The 12 best places to stay on the French Riviera: cities and hidden gems

Pretty little Nice, the capital of the Côte d’Azur, is a French Riviera mainstay for a reason: the famous Promenade des Anglais, ancient old town, thriving culinary scene and cultural hub all combine to make it an endlessly charming destination. Plus, its central location makes it the perfect jumping-off point to explore the region's other gems, from Menton in the east on the Italian border, to Saint Tropez in the west. Whether you crave the buzz of world-class museums or the tranquility of hidden coves, Nice offers a perfect blend of energy and relaxation.

Time out tip: Pay a trip to the Marché aux fleurs in Cours Saleya, an incredible flower market in the Old Town dating back to 1897, held after the food market closes at around midday.

Best beach nearby: Coco Beach offers clear azure waters, public showers, and beautiful harbour views - great for swimming.

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A short drive from the bustling coast, the French Riviera’s perfume capital was originally a centre for (far less pleasant-smelling) leather tanneries until someone had the bright idea of selling scented gloves here sometime in the seventeenth century. Nowadays, this pretty town, with its jumble of medieval and Renaissance buildings surrounded by endless fields of purple lavender, is home to no less than 30 perfume factories. 

Time Out tip: Get in touch with the big perfume factories – from Galimard to Molinard and Fragonard – which offer free tours of their sweet-scented workshops.

Best beach nearby: Golf Juan is a great friendly beach thanks to its shallow waters. Visitors love it for its cleanliness, coastline views and its decent selection of bars for those craving a cocktail.

High on its rocky perch, this picturesque town with its winding alleys and stocky stone houses is best explored via the Nietzsche path (named for the German philosopher who once lived here). The steep hike along this path, which links the town to its lofty summit, is worth it to admire the medieval fortress featured in Hitchcock's classic To Catch a Thief. 

Time Out tip: Don’t miss a visit to the cactus-studded Jardin Exotique gardens, filled with weird and wonderful succulents and sculptures by Jean-Philippe Richard. But, the main reason to go? To lap up spectacular vistas of Saint-Tropez’s glittering gulf.

Best beach nearby: Though Eze is the obvious choice, Mala Beach is a beautiful non-touristy alternative; It's a small pebbled beach tucked away in Cap d'Ail.

The jewel in the Riviera’s glittering crown, labyrinthine Antibes’s sixteenth-century rampart-enclosed old town and the densely forested Cap d’Antibes peninsula are home to some of the region’s most luxurious villas. You’ll also find some of the Riviera’s swankiest yachts in its elegant marina (the Med’s largest). The town is packed with shops and art galleries and is relatively accessible to all.

Time Out tip: Can’t-miss sights include the Picasso Museum, and Fort Carré, where Napoleon Bonaparte spent time in prison.

Best beach nearby: Salis Beach has actual sand and offers picturesque views of the sea - great for a swim too. 

Sat between turquoise seas and a backdrop of wood-clad cliffs, Villefranche-sur-Mer’s ochre houses overlook one of the world’s most beautiful bays. And if you think the Jean Cocteau-decorated Saint-Pierre chapel and Villefranche’s charming tangle of cobbled streets look familiar, they probably do: this breathtaking town has played host to dozens of films including Never Say Never Again with Sean Connery and The Jewel of the Nile with Michael Douglas.

Time Out tip: Don’t skip a sunbathe at the beach at Villefranche-sur-Mer, to the left of the Old Town, just a five-minute walk from the train station. Swim in turquoise seas before lying out on the golden shelves of sand. The section furthest away from town is the quietest. 

Best beach nearby: Plage de la Darse - comprised of pebble, sand and sparkling azure waters. Ideal for paddling and snorkelling. 

Strewn with ornate Belle Époque villas and magnificent lush gardens, elusive and exclusive Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat is one of the Riviera’s most picturesque spots. Once favoured by the European aristocracy and now (slightly) democratised, this pretty peninsula is home to countless striking bits of architecture. Our pick is the Villa Île-de-France, decorated with more than 5,000 works of art and other items brought back by owner Baroness Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild from her travels around the world. 

Time Out tip: If looking at pretty things is your bag, pay a visit to the Shell Museum. There are 7,000 seashells on display, including an exotic collection – the largest in the Mediterranean. 

Best beach nearby: If you're looking for a good sunbathing spot, you'll love Plag Cros De Pin. It's A cosy beach with decent good facilities like showers and lockers. Just beware of the jellyfish. 

The main attraction at this star-studded resort is the art deco Hôtel Belles Rives where F. Scott Fitzgerald hosted glamorous parties attended by the likes of Rudolph Valentino, Hemingway and American tycoon Frank Jay Gould, which later inspired him to write The Great Gatsby. But this elegant town doesn’t just live in the past: Juan-les-Pins’s Jazz à Juan festival in July, along with some of the Riviera’s best beaches, make it a magnet for well-heeled tourists today.

Time Out tip: Juan Les Pins Beach lets you rent deck chairs for any impromptu sunbathing.

Best beach nearby: Beloved for its sandy shores, Juan Les Pins beach has a vibrant, social atmosphere. Though, it can get a little crowded.

This town has Brigitte Bardot to thank for its reputation as a glitzy tourist magnet. When she frolicked on its beaches in the 1950s, Saint-Tropez was just a tiny fishing village. Now it draws a wealthy bohemian crowd, with everyone who’s anyone coming here to strip down on ‘clothing optional’ beaches, buy chic beachwear and go clubbing. St Trop’, as it’s fondly known by habitués, has a world-class art scene and a string of Michelin-starred restaurants. 

Time Out tip: Café Sénéquier is a local institution for a reason. it on its postbox red terrace overlooking the harbour and devour one of its cream-topped ice cream sundaes. 

Best beaches nearby: Plages de Saint Tropez for the beach clubs, and Bouillabaisse beach for the scenic views.

Socialites have been flocking to the resort’s renowned film festival since 1946 – and come May, it is as busy as ever. Although this is the best time for star-spotting (where's our binoculars?), there are always plenty of celebrities hanging around Cannes: you’ll spot them taking selfies along the beautiful Promenade de la Croisette, flashing platinum credit cards as they shop in designer boutiques, or slipping out of their palatial hotels to chill incognito in one of the Lérins Islands’ hidden coves. And if you do spot a celeb, act cool. 

Time out tip: Le Suquet, just above the city, is the oldest neighbourhood in Cannes with winding streets and pastel-coloured buildings. It’s a little taste of what the place would have felt like in the 18th and 19th centuries, before all the Hollywood glitz. 

Best beach nearby: Plage du Midi is incredibly spacious so you'll defo find a spot here. Visitors love it for the local vibes, free parking and good facilities.

Next to sparkling emerald seas between Monaco and the Italian border and framed by the mighty Alpes-Maritimes mountains, lush Menton is a picturesque town famed for its subtropical microclimate and astoundingly beautiful gardens. It is where the citron de Menton is from: you can see some in Menton’s vast La Citronneraie lemon grove or during the La Fête du Citron festival in spring. 

Time Out tip: Nature lovers can get their kicks at the sweet-scented, petal-strewn Fontana Rosa Garden. 

Best beach nearby: Plage de Fossan is perfect if you want to be close to the centre of Menton.

Renowned for its Calanques, those narrow limestone coves backed by sheer cliffs of which the most famous (and most difficult to get to) is Calanque d’En-Vau, Cassis is a charming, unspoilt seaside town. Among its must-see sights are the resort’s winding streets, lined with some of the Riviera’s quirkiest boutiques, and the pretty harbour that bobs with vividly painted fishing boats called pointus, backed by France’s tallest cliff, the 394-metre Cap Canaille.

Time Out tip: Cassis is a great base for the picturesque hike to the Calanques – a beautiful turquoise sea inlet surrounded by sublime craggy rock faces and a national park. 

Best beach nearby: La Grande Mer Beach is a great family-friendly choice with stunning hillside views, lifeguards, disabled access and plenty of restaurant options. 

Although not strictly on the Riviera, independent and magnificent Monaco still deserves attention. This two-square-kilometre principality on the French-Italian border has glitzy casinos, a superb marine museum and its own opera house. It packs a lot in such a tiny area. And if that’s not enough, it’s also home to one of the world’s most prestigious car races: the Monaco Grand Prix, which runs through the resort’s streets every year in May.

Time Out tip: Pay a visit to Le Jardin Exotique, a botanic garden with breathtaking views over the city’s bay and its own natural grotto, where prehistoric remains have been found.

Best beach nearby: Plage duBorrigo is a beautiful pebbled beach - ideal for swimming and families, but expect crowds. 

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