Things to do on the French Riviera come town by town, along one coast road and one railway. The seafronts, old towns and markets are free, and the museums and villas charge at the door. Before you book French Riviera guided tours, see what each town holds and what it costs.
Nice is where most visitors sleep and where most tours start. Its three sights are free. The Promenade des Anglais runs along the bay, Castle Hill rises between the Old Town and the port, and the Old Town fills the lanes between them.
You can see all three in a morning on foot. Keep your tour budget for the towns you cannot reach so easily.
East of Nice, the coast turns into a run of bays and capes. Villefranche-sur-Mer is the first stop on the train, a deep bay with a small harbour and cruise ships at anchor.
The boats see this stretch best. The Beaulieu solar boat passes both villas from the water, and the Nice boats cross the bay of Villefranche-sur-Mer.
Èze is a stone village on a rock high above the sea, reached by the Moyenne Corniche. Monaco is a few minutes further east, a separate country with a palace on its own rock. Most road days from Nice spend their longest stops here.
The doors on this stretch cost money, and no fare pays for them. Here is what charges, what is free, and what shuts.
| Sight | Town | Adult ticket | Closed | Inside a tour fare? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince's Palace State Apartments | Monaco | €13 | 16 October to 29 March; the Grand Prix weekend | No |
| Oceanographic Museum | Monaco | €22.50 (€20.50 online) | 25 December; the Grand Prix | No |
| Jardin exotique d'Èze | Èze | €10; free under 12 | Open daily, 9:00-16:30 | No |
| Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild | Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat | About €18-20 | December and January | No |
| Villa Kérylos | Beaulieu-sur-Mer | From €15 | 1 Jan, 1 May, 1 Nov, 11 Nov, 25 Dec | No |
| Musée Picasso | Antibes | €6 | Mondays | No |
| Fort Royal and the Iron Mask cell | Île Sainte-Marguerite | €6.50; free under 18 | Check outside June-September | No |
| Fondation Maeght | Saint-Paul-de-Vence | €18; free under 16 | Open daily | No |
| Musée International de la Parfumerie | Grasse | €6 | Check before you go | No |
| Fragonard perfume factories | Èze and Grasse | Free | Open daily | Yes, on most road days (Èze) |
The Casino's gaming rooms need you to be 18 or over, with a passport or national ID card. A driving licence is not accepted. The Atrium is open to visitors who do not play.
By public transport, Èze and Monaco take planning. The bus climbs to Èze village, and the train runs along the shore below it. A road day links them in one morning, with the free Fragonard factory in between.
Compare the road days from Nice, with the minutes each one gives you in each town.
Menton is the last French town before Italy. Its old town of tall ochre houses climbs from the beach to the church towers. Ventimiglia, over the border, is about 11 km away by road.
In February the town holds the Fête du Citron, a festival built out of citrus fruit. The 2027 edition runs from 13 to 28 February. The rest of the year, Menton is the quiet end of the coast. The Menton food walk spends three hours in its market hall, on its beach and in its lanes.
West of Nice, the coast is flatter and the towns are bigger. Antibes keeps its sea walls and a covered Provençal market. Cannes has the Croisette, the Palais des Festivals and Forville market.
The Lérins Islands are a half-day from Cannes by ferry. A private boat from Cannes circles them and anchors off Sainte-Marguerite for an hour, so you can swim instead of queueing at the quay.
Compare the boats from Nice, Cannes, Beaulieu and the capes, with where each one leaves from.
Behind the coast, the villages sit on ridges above the valleys. They are hard to link by bus, and that is where a road day earns its fare.
By bus from Nice, Saint-Paul-de-Vence takes a tram and two buses. The Medieval Villages day links all four in eight hours from Nice.
A lot of the Riviera costs nothing. Here are the free sights, town by town.
Add the train, €6.10 from Nice to Monaco, and a day of free sights costs very little.
Rain on the Riviera comes in short, heavy bursts, much of it in autumn. These are the indoor choices, with their closing days.
The boats may change their route on a rough day. A road day keeps running, so it is a good use of a grey morning.
Every price, hour and closing day above comes from the sight's own page or its town's tourist office, checked 26 September 2026. What each tour visits comes from its own listing. The Villa Ephrussi price differs between sources, so we give a range.
Three hours on a Segway from a shop near the seafront in Nice, after a short lesson: along the bay, past the port and ten minutes in the harbour town next door. Helmet included; seven riders at most.
From $87 per person, bookings of two
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Two hours on a shared boat from the port of Nice, twelve people at most: a swim and snorkel stop at a sea cave, then the cape's shore and the bay seen from the water. Masks and snorkels supplied; bring a towel.
From $74 per person
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Two hours at the wheel of a two-seat electric Fiat behind a guide's lead car, on open coast roads out of Nice, after a 20-minute briefing. Eight people at most.
From $79 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: see which month suits you on the best time to visit, find your start on the meeting points map, or compare every tour on French Riviera Tours.