The independent guide to the French Riviera
Mametas They know the Riviera.
Where to stay, what to book, how to move — and what really is not worth your time.
For first-time visitors planning 3 to 7 days. An independent editorial project embodied by fictional matriarchs; the places, logistics and compromises are researched for real.
First decision
How many days do you actually have?
Do not start with restaurants. Start with the shape of the trip. Each plan gives you a sensible base, realistic day trips and the reservations worth making before you land.
The essential edit
One base, one coast, very little luggage choreography. Enough to understand the Riviera, not enough to conquer it.
See the short version → 05 days · our pickBased in Nice, no car
The strongest first trip: one practical base and four distinct Riviera moods, all without feeding a parking meter.
Open the full plan → 07 daysRoom to breathe
Add a slow day and a western excursion. A holiday should not feel like an airport connection.
Extend the itinerary →Choose your base
Same coast. Different trip.
Your base decides how much time you spend on the beach, on a platform or trying to find somewhere lively after dinner. Pick the place that fits the trip, then the hotel.
Nice
Best transport, broadest choice, a city after dark.
Villefranche
Sea views first; fewer options once the day-trippers leave.
Cannes
Beaches and hotels delivered with a straighter face.
Antibes
Old town, proper beach, less theatre than Cannes.
Where to stay
A beautiful hotel can still be the wrong hotel.
Our cards start with the use case and end with the catch. Rates change; geography and compromises tend to be more reliable.
See all selected hotels
Hôtel du Couvent
A remarkable hideaway in Old Nice when the hotel is part of the trip, not merely where you leave the suitcase.
The catch: charm, slopes and heavy luggage are not always close friends.
Hôtel Apollinaire
Central, useful and considerably easier than organising every day around a glamorous sea view.
The catch: this is the practical choice, not the toes-in-the-water fantasy.
Hôtel La Pérouse
Above the sea at the edge of Old Nice, with the view doing a respectable amount of work.
The catch: the main railway station is not your neighbour.
Right now
The Riviera does not stay still for your booking.
Major events change rates, traffic and availability. This layer will remain small, current and useful — no filler calendar.
What deserves attention now
The reservations, crowded dates and genuinely useful seasonal notes for this month.
Cannes changes gear
A major yachting week: accommodation improvisation becomes a poor hobby.
Monaco fills up
If Monaco is on the route or in the hotel budget, plan before Port Hercule gets busy.
Explore by place
Go deep before you go wide.
The V3 starts with the places that solve the most common first-trip decisions. Saint-Tropez remains an excursion with its own logistics, not a casual extension of Nice.
Nice
The strongest all-round base and the place to understand first.
Villefranche & Cap-Ferrat
One bay, one peninsula and several different transport decisions.
Monaco & Menton
Pair the spectacle with the softer eastern edge of the Riviera.
Antibes & Cannes
Two western moods that should not be sold as the same day.
Saint-Paul-de-Vence
Worth the inland detour when the timing is deliberate.
Saint-Tropez
A specific expedition, especially if you refuse to rent a car.