A low cost holiday on the Côte d'Azur is possible, here are all the addresses on where to sleep, what and where to eat, what to visit to see the Côte d'Azur without spending a fortune. All addresses in the post.
La Côte d'Azur it is not a low cost destination. I realized this while I was trying to organize a vacation to rest a few days by the sea not too far from my home, in Piedmont, and where a few nights in a comfortable hotel didn't cost as much as the Waldorf Astoria. After seeing the prices of the hotels in Saint-Tropez, Cannes and Nice, I was about to throw in the towel. But I didn't give up and I did well because, with some tricks, one can be organized low cost holiday on the French Riviera.
How to get to the French Riviera
The Côte d'Azur extends from the border with the Ligurian Riviera to Cassis, touching places like Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Cap-Ferrat, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Cannes , Antibes, Saint Tropez and Juan-les-Pins. All cities are well connected to Italy and, for those who live between Piedmont, Lombardy and Liguria, the best way to reach the French Riviera is by car with a journey that does not exceed four hours on average.
For those arriving from more distant Italian regions, the plane is the most convenient means of transport: Nice airport can be reached from Rome, Naples, Cagliari, Palermo and Venice with various low cost airlines. The train should also be taken into consideration: from Northern Italy to Ventimiglia you can arrive with the Italian Railways, then continue with a regional line Thello which makes numerous intermediate stops as far as Marseille.
Where to sleep on the French Riviera
The south coast of France was already known in the late XNUMXth century, when it became a favorite summer destination for English nobles and, two centuries later, the likes of Picasso and Matisse. While it has gradually become a less aristocratic and more popular destination over the past forty years, hotels in many cities still have luxury resort prices. A room at the famous Negresco's Nice starts at 500 euros and a more modest accommodation along the Promenade des Anglais is around 200 euros in the summer months. It is therefore better to choose lesser known locations but still well connected to most of the cities on the coast by public transport.
After exhausting research, I found the hotel that allowed me to stay on the French Riviera for four nights without having to rob a jewelry store to pay the bill. L'Saint-Aygulf hotels is located in the small town of the same name, just five kilometers from the most famous Saint-Raphaël. It is a modern, clean and comfortable property right in front of the sea. Standard rooms with balcony and garden view are spacious and contemporary, and the average cost in the high season is around XNUMX euros. The price includes the parking space in the inner courtyard, the breakfast abundant, and the discount for deck chairs and umbrellas at the beach club.
Where to eat on the French Riviera
Saint-aygulf it is a small tourist-friendly center, so there is no shortage of places to choose from when it comes to eating. The day I arrived on the Côte d'Azur, laziness prevented me from making more kilometers: after a couple of hours spent on the beach I could barely find the strength to book a table at the Martinus, the hotel restaurant. Excellent location, with the terrace by the sea, and good choice of dishes a little too elaborate but at acceptable prices.
Another option, excellent for both lunch and dinner directly by the sea is the Blue and white, with a choice that varies from salads, to grilled meat, to fried fish. For the evening it is good to remember to book already in the morning because the tables are few and the place tends to fill up quickly.
For those who forget to book or no longer find a table available at Martinus or Bleu et Blanc, the terrace of the Galliot: the appearance is that of a second-rate pizzeria, with the Formica tables, the plastic chairs by Algida and the bamboo cane screens, but the moules frites, the fried mussels served with Roquefort, are top quality restaurant.
Don't forget that a few kilometers away are both Fréjus and Saint-Raphaël, where the choice of clubs is much wider and more varied.
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What to do on the French Riviera
For a relaxing holiday between the beach and promenade, Saint-Aygulf is the ideal destination: it is perhaps one of the few white sand beaches on the French Riviera. An umbrella, two comfortable deck chairs and a cocktail, a dip in the warm water that never gets high, and time flies.
But after a day spent on the beach I need to see other things. From Saint-Aygulf, you can reach Nice in less than an hour: a walk along the Promenade des Anglais and a visit to the marché au fleurs in the old town. Then, a stop for an oyster-based aperitif and a glass of wine al Café de Turin where, for just over twenty euros, you are catapulted into an atmosphere of other times. After the aperitif, we move north of the city, to Chagall Museum. For dinner you can book a table at the neighbor The counter, an organic place where the menu changes every day depending on what is available on the market. A slice of quiche or a soup, a dish of fish or meat and a dessert cost just 17 euros: a much lower price than other places in the center.
Another excursion allows you to reach the center of in less than an hour Grasse, a city in the hinterland where the headquarters of three historic French perfumeries are located: Fragonard, Molinard and Galimard. It is possible to visit the three fashion houses, as well as purchase their products. The village of Grasse is small and a bit shabby, but a stroll through the streets of the center is worthwhile.
Thirty minutes from Grasse is located St. Paul de Vence, one of the villages that most impressed me. You leave the highway and drive along narrow and winding roads in the hinterland, until you reach this small town that has always been a destination for painters and artists who have been inspired by its small houses sheltered by the walls for their works. Don't miss a visit to the Maeght Foundation, where you can find works by Chagall, Matisse and Mirò, followed by an aperitif in one of the many bars in the entirely pedestrian center and some purchase of cheeses and Provencal products from Le Fromager.
In the opposite direction lies a little known destination: Grimaud, a tiny medieval village perched on top of a hill. It owes its name to the castle of the Grimaldi, of which now only the ruins remain. In addition to the view of the sea and the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, the paved streets that climb towards the mountain are worth a visit, between a boulangerie and a shop selling handicrafts: lamps, wallets, terracotta pots. Among the places offering Provencal cuisine, there are L'Ecurie de la Marquise, an eccentric place but with quality products, e Le Fleur de Sel, where you can eat on the terrace in the shade of an olive tree.
