French Riviera Escape
10 Days | 9 Nights | From $7,990 per person*
From Cannes to Juan-les-Pins to Nice — a private journey along the Côte d'Azur
The Journey
The French Riviera has drawn travelers for over a century with its particular alchemy of light, sea, and savoir-faire. This ten-day journey moves at an unhurried pace — Cannes and its golden waterfront, the perfume hills above Grasse, the Art Deco ease of Juan-les-Pins, the medieval villages clinging to the cliffs above Monaco, and finally Nice, the grand dame of the coast, used as a base for day trips to places that reward the traveler who doesn't rush. The fil rouge running through it all is a coastline that has never quite lost its ability to surprise.
Day 1 — Arrival in Cannes
Arrive into Nice airport and transfer west along the coast to Cannes — your base for the opening nights. Settle into your four or five-star hotel along La Croisette and take an evening stroll along the waterfront as the day cools. For dinner, Da Bouttau — the oldest restaurant in Cannes — is a storied first evening choice, or Il Grande at the Palm Beach Casino, where the setting is as memorable as the meal.
Day 2 — Cannes at Leisure
A day without an agenda — which is itself a luxury. The old port and the Marché Forville in the morning, the boutiques along Rue d'Antibes in the afternoon, or simply a chair at a beach club and a glass of rosé. For those who want to get on the water, an afternoon boat trip out to the Îles de Lérins — two small islands just offshore, one with a working monastery, one with the fortress where the Man in the Iron Mask was held — is among the most underrated half-days on the Riviera. Sainte-Marguerite Island is also home to something entirely unexpected — the Underwater Ecomuseum, where sculptures submerged just offshore can be explored by snorkel or glass-bottom boat. One of those only-on-the-Riviera experiences that most visitors never discover. Tea at the InterContinental Carlton Cannes, a Belle Époque landmark on La Croisette, is an afternoon ritual worth honoring — the patisseries alone are reason enough.
Day 3 — Grasse & the Perfume Country
The hills above Cannes smell different from the coast — cooler, greener, thick with jasmine and rose at the right time of year. A half-day excursion takes you up to Grasse, the perfume capital of the world, and to the Fragonard perfumery — one of the oldest in France — where you can tour the historic production facilities and, if the timing is right, participate in a private fragrance workshop. Back to Cannes by afternoon, with time for a final evening along the waterfront before the journey continues east.
Day 4 — Transfer to Juan-les-Pins
A short transfer east along the coast to Juan-les-Pins, the Art Deco sister town to Antibes with a more relaxed, beach-forward character. Check into your four or five-star hotel and settle into the slower rhythm that Juan-les-Pins does so well. This evening, dinner at a restaurant right on the beach — a short stroll from your hotel — where the tables are set in the sand, the sea is close enough to hear, and the only agenda is the next glass of rosé.
Day 5 — Juan-les-Pins & Antibes
A morning at leisure in Juan-les-Pins — the beach, the market, the pine-shaded promenade that gives the town its name. After lunch, a short drive into Antibes — one of the most underappreciated towns on the coast. The old ramparts run along the sea, the Picasso Museum occupies a château where Picasso actually worked in 1946, and the covered market is among the best on the Riviera. Back to Juan-les-Pins for the evening.
Day 6 — Transfer to Nice
A leisurely morning in Juan-les-Pins before transferring east along the coast to Nice, your base for the final chapter of the journey. Check into your four or five-star hotel and dinner in Vieux Nice — socca, pissaladière, and a carafe of local wine in the old town.
Day 7 — Monaco & Monte-Carlo
A full day in Monaco by private driver — small enough to walk across, and yet somehow larger than life. The Prince's Palace and the changing of the guard in the morning, the Oceanographic Museum in the afternoon, and then Monte-Carlo: the Casino, the Café de Paris, and the harbor of superyachts that never seems to get old. Back to Nice for the evening — the drive along the Corniche at dusk is worth staying awake for.
Signature moment: The Casino terrace at Monte-Carlo as the late afternoon light turns gold over the harbor — this is the day worth building the whole trip around.
Day 8 — Èze & Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
A half-day private driver takes you up to the medieval village of Èze, perched 400 meters above the sea with views that stretch to Corsica on a clear day. From there, down to the Cap-Ferrat peninsula and the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild — a Belle Époque folly with nine themed gardens cascading toward the sea, built by a Rothschild heiress who couldn't decide which style she loved most and chose all of them. Lunch at a cliffside restaurant with views toward Monaco, then back to Nice for an afternoon at leisure.
Day 9 — Nice & the Old Town
The last full day belongs to Nice itself — a city that rewards wandering. Vieux Nice in the morning: the Baroque churches, the flower market at Cours Saleya, the climb up Colline du Château for a final look at the coastline you've spent the week exploring. Afternoon free for the Matisse Museum, the Chagall Museum, or simply the beach. A final dinner overlooking the Baie des Anges.
Day 10 — Departure
Private transfer to Nice airport for your onward journey.
What's Included
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Private airport transfers
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Four and five-star accommodations selected for location and quality
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Private driver-guide for excursion days
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Skip-the-line entry to featured sites
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Daily breakfast
Rates are per person, based on double occupancy, and vary by season and accommodation category. Four or five-star accommodations throughout, subject to availability at time of booking.
Ready to make this trip your own?
Every journey we design is built around you — your dates, your pace, your version of the Riviera.