Nice, Monaco & Èze: The French Riviera in Three Days

Nice hooks you immediately. The charming streets, the markets, the cafés, the pasta places tucked into every corner, and that impossibly blue water along the Promenade — it’s easy to see why people fall in love with this city in a day.

Boardwalk of Nice

Villefranche-sur-Mer was our first day trip, reached by train in under 20 minutes. It’s a tiny town, but every street feels like a postcard — we spent the morning wandering the narrow lanes before landing at a café overlooking the harbor for coffee and a pastry. If you only have half a day to spare from Nice, this is where to spend it.

Colorful streets of Villefranche-sur-Mer

From there, the train took us on to Monaco, where we used the hop-on hop-off bus to hit the highlights: the Prince’s Palace, the hairpin turns of the Monaco Grand Prix circuit, the Monte Carlo Casino, the exotic gardens carved into the cliffside, and the yacht-lined Port Hercules. One important tip if you’re planning to go inside the casino: you need your passport — we didn’t bring ours and were turned away at the door. Don’t make our mistake.

Monte Carlo Casino

Next stop, Èze — the medieval hilltop village perched above the coast. We got off the train and, in classic first-timer fashion, ended up in the wrong part of town entirely. By that point we were exhausted, but we pushed through anyway. Lesson learned: look up exactly which stop and which direction before you get off.

Back in Nice that evening, we spent the night walking the city — Place Masséna had street performers out in force (keep a close eye on your bags and pockets here, it’s a known pickpocket spot) — and finished with gelato, because it was basically mandatory at that point.

Street Performace at Place Masséna

The next morning became something of a ritual for the rest of the trip: sitting on the cobblestone streets near Rue Jean Médecin, people-watching over a croissant, a baguette, and a cappuccino. Simple, and somehow the best breakfast of the whole trip every single time.

One of our many pastry coffee breakfasts

Our very last morning of the entire trip came back here too. We woke up at 5am for one last stop: the bright, almost artificially turquoise water along the coast that looks like it’s been color-corrected even in person. Head to Coco Beach, at the end of Boulevard Franck Pilatte on the eastern edge of Nice, past Port Lympia — walk east along the Promenade des Anglais, turn onto Avenue Jean Lorrain, and follow it down to the water. Early morning is the move: the light is soft, the crowds haven’t arrived yet, and the color of the water at that hour is the closest thing to “gatorade blue” you’ll find on this coast.

Morning in the ‘Gatorade’ Water

Highlights: Villefranche-sur-Mer · Monaco (bring your passport) · Èze · Place Masséna · Coco Beach at sunrise