South of France: Itinerary

 

ABOUT

My friends and I traveled to the South of France in June 2022. We crammed in as many locations and activities as possible. We started in Saint-Tropez, made our way to Aix-en-Provence and ended in Nice for a total of 9 vacation days. Given the general location this was not a quick nor budget friendly trip.

Best times to visit the South of France are May - Oct, noting that it gets quite hot and crowded July-August. We found the temperature/crowds in early - mid June quite enjoyable.

Day 1: Travel to Saint-Tropez

  • Fly into Nice Airport (NCE)

  • Arranged hotel transport from Airport to Hotel Pastis in Saint-Tropez (~2.5 hour drive from Nice)

  • Walk through the town and along main drag on water (Quai Jean Jaures where Senequier and many of the iconic Saint-Tropez restaurants are).

  • Dinner at Noto in the Place des Lices

    - We stumbled on this restaurant, definitely touristy but we were jet-lagged and just wanted a quick dinner before bed.

  • Stay the night at Hotel Pastis

Day 2: Saint-TROPEZ

  • Explore the old town, the citadel, and the port.

    - Walk past Tour du Portalet along the water and along Plage de la Ponche

    - Walk up to Citadel of Saint-Tropez - Museum of Maritime History

    - Walk back through town visit Place aux Herbes for flowers and the fresh fish market

    - End at Musee de l'Annonciade, a gorgeous art museum right in downtown Saint-Tropez

  • Lunch at Artilier la Forge

    - We were told locals actually eat here, and it felt that way! It’s also located right next to famous Hotel la Ponch which comes highly recommended for a meal or drink. This is the hotel that (in part) made Saint-Tropez the famous vacation destination it is today.

    - If you’re in it for the pics, go to Dior Des Lices for lunch. It’s at the Dior Hotel and basically just photo ops of Dior branded food.

    - Get Gelato at Barbac (best gelato in Saint-Tropez)

  • Walk back to Hotel Pastis to swim and relax by the pool

  • Dinner at Nano Trattoria

  • Stay the night at Hotel Pastis

Day 3: St. Tropez Boat Day

  • Booked hotel transport to port Cavalaire Sur Mer (~30mins)

    - Note we did this through the hotel but noticed after that there were readily available Ubers for much cheaper.

  • Boat trip with Locavalaire

    - You can rent a boat with a captain or drive it yourself. Bring your own towels. Boat to Porquerolles island and to Port-Cros.

    - Porquerolles is a super cute small town with several shops and restaurants for lunch. And Port-Cros is a natural underwater reserve with lots of wildlife. There are jellyfish in the water so be vigilant while swimming. We spent several hours at both destinations.

  • Drive back to Saint-Tropez

  • Relax, room service dinner after being out on the boat drinking all day

  • Spend the night at Hotel Pastis

Day 4: St. Tropez Beach ClubS

  • Go to the Morning Market in Place des Lices

    - These open air markets happen every Saturday morning and there are various vendors for clothing, food, pottery, jewelry, glass-wear, textiles you name it.

  • Visit Plage de Pampelonne

    - This stretch of beach is where all of the iconic Saint-Tropez beach clubs are. Again we booked transport via the hotel (~10min drive) but there were Ubers available.

    - We went to a more “chill” beach club, Cabane Bambou so that we could read on the beach.

    - Alt Beach Club Recs: Le Club 55 (classic sceney spot, hard to get reservations) Bagatelle (another classic beach club with many locations, but the St.Tropez location inspired the rest of the chain), Loulou.

  • Back to Hotel to relax and get ready for dinner

  • Dinner at Les Toits Rooftop

    - This is one of the few water view rooftops in Saint-Tropez. It’s at the top of Hotel du Paris. It was quite upscale, with live music and stunning views.

  • Going out: VIP Room, Bar Du Port, Pablo, Chez Maggy, Tsar Folie’s, Cohibar

    - Would go on the earlier side to avoid lines, we went around 10:30/11 which is extremely early for Saint-Tropez but walked right in.

Day 5: Valensole + Aix-en-Provence

  • Rent a car or book a driver and go to Valensole to see lavender fields (~3 hours)

    - The best time to see the lavender in bloom is late June -July, so we were a bit on the early side.

    - Best spots: Lavandes Angelvin GPS: 43.82374, 5.93828. Stone hut lavender field, GPS: 43.89574, 6.11351.

  • Lunch in Valensole Village

    - This small charming village was the highlight of the day. You pass so many rolling lavender fields on the way in and out.

  • Drive to Aix-en-Provence (~1 hour)

    - We stayed at a more budget friendly hotel for the night, Hotel Cezanne

  • Explore Aix-en-Provence

    - Paroisse Catherdal and various museums.

    - Dinner at Le Petit Bistrot Place Richelme super cute spot overlooking a plaza with tons of restaurants and shops.

  • Spend the night in Hotel Cezanne

Day 6: Aix-en-Provence + Saint Paul de Vence

  • Explore Aix-en-Provence

    - Visit Cezzane’s old house/art studio

  • Drive to Saint Paul de Vence (~2 hours)

    - One of the oldest medieval towns on the French Riviera. We spent the whole day wandering the streets, stopping in the shops and cathedrals and having lunch overlooking the rolling hillsides and surrounding chateaus.

  • Drive to Nice (~30mins)

    - Check into Hotel La Perouse

    - Chill outdoor Dinner at Hotel and spend the night

Day 7: Nice

  • Explore Nice

    - Some Main spots: Cours Saleya , Place Rossetti, Marché Aux Fleurs Cours Saleya (flower market), and Place Garibaldiand

  • Lunch at The Service Course

    - American coffee shop vibes (they had iced lattes and milk alternatives, everyone enjoyed the break from whole milk :p)

  • Vintage Shopping in old town

    - La Fraperie, Caprice Vintage Shop, O Chineur, Central Vintage Shop, La Belle Epoque Vintage 

  • Go to Castel Beach Club to swim/eat

  • Back to hotel to change

  • Drinks and small bites at Hotel Negresco

    - Famous historical tourist hotel along the main road Promenade des Anglais

  • Spend night at Hotel La Perouse

Day 8: Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat

  • Uber to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat to visit Villa Ephrussi De Rothschild (~20 mins)

    - We spent all morning at this villa, it has stunning rooms, gardens/grounds and the audio tour is free

  • Uber/walk to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat beach club for lunch and swimming

    - We wanted to go to Paloma Beach Club but it was fully booked. Instead we walked to Passables beach club which was a nice (albeit less sceney) alternative

    - If we had had more time, would have loved to visit Grand Hotel du Cap-Ferrat

  • Uber back to Hotel La Perouse

  • Uber to Dinner at Le Plongeoir

    - This iconic restaurant is built on top of old diving platforms over the sea. It’s very small so reservations are a must. If you can’t get a reservation there is walk up bar downstairs.

  • Drinks at late night beach clubs: Plage les Canailles, Cocoon Beach, La Baieta Beach

  • Spend night at Hotel La Perouse

Day 9: Final Day in Nice

  • Breakfast at Hotel La Perouse

  • Visit MusĂ©e Matisse

  • Explore town

    - Fenochhio Gelato in Rosetti Square is the most famous gelato spot with the most flavors.

    - Alt spots to visit: Cathédrale Orthodoxe Russe Saint-Nicolas, Hike Castle Hill to Colline du Chateau, Visit Musée du Palais Lascaris

  • Dinner at award winning spot Lu Fran Calin in the Rosetti Square

    - Alt highly recommended dinner option: L’Escalinada

  • Spend night at Hotel La Perouse and get ready to leave in the AM

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