Nice
The gorgeous blue waters of the Baie des Anges
Obviously the grand poo-bah (is that even how you spell it?) of French Riviera beaches is in Nice itself. While it certainly wasn’t our favourite, the Baie des Anges with its turquoise blue Mediterranean water truly is a sight to behold.
What’s to like?
Water fun at the beach in Nice
There is definitely a cool culture that goes with Nice’s beaches: there are paragliders launching off the beach, bars around the place and everyone around you is enjoying themselves which makes for a really fun atmosphere.
What’s not to like?
Ok. So I’m Australian, and in Australia, beaches have sand. Not pebbly, stick-into-your-back rocks like those in Nice. Actually with a towel and just the right angling of your ENTIRE body it wasn’t too bad – but my point stands. Furthermore, there is the segregation between free, public beaches and private beaches, which will sting you between 10-20 euros for a sun-lounger on the rocks and more for an umbrella.
Interested in reading more about Nice? Check out our post here
Antibes
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- Beautiful floral-lined streets in Antibes
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- The streets in Antibes are picture-perfect
When you close your eyes and imagine a quaint little beachside town on the French Riviera, Antibes is probably it. As it is just a short train ride from Nice (9 euros return), we decided to take a quick day trip to Antibes and it was the quiet and picture perfect seaside town and exactly what we had hoped the French Riviera would be.
The beach
The beaches in Antibes are a crowd-pleaser
We wandered leisurely along the ramparts of the old town’s walls, past the Chateau Grimaldi (now the Musse Picasso) into the town centre to pick up some food and wander around aimlessly (this is the French Riviera, after all!). Restaurants and patisseries are hidden down picturesque back streets and the charm of the town is really undeniable. Sidewalk cafes were overflowing with locals and tourists alike, all enjoying the perfect weather and partaking in a little relaxation. Finding a place with working wifi proved to be more difficult than expected, and the prices of the food will quickly bring your daydream back to reality. To save money, bring a packed lunch, or visit the market early enough to enjoy the daily specials.
The scenery of Antibes is postcard-worthy
Although there are a couple of other things to explore in Antibes, including the Picasso museum, the Musee d’Archeologie and a medieval church, we were in Antibes for one thing: nothing but beach.
The first time we walked past the port in Antibes, filled with its million-dollar superyachts, we walked straight past the beach. You see, it’s kind of hidden behind this big stone wall and only due to the streams of people going in and out of one of the archways did it finally click that we had found the beach.
Yachts of the rich and famous
The water was beautiful in mid-June, the sun was beaming down brightly and the beach is free to enjoy unlike the beach in Nice . I would say Antibes is great for those who want super easy access to a quaint French town but equally good access to a decent sandy beach.
Even the sculptures were perfect to admire here
Villefranche sur Mer
This was a really quick stop for us on the way back to Nice from Monaco. I mean, we literally left the train and spent the next 2-3 hours alternating between sun and sand and turquoise blue water. Enough said!
Feeling relaxed yet?
Literally at the footsteps of the train station is this stunning beach
Of the three beaches, my favourite was either Antibes or Villefranche-sur-Mer – both were great beaches and so easy to get to by train from Nice. But if you are visiting the French Riviera during summer, you should probably do all three of these beaches just to be on the safeside! And with such great public transport options, you can enjoy all of them with relative ease. Enjoy!
Have you found a perfect beach on the French Riviera you want to share with us? Comment below!
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I absolutely loved Nice! I haven’t been to the others yet, but definitely want to after seeing the beautiful pictures. Nice post!
Thanks so much for your comment Jess. We are definitely beach people so these small, quaint French beach-side towns were just amazing to visit. Our pick is Antibes – it has everything!
As an older francophile it was lovely being reminded of my interesting time in this part of France in the 1970s. At that time, an older Frenchwoman on the train sighed and remarked how beautiful it had all been when she was a girl in the early 1900s, and the place was full of grand hotels and high-class people, and very few of the riffraff of the present day (the 60s and 70s). Now just about everybody can travel, and the Riviera is still there (a little more crowded) for the enjoyment of all!
Never had a chance to explore beaches in France but this will really help. I’m looking into traveling Europe this summer and showcase the beauty of its waters. All my posts are about winter in Europe! Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome Trisha! We have travelled through Europe in winter as well (and really enjoyed not fighting the crowds, etc) but Europe in summer is pretty special. Good luck with the travels!
Went to Antibes once back in1999. We only stayed for a day but I have fond memories of the blue waters on the Mediterranean. We went to a perfume factory in the hills above in Antibes the view was amazing.
Hi Mark, I wonder how much it would have changed since you last saw it? The water is still a beautiful blue (I can attest to that!) and perfume is still a big hit! In fact, we’ll be posting another article about going creating a unique perfume within Nice itself very shortly. Thanks for the comment!
Wow, Nice is stunning! I would love to visit!
Do it Amélie! I’m not used to seeing the Mediterranean often (we’re from Australia) but I was really surprised to see how blue it was. Spectacular!
The beauty of the French Riviera is certainly its smaller seaside towns like Antibes and Villefranche sur Mer. Nice and Cannes certainly have the glitz, but for a more laid-back, luxurious feel taking the train to explore the smaller towns is best. I have to admit. I do prefer the private beaches and would gladly pay for a lounge chair to make the whole experience more comfortable.
Thanks Jackie, after laying on the pebbles on the beach in Nice for an hour I can definitely appreciate where you’re coming from with the lounger! I think when it comes to the French Riviera, you’ve got to take it all in: the glitz of Cannes and Nice with the quieter and pretty smaller beachside towns. Why not settle for both and see what you like, right?
I’ve always wanted to visit Nice, but have never heard of the other two before–they all look so beautiful! It’s great they are all easy to get to on public transport. Looks like you had some gorgeous summer weather–beautiful photos!
Thanks so much Jenna! Photos are easy when the backdrop is THAT beautiful. The train to Antibes and Villefranche-sur-Mer are on the line to Monaco, take maybe half an hour at the max but are completely worth the effort. I hope that you’ve got some good ideas for your next trip to the French Riviera!
OK, Antibes is totally on the bucket list! Looks way more my thing than Nice: pleasant, quaint and really charming 🙂
Absolutely Alice! It was your typical, picturesque little French beachside town and so close to Nice! I’m a francophile though, so I’m a sucker for anything French….
Had to laugh because I totally relate to being from Australia and getting to Europe to find beaches without any sand. And we were also really shocked by the whole paying to sit on the beach set up as well.
Have only been to nice, so would love to get back and explore some more of the French Riviera. Antibes looks like it would be a wonderful place 🙂
I’ll admit, it’s a first world problem but the concept of paying to access a beach took a while to sink in (and I still can’t bring myself to fully accept it!). I guess one benefit of swimming in Europe is there are less animals lurking in the waters that could kill you when compared to Australian beaches. Antibes was really nice and definitely our favourite of the beaches we visited. Thanks for your comment!
Uhm wow Nice is definitely super NICE! It’s beautiful out there. The beach is a bit too crowded for my liking but still, nothing beats a day out in the beach in the French Riviera! 🙂
Couldn’t agree more – there is nothing worse than an overcrowded beach but it wasn’t too bad, I promise. Do you have a favourite beach on the French Riviera?
I visited the French Riviera many, many times and I am well acquainted with their beaches. You didn’t mention the famous nude beaches at Cannes, where Brigitte Bardot used to show herself in her days of glory. I like the beach at Antibes, although very often those blue, clear waters are infested with jellyfish (a very poisonous kind).
Hi Anda, we unfortunately didn’t get down to visit Cannes but I hear it is lovely. Interesting point about the jellyfish – there were none there when we visited, only beautiful beach weather and turquoise blue water!
These 3 look beautiful! Would definitely choose some sand over pebbles as well…but all three really do look worth a visit! Glad to know they are easily accessible as well!
They were beautiful Carolann! And who really PREFERS pebble beaches anyway, right?