The French Riviera has a way of stealing your heart — sparkling turquoise waters, pastel-colored towns, and a relaxed yet glamorous lifestyle that feels like something from a movie. When we visited, we quickly realized we would be coming back year after year. We quickly fell in love with multiple cities & kept discussing the pros and cons of making each our home base for future trips! Each town has its own unique personality and many would make an incredible home base- but it depends on the type of trip you want to take.
Whether you’re dreaming of sipping champagne on a private terrace, strolling through cobblestone streets, or chasing the perfect beach day, here’s my breakdown of the pros and cons of staying in seven beautiful Riviera destinations we visited.
Nice
Nice is often said to be the heart of the Riviera and an excellent home base. And if you’re planning your first trip to the French Riviera, I believe this would be a great home base for your trip! We made Nice our home base due to it’s easy access to so many cities, it’s walkability and plentiful offerings (restaurants, playgrounds, thigs to do/see, etc). We loved the apartment we rented and would definitely stay here again!
Pros:
- Large city with endless restaurants, markets, and shopping.
- Gorgeous Promenade des Anglais for walks, bikes, and scootering.
- Easy day-trip access to other Riviera towns via train or bus.
- Mix of beaches, culture, and nightlife.
- Lots of beach clubs.
- Incredible playgrounds for kids- possibly the coolest I’ve ever seen in my life.
Cons:
- Beaches are large pebble/rocks, not sandy (bring water shoes). And we like having more activity options when at the beach (swimming, paddleboarding, jumping off rocks, etc).
- Can feel busy, especially in peak summer.
Villefranche-sur-Mer
This charming harbor town just minutes from Nice and is one of my new favorite places in the world. It is perfectly picturesque and captivated my heart the moment we arrived. It’s close enough to Nice that we actually visited 3 times (one full day, one half day, and one evening). We loved jumping off the rocks into the water, swimming, paddleboarding, and snorkeling. The water is stunning and the beach is a combination of small pebbles and sand. If your goal is to spend ample time in the water, this might be a great home base. The city is definitely on the small side, but it has multiple restaurants and some really cute little shops. We would contemplate staying here because we loved swimming here so much.
Pros:
- Picture-perfect harbor views and colorful buildings.
- Calmer and slower pace than Nice.
- Sandy beach with shallow, calm waters (great for kids).
- We really enjoyed the beach club.
- Short train ride to Nice, Monaco, or Eze.
Cons:
- Smaller — fewer restaurants and shops than bigger cities.
- Limited nightlife options.
Eze
This medieval village perched high above the sea is straight out of a movie. Photos really don’t do this city justice. If it was just Caleb and me- we might choose to stay here for a night or two. It feels like a romantic getaway. But it probably wouldn’t be my first choice, especially if you’re traveling with kids. I would 100% recommend visiting here (and doing the hike), but I don’t know that I would recommend this as a home base) Getting up and down to the top can be cumbersome and time consuming. But I would at least spend half a day here.
Pros:
- Absolutely stunning views — feels like a fairytale.
- Romantic, winding streets with art galleries and boutiques.
- Luxury hotels with panoramic terraces.
- Close to Monaco and Nice for day trips.
Cons:
- Limited accommodation and dining options.
- No real beach access (best paired with another beach town).
- Lots of stairs and uneven pathways (not stroller-friendly).
- Harder to get to and from the picturesque historic village
Menton
This pastel city perfectly blends France & Italy, as it is located right on the Italian border. We loved Menton and discussed maybe making this a home base for future trips. We ate delicious food, swam in the picturesque water & enjoyed learning the history of the city. Menton is actually known to have the most sunny days of the entire French Riviera, as it has its own microclimate. Overall, we will keep this as an option for our home base in the future- but it might not be our first choice purely because it is the furthest city on the French Riviera.
Pros:
- Known for its colorful Old Town and sunny microclimate.
- Beautiful sandy beaches.
- Delicious mix of French and Italian food.
- More affordable than other Riviera hotspots.
Cons:
- Farther from places like Saint Tropez or Cannes.
- Quieter nightlife and smaller city feel.
Monaco
Monaco feels like a movie set- with its yacht-lined marinas, gorgeous gardens, and the iconic Monte Carlo Casino. It was honestly exactly what I expected it to be. We felt so safe walking around and this little principality was incredibly clean. I could see us making Monaco a home base, as it had beautiful spots for swimming and the food was divine. And while we did love visiting here with our boys, it would probably be more enjoyed by adults.
Pros:
- High-end hotels, dining, and shopping
- Gorgeous gardens
- Beautiful marina and famous Monte Carlo Casino
- Safe, clean, and easy to get around
- Great location between Menton and Nice
Cons:
- More expensive (both accommodations and dining)
- More about luxury and style than activities
Cannes
I had heard mixed reviews about Cannes and was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the city. It’s a perfect mix of old-world elegance and modern French Riviera buzz. I don’t know that I would make Cannes my home base, as it felt a bit more touristy and the local culture wasn’t as strong. I think I would choose Nice over Cannes. But we did really enjoy the city. If you want a more resort-style holiday, you might prefer Cannes to Nice!
Pros:
- Long sandy beaches — rare for the Riviera (but also a bit more crowded)
- High-end shopping and dining
- Lively nightlife and events
- Close to the Lérins Islands or Saint Tropez for day trips
Cons:
- Can feel overly touristy during peak events
- Accommodation prices spike during festivals
Saint-Tropez
I honestly can’t decide if I absolutely loved Saint Tropez or was a bit let down by it. The city itself is absolutely gorgeous, the water may be some of the prettiest in the Riviera & we may have had some of our favorite meals here. But it felt like a tourist destination, and it didn’t feel like there was an authentic-local culture. If you’re looking for a gorgeous city, stunning water, great food and luxury- you’re going to love Saint Tropez. I could see us making Saint Tropez a home base for the gorgeous beach and delicious food. We loved swimming in the ocean and it was fun watching the tender boats go to-and-from the yachts. But if you make Saint Tropez your home base, know it will be more of a resort-style vacation and not as much of a culture, adventure filled vacation. I was also surprised to learn the Saint Tropez city center is not located walking distance to the famous beach clubs. It’s a quick taxi ride between the two, but as someone who loves to walk- this was a bit of a disappointment when we started planning our visit. Again, we really enjoyed Saint Tropez- it just lacked a strong local French culture.
Pros:
- Beautiful beaches and luxury beach clubs
- Charming Old Port with yachts and pastel facades
- Excellent dining and high-end boutiques
- Feels glamorous
Cons:
- Harder to reach (best with a car or by boat)
- Feels touristy
- Crowds in peak summer
- Can be expensive
My Takeaway
You really can’t go wrong when visiting the French Riviera! It was all stunning and there wasn’t one city we couldn’t see us enjoying as a home base. If we were to plan this trip again for the first time, I would do it exactly as we did this trip. We would chose Nice as our home base again. But I could see us trying another location as a home base in the future, just for the experience!
We had also contemplated doing a few nights in multiple destinations rather than simply choosing one home base, but chose against it. And I’m glad we did. It was so easy to take the train to each location and it would have wasted time packing/unpacking and checking in/out of various spots. I highly recommend choosing one home base and doing day trips.
Where would you make your home base?
