
The next day, we visited the Loire valley castles of Cheverny and Blois, impressed by the dog kennel at Cheverny, river views of Blois, and the stunning backdrops of both castles. Walking the town of Blois was also exhilaratingly beautiful, but note that many food spots do close at 3 for lunch and only open at 7 for dinner, so bear that in mind when planning your travels. We ended the night strolling Orleans, with its many shops and bars, as well as the beautiful Orleans Cathedral. We did end up finding a great dinner spot in Le Brin de Zinc.
Climbing high in Lyon:
Lyon is a huge city and marked the next stop of our trip. It was a great midway point for us between Paris and the Riviera to give us a break in the driving. Lyon has many great spots to check out, but you definitely need to make it to the top of the Notre-Dame of Fourvière, which you can get to either by strenuous hike (I almost collapsed) or by lift. If you choose the latter, be forwarded of the same flag I gave in my Paris blog: big cities in France are common sites for pickpocketing, and the metro/subway is the easiest place to target - specifically the American tourists taking those methods of transport. Stay vigilant, keep your wallet zipped and close to you at all times, and watch out for your surroundings: kids and women are often the perpetrators as they know you’re more likely to be disarmed around them. The pickpocketing situation in cities like Lyon has gotten so bad that the police actually cover up for the perpetrators and have a specific theft fund reserved for incidents rather than taking steps to track down the thieves themselves. That being said, the basilica at the top was truly stunning. We enjoyed the views almost as much as the delicious food at Cafe Abel, where we tried a new delicacy we hadn’t had previously called “Pike Dumpling Gratin”. It’s a Lyon specialty and it’s actually one of the best things I had the whole trip. The restaraunt is a previously Michelin hotspot and I can’t recommend it enough for a nicer dinner.
Lyon is also known for its Traboules, or long passageways, hidden all over the city. These secret entrances are hard to find, but look for La Longue, which closes at 7pm for cleaning but is fully operational and the longest traboule in the city. Overall, the city looks like a makeshift Hogwarts, complete with stunning river views.
An Evening in Saint Tropez:
The trip to St. Tropez was long and traffic was to-be-expected, but the end result was definitely worth it. This small town on the water is a gorgeous stop along the riviera that happens to be a destination for many famous celebrities and influencers. Fun fact: Alex Earle actually vacationed here two days before us! While we may not be able to afford an Alex Earle approved getaway, with the designer stores and yacht clubs that are a staple here, we enjoyed wonderful window shopping, colorful boutiques, and walking along the pier immensely. We finished the night with a stop at our second favorite dinner spot of the night, La Bagatelle. We found this spot by accident and I learned that stopping where people seem to be enjoying the food is kind of the secret key to finding delicious food in Europe. Come with no expectations, and the restaurants in France will come to impress. If you do come here, be sure to try the white wine mussels and fish soup, both which totally blew our minds. It was incredible to feel like a million bucks and trade Dippin Dots for caviar carts.
Soaking in the Sun in Cannes:
Cannes, France may be most known for the annual international film festival, but its beaches are really second to none! We were able to book a boat tour of the Lerins Islands with an experienced guide on Viator (which is great for booking all sorts of tours in almost every destination). I highly recommend seeing Cannes by boat because the water is incredible, to say nothing of how amazing it is to snorkel out there and see the many varieties of fish! The one unwelcome kind was jellyfish, which are especially common this time of year in the beaches of the French Riviera. Our guide actually had a special net for catching them - and even told us he’s tried live jellyfish before and that they taste like salty jelly candy. Not sure my taste pallet has expanded enough to try that anytime soon though! After the tour, we had lunch at perhaps our favorite spot of the ENTIRE trip, called La Casa - Restaraunt Vallauris. My sister swears the burger she had there is her number one favorite meal of her life and it does feel like my How I Met Your Mother burger (iykyk).
Our tour guide recommended a sanctuary beach completely free from jellyfish, so after lunch, we headed to Handiplage beach in Cannes for some swimming! The views, the water, the everything was just what we needed to unwind a bit after an already busy trip. After some relaxing, we hit the town, stopping at the scene of the film festival to walk down the film hall of fame and take pictures with our favorite actor backdrops.
Antibes - a perfect night!
After swimming to our hearts content, we drove another 30 minutes to Antibes, another gorgeous town just north of the riviera. There, we got dinner and enjoyed some shopping under the beautiful Mediterranean sun. After days of French cuisine, we were all feeling Pizza, so we got dinner at name here. There was a medieval aura about the whole town and I think that it earned it the title of one of our favorite cities of the trip, to complete what would become our favorite day of the vacation! We walked the promenade up above the Antibes Picasso Museum which offered a gorgeous view of the water - coupled with several stunning statues right on the edge of the structure. And we rounded out the night with some ice cream and stunning clothes shopping in boutiques much more affordable than the 400 euro items of Saint Tropez.
Adventures in Grasse & St. Paul De Vence:
On Wednesday, we had some time for some day trips to fun spots nearby our Airbnb in Nice. We travelled by car to Grasse, a town about 45 minutes away, which is known as the home of the Fragonard factory, one of the main perfume producers in Europe. There are three locations, with two being in Grasse, and one being in Eze, to be discussed later. Our family was able to make our own Lilac perfume thanks to this experience, also booked on Viator. It was really neat and we ended the experience by spending way too much money on several different perfumes to take home. We took some time later to walk around Grasse, enjoy its weekday market, catch a glimpse of its remarkable ~4,000 pink umbrellas, and grab a quick lunch.
We then headed to St. Paul De Vence which reminded me of Antibes as a smaller medieval time with some really great shopping. The difference is this one is known to be an art town, so there are plenty of galleries and jewelry stores at its heart. Both towns were a stunning addition to the trip and I highly recommend visiting them to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big riviera cities!
Nice - a perfect blend of sightseeing and relaxation:
We headed “home” to our base for the majority of our trip, which was Nice. I can’t emphasize enough how much I LOVED this city! I’d highly recommend making it your home base for exploring the French Riviera. While there we were able to sightsee (The Basilica of Notre Dame, Vieux Nice, and the Cathedral of St Nicholas) and relax on the beaches that have rightfully earned the description of Gatorade water. The water is the lightest blue and there were no jellyfish in site at Florida beach (ironic, right?) or Negrescos beach where we swam. We had some great dinners here at Chez Juliette and Chez Palmyre (which features a 22 euro set menu!). And who could forget to mention Fenneccio’s, a mega popular ice cream spot in old town famous for having the wildest flavors, even Cactus and Violet! I’d be remiss to also not mention George’s Roll, a great crab sandwich spot for lunch that is mega popular among locals and tourists alike. Finally, our family hit the bars here - try Le Shapko if you’re in the mood for versatile music and Tipsy if you want to try some fun new cocktails!
The Luxurious Eze and Monaco:
Our last day trips from Nice were to Eze village and the luxurious country of Monaco! The drive was the most beautiful thus far, overlooking gorgeous cliff views- but be prepared if you have motion sickness, it is a windy path! Eze was the perfect midway point on our journey, another ancient, mountainside town with stunning views and a great market for us to enjoy. It was a steep climb up, but we loved it and there was plenty of ice cream at the top to keep us cool!
Another 25 minute drive and we were in Monaco, the second smallest country in the world and also the richest! Our jaws dropped at the fancy sports cars, the glamorous people, and we even got to see a horse tournament in the spot where the Monaco Grand Prix usually is. We also climbed to the top of the Prince Palais, and took the internal tour of the premises, which was beautiful. You can take elevators up since it is a steep climb, but we did it and I really recommend it as it’s not that bad and honestly the elevator system is just confusing. Up at the top, you can see the changing of the guards at the palace at 11am or take a look at Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco’s grave in the Monaco Cathedral! We then headed to Monte Carlo, the rich and well known city within Monaco that boats the impressive Monte Carlo casino at the top. Admission is 17 euros and some of that goes toward gaming credit, but you also need to remember to bring your passport to get inside! We decided to stick with just the entrance and played a few slot machines at the front- any guesses as to how much I earned? My hint is to start low, it’ll be easier to guess that way 😉
We winded down our trip by driving to Grace Kelly’s rose garden in Fontvieille though this really wasn’t anything special, but it was nice to see such a pretty tribute to her. We also got drinks at the famous Cafe De Paris, where we spent way more than our earnings on some fabulous cocktails to feel like fancy celebrities for a day. That closed out our thrilling escape to Monaco and our last day trip!
A drive through Provence:
After so many croissants, it was definitely time to get out in nature, which is exactly what we were able to do in Provence. First we went to Gorges de Vernon national park, where we easily could have spent 5 days enjoying the stunning teal waters and steep mountain lookouts. To make do with the few hours we had, we rented a paddle boat to see the beauty comfortably from. Can’t recommend it enough - there are so many places to rent from and it requires absolutely zero advance planning.
We also traveled the route to Valensole and the Avignon, France which is filled with the legendary and gorgeous lavender fields. You can smell them before you see them, and the pictures are out of this world. Highly recommend you at least plan a drive through the fields as part of your adventure in Provence! We rounded out the day with another exceptional dinner in Valence at Chez Grand-Mère and getting drinking chocolate, called Chocolate Chaud d’ la ancienne, at Chocolatier Pierre Chauvet. We also got to watch France beat Portugal in the euro cup!
Returning back home:
Our final day in France was bittersweet, but also the perfect way to round out our vacation. We headed to Beaune, the culinary capital of France, for a rainy afternoon exploring. First was lunch at Le Caveau de Les Arches where we enjoyed many kinds of local cuisine - from the comfort of a cave! Afterwards, we did a tour and tasting at Maison Champy, one of the oldest wineries in the region.
Full of yummy food and wine, we continued the long drive back to Paris by checking out Auxerre, a small town with a gorgeous river promenade and bustling old town made complete by a historical clock tower. We shopped around and had our final vacation dinner at Tarticroq, a surprisingly delicious sandwich spot that was the perfect goodbye to what I'm still convinced will always be one of my favorite cuisines. And then… to Paris, for one last night before the long plane adventure I find myself on now.
I hope these suggestions helped you plan your family's next spectacular adventure. Au Revoir friends & until the next one!
Sincerely,
Sharon