NiceStory N° 41
Monaco & the Côte d'Azur
Nice as base, perched villages along the Corniche, a day in Monaco for casino glamour and the F1 circuit on foot.
The itinerary.
4 days · 15 stops
Thursday
Day One
Land Nice, Promenade walk into Vieux Nice for socca and rosé — light first day on foot.
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Promenade des Anglais
7km curve along the Baie des Anges — blue chairs, rollerbladers, the pink-domed Negresco at the centre
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Vieux Nice & Cours Saleya
Daily flower + produce market until 13:30 — socca at Chez Pipo, glace at Fenocchio (rose, tomato-basil, olive)
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Le Comptoir du Marché
Tiny bistrot off Cours Saleya — Niçoise classics done with restraint, book ahead lecomptoirdumarche.com
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Hotel
Hôtel Le Negresco — Belle Époque landmark on the Promenade des Anglais hotel-negresco-nice.com · AI hotel ratings: hotelist.com
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Getting around
- NCE Côte d'Azur airport → Promenade ~10m by tram or taxi (€20–25)
- Nice is walkable — Promenade to Vieux Nice 12m on foot
- Pick up a small rental car at NCE on Day 2 — leave it parked at the hotel for Day 1
Friday
Day Two
Moyenne Corniche east — Eze village above the sea, Cap Ferrat for Villa Ephrussi, dinner at Villefranche harbour.
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Eze Village & Jardin Exotique
Medieval village 427m above the Mediterranean — Jardin Exotique on the cliff-top, Cap Ferrat to Saint-Tropez visible on a clear day
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Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild
Pink rococo villa with 9 themed gardens on Cap Ferrat — singular setting, Renaissance and Impressionist collections inside villa-ephrussi.com
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Sentier du Cap Ferrat
11km coastal footpath circling Cap Ferrat — pick the southern hour-long stretch from Plage Paloma for the best beaches
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La Mère Germaine
Family-run since 1938 on Villefranche-sur-Mer harbour — bouillabaisse, sea bass with fennel, sundown table on the terrace meregermaine.com
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Hotel
Hôtel Le Negresco hotel-negresco-nice.com · AI hotel ratings: hotelist.com
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Getting around
- Nice → Eze (Moyenne Corniche / D6007) ~20m — most scenic of the three Corniches
- Eze → Cap Ferrat ~15m down the hill
- Villefranche → Nice ~12m back along the Basse Corniche
Saturday
Day Three
Monaco day — Casino interior, Princely Palace, walk the F1 street circuit, Oceanographic Museum.
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Casino de Monte-Carlo Salons
Belle Époque interiors by Charles Garnier — €19 morning visit before gaming opens, dress smart-casual casinomontecarlo.com
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Princely Palace & Saint-Martin Gardens
Changing of the Guard at 11:55 in front of the palace, then the Saint-Martin coastal gardens behind for the cliff view
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Walk the F1 Circuit on foot
Sainte Dévote → Beau Rivage → Casino square → Mirabeau → Loews hairpin (slowest corner in F1) → Tunnel → Nouvelle Chicane → Tabac → Rascasse — full lap ~1h walking
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Musée Océanographique
Cliff-edge oceanographic museum founded by Prince Albert I — sharks, Mediterranean tank, rooftop with views to Italy musee.oceano.org
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Hotel
Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo — Place du Casino since 1864, lift access into the Casino hoteldeparismontecarlo.com
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Getting around
- Nice → Monaco ~25m via Basse Corniche (D6098) — closest to the sea, hardest parking
- Park at Casino or Chemin des Pêcheurs underground (€4/h)
- Or take train Nice-Ville → Monaco-Monte Carlo ~25m (€5) — much easier
Sunday
Day Four
Saint-Paul-de-Vence and Antibes — Maeght Foundation, Picasso Museum, market lunch, drop rental at Nice.
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Saint-Paul-de-Vence
Walled hilltop village above the Loup valley — narrow lanes, Chagall's tomb in the cemetery, art galleries every 30m
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Fondation Maeght
20th-century art foundation in pine forest above Saint-Paul — Miró sculpture garden, Giacometti courtyard, Calder mobiles outside fondation-maeght.com
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Musée Picasso, Antibes
Château Grimaldi on the Antibes ramparts where Picasso painted in 1946 — donated 23 paintings, 44 drawings, ceramics. Best small Picasso museum anywhere antibes-juanlespins.com
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Marché Provençal, Antibes
Cours Masséna covered market until 13:00 — socca, tapenade, Antibes-grown tomatoes, lavender. Lunch at La Pinède across the rampart
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Hotel
Hôtel de Paris — checkout after the in-pool morning
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Getting around
- Monaco → Saint-Paul-de-Vence ~50m via A8 + D2
- Saint-Paul → Antibes ~25m down to the coast
- Antibes → NCE ~25m via A8 — drop rental, fly home
Location.
Frequently asked
How many days do you need for Monaco & the Côte d'Azur?
4 days. The itinerary runs from Thursday to Sunday and covers 15 curated stops across 4 days.
How much does Monaco & the Côte d'Azur cost?
Luxury — €600+ per day per person; expect signature hotels and reserved access.
Where do you stay during Monaco & the Côte d'Azur?
Hôtel Le Negresco — Belle Époque landmark on the Promenade des Anglais is the recommended base for the trip; the full hotel list per day is in the itinerary section.
What's included in the Monaco & the Côte d'Azur itinerary?
Day-by-day stops at 15 restaurants, museums, viewpoints and landmarks; transportation hints between each leg; and a hotel base in Nice.
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