Solo three days in the French Riviera?

April 23, 2023 6:48 AM

Travelling to Nice for work mid-June and spending three days/nights in the area solo before coming home. Please let me know what you think about my itinerary below, or tell me to forget it and try something totally different instead! Other than starting from Nice and getting back to the airport there in time to catch my flight home, it's all to play for.

I am female, mid 40s, fairly fit and active, interested mostly in beach/outdoor stuff for this trip but if there's a museum or other cultural attraction not to miss please tell me, at the very least it would be great to have a list of rainy day activities.

Anyway these are my thoughts for my itinerary- nothing is booked yet other than the hotel in Nice I'll check out of on the morning of day 1, the car, and the flight home.

Day 1- wake up early early, drive the two hours to the Calanques for a kayak tour* that will finish mid to late afternoon. Spend the evening in a nice, quiet hotel that serves dinner in nearby Cassis (there are a couple I'm scoping out but any suggestions welcome)

Day 2- leisurely breakfast and walk around the village of Cassis followed by lunch, then drive back towards Nice along the Route des Cretes for the first part, stopping for the views if I feel like it. Dinner and hotel in Nice

Day 3- morning to early afternoon- people-watching, basking, and lunch at a beach club (I have the Plage Beau Rivage in mind), followed by a wander around the old town of Nice. Bed at a reasonable hour for my early flight the next day.

If you can't tell by my itinerary, I like the outdoors and I like driving. I also like shopping/browsing but not for labels or luxury, more stuff like junk shops, antiques, books, etc.

I'm not massively food-oriented but would love suggestions of places to buy stuff for my own little picnics or where I'd feel comfortable dining alone with a book in the evening.

And for hotel suggestions- quiet, friendly hotels that are really really clean and have a pool or at least somewhere nice outside to sit with a book are my preference. I am not looking for decadent luxury but my budget is reasonably flexible for the right place.

If your suggestion is that I forget all this and go north to San Remo or whatever instead, go for it, I'm totally open to other ideas. I definitely want to do some kind of outdoor activity, but that could be hike to a beautiful hidden beach for a picnic and swimming instead of kayaking.

*Kayak tour- my ideal would be to go solo- but I'm guessing I'm probably safer in a group with a guide? I have plenty of experience lake kayaking/canoeing and even some experience rafting and I'm a strong swimmer but I'm guessing I shouldn't head out alone for my first time sea kayaking, right?

posted by cilantro to Travel & Transportation (5 answers total)

Best answer: You should not go out alone for your first time sea kayaking. A touring kayak is a very different shape of boat to the kind of kayaking you've done before, self rescue strategies are vastly different, and if you know nothing about the local tides and streams, you could get into trouble very quickly. In general the advice with sea kayaking is not to swim away from your boat unless it is sinking, regardless of how strong a swimmer you think you are. I can't speak for France but I know of many places that will not rent a solo sea kayak to somebody who does not have a demonstrable level of training or skill. Not least because the equipment, including the large amount of safety equipment you would need, is expensive.
posted by Ardnamurchan at 8:26 AM on April 23, 2023 [2 favorites]

Agreed that I would opt for a guided kayak group for the reasons above. Also: immediately bee-lining straight to a kayak tour at a specific time might not be the best idea. You'll be in an unfamiliar area with winding roads and who knows what the traffic will be like, possible other delays, etc. Personally I'd get settled a little first and then do a guided tour at a specific time. Otherwise, I like that you aren't trying to cram too many things into your itinerary! You will likely find unexpected thing that interest you, and it's always good to have time and not feel rushed.

Have fun.
posted by SoberHighland at 10:36 AM on April 23, 2023

Best answer: Parking in the Calanques can be fairly insane!

Obvious suggestion: Matisse Chapel in Vence. Also mosaics in nearby St. Paul de Vence by Chagall.

The glassworks in Biot

Charming village: Èze

You'll be going right past the Ste-Victoire for views and/or hiking.
posted by Rumple at 10:46 AM on April 23, 2023

Best answer: okay I am making a pitch for scrap it and head north from Nice.

Nice is only about 30 mins from the Gorgeous old time town of Èze, France. Stop by their Jardin Exotique d' Eze. It's amazing. Get food at Mas Provincal for the flowers alone. Hit up the Perfumieries in Eze, and if you are looking for a good beach read Perfume, the story of a murder is a great one.

Continue onward to Monaco, and make sure you stop by Le Jardin Exotique du Monaco. We stated at Le Méridien Beach Plaza which was expensive but great, especially for the beautifully pebbled beach, and if i recall correctly, there was a dock out the back that had paddleboards and kayaks for rent. Monaco is weird and beautiful and once you've driven around it you'll be able to say you've driven on the famous Formula 1 racetrack.

It's also only a little bit farther to northern Italy if you want to do 3 countries in 3 days.

We arrived to Èze and Monaco after driving all the way from Cannes, and the drive was definitely pretty, but i really recall feeling like i would have loved to have a lot more time to enjoy the gardens and the beach and strolling instead of burning daylight on the road. YMMV.

looking at the atlas obscura, there is a lot of neat looking stuff between Nice and the Italian border. more gardens, a mideival underground fort. and an oceanographic museum. You can also walk on the footrails of Nietzsche.

I am sure you will have fun either way :) but these Jardins are EXOTIQUE.
posted by wowenthusiast at 11:56 AM on April 23, 2023 [1 favorite]

Parking in the Calanques can be fairly insane!

Adding to this, when I stayed in Cassis, I had to park a fairly good distance from my hotel. It's a lovely walk--but it does eat up time.

I drove east from Cassis through Toulon, St-Tropez and Fréjus. It's a nice drive, there are some pretty stretches, but of course some bits have twists and turns, and you'll be stopping to enjoy the scenery, so factor in time accordingly.

A little further east, stop by La Turbie and visit the Roman monument on the mountain--there's an incredible view over Monaco and the Mediterranean.
posted by gimonca at 12:37 PM on April 23, 2023