The French Riviera: From Hilltop Villages to Harbor Cities

The Coast of Light

The Medieval Village of Eze

The French Riviera—known in France as the Côte d’Azur, the “Azure Coast”—stretches along the Mediterranean from Cannes to the Italian border. It is celebrated for its startlingly blue sea, palm-lined promenades, and a chain of towns and villages that mix glamour with history. For more than a century, it has drawn artists, writers, and travelers: Matisse in Nice, F. Scott Fitzgerald in Antibes, Grace Kelly in Monaco. Hilltop villages still look down from medieval stone walls, while life below unfolds in open-air markets, villas from the Belle Époque—France’s late-19th-century golden age of leisure—and pebbled beaches. The combination is what makes the Riviera enduring: a coast where leisure and culture share the same horizon.

Nice: The Beating Heart of the Riviera

Nice is the beating heart of the French Riviera. Sitting between the hills and the Mediterranean, it blends old-world charm with seaside energy. Along the Promenade des Anglais, palm-lined strolls meet pebbled beaches and vibrant street life.

At its center, Place Masséna feels like an Italian piazza—grand fountains, red façades, and café terraces filled from morning to night. In Vieux Nice, narrow lanes wind past market stalls and pastel houses, while Castle Hill above gives a sweeping view across rooftops and sea.

Art shapes the city too: the Musée Matisse rests among olive groves, while the Russian Orthodox Cathédrale Saint-Nicolas adds an unexpected splash of color with its domes. Nice is also the Riviera’s gateway—home to the main airport, frequent trains, and buses that make day trips easy. As night falls, locals gather on the beach with wine and olives, proof that this city is both cultural hub and seaside escape.

UNESCO World Heritage — Nice, Winter Resort Town of the Riviera

Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2021, Nice is celebrated for its unique history as a winter retreat for European aristocracy and wealthy families—particularly the British and Russians—from the mid-18th century onward. The city’s urban form, architecture, and seaside promenades reflect this cosmopolitan legacy.

The UNESCO-listed zone spans more than 500 hectares and includes three main areas:

The Promenade des Anglais. Originally a modest coastal path laid out by British visitors in 1824, it was later expanded into one of Europe’s most prestigious seaside boulevards. Today its landmarks include grand hotels and palaces such as the famous Hôtel Le Negresco, a symbol of the Riviera’s Belle Époque glamour.

The city center. Here, ornate façades on palaces and public buildings—such as Palais Paschetta, Palais Alice, and Palais Mozart—show the influence of Italian craftsmen and the transformation of Nice into a cosmopolitan resort city.

The hill districts. Extending into Mont Boron and Cimiez, these slopes attracted wealthy foreign visitors who built lavish villas and châteaux. Notable examples include the Villa Furtado-Heine and the striking neo-classical Château de l’Anglais.

Want to explore more World Heritage Sites? See our WHS search tool.

Èze: The Village in the Sky

Of all the Riviera’s villages, Èze feels the most otherworldly. Nearly 400 meters above the Mediterranean, it clings to a rocky peak like an eagle’s nest. The first settlement was Phoenician—drawn by the strategic headland on a busy sea route—then Roman. In the Middle Ages, lords fortified the crest to watch the coast below.

Walking through Èze is stepping into that history. Stone lanes wind beneath arches, past small chapels and shaded courtyards. At the summit, the Jardin Exotique spreads through the castle ruins: cacti and succulents against open sky, carved figures set among old walls, and a wraparound view from Italy’s mountains to the bays beyond Antibes.

Èze is at its best in the quiet hours. At daybreak, you hear only footfalls and fountains with rosemary and pine on the air. After dusk, the coast becomes a field of lights and the village feels suspended between earth and sky. Staying in the hills just outside the village gives you those calm mornings and evenings without the daytime crowds, while keeping you within half an hour’s drive of Nice, Monaco, Menton, and Antibes.

Access and logistics: the hilltop village is not on the rail line. Trains stop at Èze-sur-Mer on the coast; buses link the beach and the village above, and the Nietzsche Path is a steep hike between them. Parking near the village is limited. Èze works best with a car; without one, connections are possible but slower. If you plan to rely on trains alone, base in Nice or Villefranche.

Where to Base Yourself

Most travelers pick Nice—and with good reason. It has the region’s main airport, frequent trains and buses, and a deep bench of hotels, museums, and restaurants. You can walk the Promenade des Anglais at sunrise, browse Cours Saleya by mid-morning, and be with Matisse or Chagall by afternoon. The tradeoff is energy: Nice hums late, its beaches are pebbled, and the vibe leans urban over quiet.

If you want peace and dramatic scenery, Èze is the high-perched alternative. It works best with a car—access is easiest by road. Without one, buses and a steep path link the beach (Èze-sur-Mer) to the hilltop but make connections slower. The reward is quiet mornings, starry evenings, and a base still within 30–45 minutes of Nice, Monaco, Menton, and Antibes.

Other excellent bases, each with a distinct feel

Villefranche-sur-Mer — A pastel harbor on one of the Riviera’s prettiest bays. Quieter than Nice, with easy train links and a shoreline built for lingering lunches and swims.
Beaulieu-sur-Mer — Flat and walkable, with small sandy/pebble beaches and a marina. Quick access to Cap-Ferrat’s coastal paths.
Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat — Pine-scented trails and pocket coves; a tucked-away feel. Ideal for swims and seaside walks (don’t miss the Villa & Gardens Ephrussi de Rothschild).
Antibes — Walled old town, sandy beaches, and a working harbor. The Picasso Museum sits in a seaside castle—easy to pair culture with beach time.
Menton — Near the Italian border, known for citrus and gardens (the winter Lemon Festival, Val Rahmeh, Serre de la Madone). Softer pace and elegant seafront.
Cannes — Broad beaches and island ferries to the Îles de Lérins. Buzzy waterfront and plenty of hotels if you want nightlife with your sand.

How to choose in one line

Crave culture and convenience → Nice
Quiet views with easy reach (best by car) → Èze
Harbor calm + train convenience → Villefranche
Seaside walks + coves → Cap-Ferrat / Beaulieu
Beaches + old-town character → Antibes
Garden elegance + softer pace → Menton
Sandy sprawl + nightlife + islands → Cannes

Exploring the Contrasts

The Riviera’s magic lies in its contrasts: within minutes you can move from high corniche roads to calm harbors, or step out of an art museum and into a quiet swim cove.

Monaco — A tiny, independent principality set on a cliff. Walk the Rock from the Prince’s Palace to the cathedral where Grace Kelly is buried, visit the Oceanographic Museum, then look down on one of the world’s most famous harbors.
Villefranche Bay — An amphitheater of ochre houses around still water. Slower and softer than Nice, ideal for an unhurried lunch by the quay and a swim.
Cap-Ferrat — Pine-shaded coastal paths and pocket coves. The Villa & Gardens Ephrussi de Rothschild (an early-1900s pink villa with themed gardens) adds a touch of elegance above the sea.
Antibes vs. Cannes — In Antibes, ramparts, a Provençal market, and sandy beaches sit beside a working harbor and the Picasso Museum. In Cannes, broad sands and boat trips to the Îles de Lérins offer a calm counterpoint to the Croisette’s buzz.

Villages of Stone and Story

After the coast’s promenades and harbors, the contrast is striking: on the ridges above, the Riviera’s villages are built in stone and built for height. Most took shape between the 12th and 14th centuries, when raiders and rival powers made elevation the safest plan. Walls, arches, stairways, and chapels were all laid in local rock, so the places feel carved from the hills themselves.

You already know Èze. Two nearby hill towns make an easy detour and show the same story in a quieter key:

Peille — Inland above La Turbie, Peille feels largely untouched: vaulted passages, stacked stone houses, and small squares where daily life moves slowly. From Peille, it’s a short hop to La Turbie to see the Roman Trophy of Augustus (built in 6 BC to mark Rome’s victory over the Alpine tribes), still standing high on the Grande Corniche.
Peillon — A ridge-top cluster of stepped alleys and tight stone facades. Few cars, soft light late in the day, and the kind of quiet that makes you lower your voice.

These are the Riviera’s “villages of stone”: practical in origin, beautiful in result. Built high for safety centuries ago, they now offer calm views and a clear sense of how the coast once lived.

Market Life

Markets on the Riviera aren’t just places to shop—they set the day’s rhythm. For centuries, towns met in the morning to trade produce, olives, cheeses, flowers, and fish from the surrounding hills and sea. That habit still shapes daily life.

In Nice, the Cours Saleya leads the way. Striped awnings shade stalls of seasonal fruit, Provençal herbs, olives, and flowers from the nearby valleys. On certain days, antiques replace produce and the square turns into a hunt for old books, silver, and prints. The smell drifting from the griddles is socca—a thin chickpea pancake baked on a wide pan, crisp at the edges and eaten hot with pepper. It’s been a local staple for generations.

Other towns keep their own flavor. In Antibes, the covered Provençal market is packed with goat cheeses, tapenades, and bunches of thyme and rosemary. Menton is known for citrus—look for lemons in winter and marmalades year-round. Even the small inland villages—like Peille and Peillon—hold weekly markets with just a few stalls, where everything comes from nearby gardens and farms.

When to go: most markets run in the morning and wind down by early afternoon. Arrive before lunch for the full bustle, then carry your picnic to a viewpoint or a quiet cove.

Day Trips and Drives

From Nice or Èze, day trips spread out like spokes on a wheel. Trains and buses make many easy; with a car, the range grows wider.

Monaco — Fifteen minutes by train. Walk the palace square, climb to the old town, visit the Oceanographic Museum, or watch yachts in the harbor before slipping back to France for dinner.
Menton — Half an hour east, right on the Italian border. Known for its lemon groves, winter Lemon Festival, and terraced gardens. Softer pace, elegant villas, and warm light.
Antibes — West of Nice. Old stone ramparts, a covered Provençal market, sandy beaches, and the Picasso Museum overlooking the harbor.
Cannes — Wide beaches and boat rides to the quiet Îles de Lérins, where a monastery faces the sea. A counterpoint to the Croisette’s glamour.
Inland Villages — A short drive brings you to places like Saint-Paul-de-Vence or Gourdon, with art galleries, stone ramparts, and mountain air that feels a world away from the coast.

Portofino? Beautiful, but not a day trip from here. It sits in Italy's Liguria, roughly 3.5–4 hours away by car one way. Better to save it for another journey and give the Riviera its own time.

The Corniche Roads

If you have a car, the Riviera’s three Corniche roads are destinations in themselves. The lower road (Basse Corniche) hugs the water; the middle (Moyenne Corniche) winds through terraces and cliffs; and the high (Grande Corniche) soars above them all. First traced by the Romans and later rebuilt by Napoleon, the views run to every headland and bay. For a full guide to routes, stops, and even walking options, see our Corniche Roads Travel Guide.

The Grande Corniche became famous in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1955 film To Catch a Thief, where Cary Grant and Grace Kelly drove its bends above the sea. The scene turned the road into legend—made all the more poignant when Kelly later became Princess of Monaco. Drive it today and the same panoramas stretch out in every direction: turquoise coast, rocky cliffs, and stone villages perched in the hills.

Practical Notes

Getting around: Trains and buses link the coast well. A car helps for inland villages and combining multiple stops in a day.
Parking: Hill towns are tight. Use signed lots and aim for early or late arrivals.
When to go: Late spring and early fall bring warm seas, softer crowds, and long evenings. High summer is busy but festive.
What to pack: Walking shoes for stone lanes and cliff paths, a light layer for breezy viewpoints, swim gear, and something that dresses up easily.
Pacing: Two highlights a day is plenty. The Riviera rewards unhurried hours more than checklists.

Why It Endures

What lingers is the layering: ancient traces, medieval villages of stone, Belle Époque villas, and modern marinas—all sharing the same blue horizon.

Base yourself in Èze and you hold both halves of the Riviera in a single day: quiet heights in the morning, sea air in the afternoon, and a return at night to a village where history feels close enough to touch.