Monaco & the French Riviera in 5 Days

Activities

1. 08:30 Train Nice → Monaco-Monte-Carlo 45min

   Take the TER coastal train from Nice-Ville to Monaco-Monte-Carlo — about 20-25 minutes for roughly €4-5 each way, several departures an hour. The station is built into the cliff and exits into the city via lifts and tunnels.

   Cost: €4-5 each way TIP: Buy at the machine or the SNCF Connect app. Sit on the right (seaward) side for coastal views. Start early to beat the cruise-ship day crowds that arrive late morning.
2. 09:30 Place du Casino & Monte-Carlo exterior 1h

   Walk up to the Place du Casino — the Belle Époque Casino de Monte-Carlo (1863), the Hôtel de Paris, the Café de Paris, and the supercar parade. Free to admire from outside; the gaming rooms open at 2pm.

   Cost: Free (exterior) TIP: Mornings (10am-1pm) you can tour the casino rooms without playing in relaxed dress; from 2pm there's a strict dress code and a €19 entry. A coffee on the Café de Paris terrace (€6-10) is the cheapest way to soak up the square.
3. 11:00 Walk to Monaco-Ville (the Rock) for the changing of the guard 1h30

   Cross the harbour to Monaco-Ville, the old town on the Rock, in time for the daily changing of the guard at the Prince's Palace (11:55, about 10 minutes). The Palace Square also has sweeping views over the port and Fontvieille.

   Cost: Free (ceremony) TIP: Arrive by 11:40 to get a good spot — it's free and popular. Use Monaco's free public lifts and escalators to climb to the Rock rather than the stairs.
4. 13:00 Lunch — barbagiuan & socca at the Condamine market 1h

   Drop down to the Marché de la Condamine on Place d'Armes — its covered food hall has around 20 stalls serving barbagiuan (Monaco's national dish), socca, and fresh pasta for €4-15. The one genuinely affordable hot meal in Monaco.

   Cost: €8-18 per person TIP: Go before the market quiets in mid-afternoon. Barbagiuan (chard-and-ricotta pastry, €4-7) and socca (chickpea pancake, €4-6) are the local must-tries. For a sit-down Monégasque meal instead, U Cavagnetu in the old town does stocafi salt-cod stew.
5. 14:30 Oceanographic Museum of Monaco 2h

   The cliff-top Musée Océanographique (founded 1910 by Prince Albert I, once directed by Jacques Cousteau) — a grand aquarium with a shark lagoon and touch pool, marine-science exhibits, and a rooftop terrace with huge sea views. Adults €22.50, children/students €14.

   Cost: €22.50 adult TIP: The most substantial indoor sight in Monaco — allow 1.5-2 hours. It's in Monaco-Ville near the palace, so it pairs with the morning. Note it closes on Grand Prix weekend and Christmas Day. Book online to skip the queue in summer.
6. 16:30 Prince's Palace state apartments (seasonal) + old-town lanes 1h

   If open (roughly April-October), tour the Prince's Palace state apartments (about €10), then wander the medieval lanes of Monaco-Ville — the cathedral (where Grace Kelly is buried), tiny squares, and viewpoints.

   Cost: €10 palace tour TIP: The palace tour runs only in season and closes when the royal family is in residence — check ahead. The old town is the most genuinely characterful part of Monaco and free to explore.
7. 17:45 Port Hercule & the F1 circuit walk 1h15

   Stroll Port Hercule among the superyachts, then walk part of the free F1 Grand Prix circuit on the public roads — the Fairmont hairpin (F1's slowest corner), the tunnel, and the swimming-pool section.

   Cost: Free TIP: Walking the circuit is one of Monaco's best free things to do. Outside Grand Prix week it's ordinary traffic. End with a harbour-side drink at the Brasserie de Monaco microbrewery (beers €8-12) before training back to Nice.

Meal Recommendations

Activities

1. 09:00 Bus from Nice to Èze village 45min

   Take bus line 82 (or the 100 along the coast) up to Èze, a medieval village perched on a 400m crag between Nice and Monaco — one of the most spectacular spots on the Riviera.

   Cost: ~€2-3 TIP: Èze has two parts: the clifftop medieval village and Èze-sur-Mer by the sea. Aim for the village. The bus winds up the Moyenne Corniche with dramatic views.
2. 10:00 Èze village & Jardin Exotique 2h

   Wander the car-free stone lanes, then climb to the Jardin Exotique d'Èze (about €6) at the summit — a cactus garden with one of the most jaw-dropping panoramas on the whole coast, out over Cap Ferrat and the Mediterranean.

   Cost: ~€6 garden TIP: Go early before tour groups. The Fragonard and Galimard perfume workshops in the village offer free tours. Wear comfortable shoes — it's all steps and cobbles.
3. 12:30 Lunch in Èze or onward to Menton 1h30

   Grab a light lunch in Èze, then take the train along the coast to Menton, the last French town before the Italian border — famous for its lemons, pastel old town, and gardens.

   Cost: €15-30 lunch TIP: Menton is reached by the coastal train (change at Monaco or Nice). It's noticeably warmer and quieter than Monaco, with a strong Italian flavour.
4. 14:30 Menton old town & seafront 2h30

   Explore Menton's stacked pastel old town, the Basilica of Saint-Michel, the covered market, and the long pebble seafront promenade. Pure, relaxed Riviera with far fewer crowds than Monaco.

   Cost: Free TIP: Climb the steps to the cemetery above the old town for the classic view back over the rooftops. Try anything lemon — Menton's lemons are a protected speciality. The Lemon Festival runs mid-February to early March.
5. 17:30 Train back to Nice 1h

   Return along the coast to Nice (about 35-40 minutes), watching the Riviera slide by, and have dinner in Nice's Vieux Ville.

   Cost: ~€5 TIP: Dinner in Nice's old town is a fraction of Monaco prices — try socca, pissaladière, and daube niçoise. Cours Saleya market square is the lively spot.

Meal Recommendations

Activities

1. 09:30 Promenade des Anglais & the seafront 1h30

   Walk the famous Promenade des Anglais along Nice's pebble bay, the symbol of the city, then drift into the Vieux Nice (old town) lanes.

   Cost: Free TIP: Rent a bike or just stroll. The blue chairs facing the sea are a Nice institution. The Baie des Anges curve is the classic photo.
2. 11:00 Cours Saleya market & Vieux Nice 1h30

   Browse the Cours Saleya flower-and-produce market (mornings, closed Mondays) and the baroque churches, ochre facades, and food shops of the old town.

   Cost: Free (market browsing) TIP: Try socca hot off the griddle from a market stall. Look for candied fruit and Niçoise olives. Mondays the market turns to antiques.
3. 13:00 Lunch in the old town 1h

   A relaxed Niçoise lunch in Vieux Nice — salade niçoise, socca, pan bagnat, or fresh pasta.

   Cost: €15-30 TIP: Far better value than anything in Monaco. Many small places are cash-friendly and quick.
4. 14:30 Castle Hill (Colline du Château) viewpoint 1h30

   Climb (or take the free lift) up Castle Hill for the panoramic view over the Baie des Anges, the old town rooftops, and the port — the best view in Nice. There's a waterfall and gardens at the top.

   Cost: Free TIP: A lift on the east side of the old town saves the climb. Sunset here is superb. The castle itself is long gone — it's the view and gardens that draw you.
5. 16:30 Optional: Matisse or Chagall museum 1h30

   If you have time and energy, the Musée Matisse or the Musée National Marc Chagall (both in the Cimiez area) cap a Riviera trip on a cultural high.

   Cost: €10-12 TIP: Both are short bus rides from the centre. Choose one — Chagall for the biblical-message paintings, Matisse for the local connection.

Meal Recommendations

Activities

1. 09:00 Train Nice → Antibes 45min

   Take the coastal train west to Antibes (about 25-30 minutes), a walled seaside town between Nice and Cannes with one of the prettiest old quarters on the coast.

   Cost: ~€5 TIP: Antibes is the opposite mood to Monaco — laid-back, lived-in, and far cheaper. Trains run frequently along the coast.
2. 10:00 Old Antibes & the Picasso Museum 2h30

   Wander the ramparts and lanes of old Antibes, browse the Marché Provençal covered market, and visit the Picasso Museum in the seafront Château Grimaldi, where the artist worked in 1946 (about €8).

   Cost: ~€8 museum TIP: The Provençal market (mornings) is great for picnic supplies. The museum is small but holds works Picasso made on site — worth it even for non-fans.
3. 13:00 Lunch + Cap d'Antibes coastal walk 3h

   Lunch in the old town, then walk part of the Sentier du Littoral around Cap d'Antibes — a free coastal footpath past coves, pines, and the villas of the super-rich.

   Cost: €15-30 lunch TIP: The Sentier de Tirepoil section of the path is stunning but can be closed in rough weather — check locally. Bring water and proper shoes.
4. 17:00 Juan-les-Pins or back to Nice 1h30

   Finish with a drink at the sandy resort of Juan-les-Pins next door, or train back to Nice for dinner.

   Cost: ~€5 train TIP: Juan-les-Pins has actual sandy beaches (rare on this coast) and a livelier evening scene than Antibes proper.

Meal Recommendations

Activities

1. 09:00 Cours Saleya market (final stock-up) 1h30

   A last wander through the Cours Saleya market in Vieux Nice for flowers, produce, and edible souvenirs — candied fruit, olive oil, and Niçoise specialities.

   Cost: Free browsing TIP: Closed Mondays (antiques day). Buy vacuum-packed or sealed items if flying. Hot socca from a stall is the perfect market breakfast.
2. 11:00 Bus to Saint-Paul-de-Vence 1h

   Head up into the hills to Saint-Paul-de-Vence, a fortified medieval village beloved by artists (Chagall is buried here), full of galleries and cobbled lanes.

   Cost: ~€2-3 bus TIP: The bus (line 400 from Nice) takes about an hour. The village is car-free and very photogenic — go before the midday tour buses if you can.
3. 12:30 Village lanes + Maeght Foundation 3h

   Explore the ramparts and galleries, then visit the Fondation Maeght just outside the village — one of Europe's finest private modern-art collections (Miró, Giacometti, Calder) in a garden setting (about €18).

   Cost: ~€18 foundation TIP: Lunch at a village terrace first. The Maeght Foundation's sculpture garden alone is worth the trip. A relaxed cultural finale away from the coast crowds.
4. 16:30 Return to Nice + departure / final evening 1h30

   Bus back to Nice for an easy final evening on the Promenade or a last Riviera dinner before departure.

   Cost: ~€3 bus TIP: Nice airport (NCE) is a short tram/bus ride from the centre, making the last day flexible whether you fly out tonight or tomorrow.

Meal Recommendations