What to Pack for the French Riviera with Kids

Through years of travel, I’ve learned trips are most enjoyable when they feel easy. And for me, that starts with packing.

I’m very type A, and before our French Riviera trip, I planned out every single outfit for our family. I knew what we’d be doing each day, and I wanted to remove any unnecessary decisions once we were there. I even took photos of each outfit ahead of time so getting ready each morning was simple (and our outfits matched).

We only packed two extra outfits per person, which kept everything streamlined without feeling restrictive. And honestly, it made such a difference. There was no outfit stress, no overpacking, and no second guessing. Everything just felt… easy.

We were gone for a few weeks, and looking back, I’m quite proud of everything we packed. Our outfits were comfortable, yet put together. Here’s everything I recommend you pack for the French Riviera with kids.

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Kids Clothing

• Linen short sleeve button down shirts: Breathable and chic
• Khaki style shorts made of swim material : These look like regular shorts, but dry quickly if we chose to jump in the water or ran through a water fountain
• Classic shorts
• Swim suits
• Long sleeve button down :: For nicer evenings
• Jeans/Khaki pants: We packed these, but they were never worn, but we also cooked dinner at home most evenings.
• 2 sweaters: Evenings can get cooler, but these weren’t used often either.
• 1 linen suit: We packed this specifically for Monaco
• 1 pair of tennis shoes/sneakers
• Loafers: for nicer outfits
• Native water shoes: These are perfect for long walks & water days. My younger wore these 99% of the trip.
• Rubber water shoes: You will need these for rocky beaches, but we did prefer the sandy beaches when we found them.

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Kids Extras & Entertainment

• We packed these full of legos we already had at home, as wanted the boys to have something to do in our apartment at the end of the day. I didn’t want TV to be their main source of entertainment when we were back at the apartment.
• Cards: Playing cards are always a good idea! We also love UNO.
• Small Legos: These are perfect for long meals. When the boys started getting stir crazy, I would give each of them one of these little lego sets to build and play with. The I put them in ziploc bags to keep them together after.
• Ziploc Bags: We use these for legos, extra croissants/snacks we wanted to keep, shells we found, wet clothing, etc. We always keep ziploc bags on us when traveling.
• Ipads: These are really only used on travel days, so pre-download movies just to be safe!

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My Outfits

My closet is mostly made up of neutral colors, plus navy, so most of my pieces could mix and match.

• Linen dresses: I LIVE in linen dresses in the summer. I bought this dress in multiple colors a few summers ago, and they are still some of my favorite go-to dresses! I also picked this dress up in multiple colors and it is also another go-to!
• Linen skirts: Linen breathes so well and dries well after a beach day. I own full length and short linen skirts.
• Shorts: I packed a tan pair and black pair.
• Tanks: I packed a white and black tank.
• Swimsuits: I packed 2 and ended up purchasing a third.
• Shoes: I almost exclusively lived in my Oran sandals. I’ve had mine for years & find them incredibly comfortable. But make sure you pack shoes you can comfortably walk miles in. I wore heels a bit in Monaco, but that was it and also wasn’t required.
• Sweater: I packed a couple, but I wore them more for the aesthetic than out of necessity.
• Blazer: I love a good blazer, and really like the cut of this linen blazer.
• Rubber water shoes: You will need these for rocky beaches, but we did prefer the sandy beaches.

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His Outfits

• Linen button up short sleeves: My husband loves linen button ups because they are light, breathe well and are comfortable.
• Shorts
• Swimsuits
• A couple long sleeve button ups: For nicer evenings or outings
• T-shirts: He lives in these tees at home, and he also loves them for travel days.
• A linen suit: Packed for Monaco
• Tennis Shoes/Sneakers
• Loafers
• Flip flops: (California rubbed off on him!)
• Rubber water shoes: You will need these for rocky beaches, but we did prefer the sandy beaches.

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Extras

• Purses/bags: In an attempt to simplify- I packed two classic purses (tan and black), and two large bags for carrying all of our ‘stuff’ (a handwoven market tote and a black bag). I used the larger bag to carry the little lego sets, ziploc bags, etc. Caleb often ended up carrying my larger bag, but it was usually very light anyways.
• Sunscreen: We love this face stick
• Sunglasses
• Hats: I wore my hat, but no one else wore their hats.
• Bandaids: Always a good idea for blisters that may come up!
• Portable charger: I take way too many photos and videos on vacation, so a portable charger is a MUST for me.
• Towels: Full disclosure, we didn’t bring these because we knew we wanted to purchase some as a momento. We bought some turkish towels in Saint Tropez. But if you want to bring them, I highly recommend bringing towels like these.

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For the Beach

We only planned 1 FULL beach day, so we often dressed for the beach plus a day around town.

For our full beach day, the kids and my husband wore their swim trunks with a button up linen shirt. I wore a swim suit, a wrap skirt & a linen shirt. We spent the day at a beach club, so they provided towels and beach day necessities.

On the other days we knew we would be near the beach, my boys wore their khaki shorts made out of swimsuit material and I wore my swimsuit under a dress or with a linen skirt. I wanted to make sure we would still look chic around town, but were beach ready. I didn’t want to look like we spent the day at the beach and then stumbled into town.

For Travel Days

• Layers for flights: Wear layers or at least pack an extra layer for airplanes, they are often chilly!
• iPads & headphones: Fully charged and with multiple pre-downloaded moveies/shows.
• Chargers: Just in case, for phones, ipads, etc.
• Snacks: I like to keep a bag of pistachios with me!

Is there anything you would ad or change?
What is one of your travel essentials?

find other French Riviera posts here