The French Riviera stretches for roughly 100 kilometres between the Italian border and Marseille — but its true spirit is concentrated in a much smaller arc between Cannes and Menton. Five days allows you to move through this landscape unhurriedly: west to Cannes and Antibes with their extraordinary light and Picasso connections, east to Monaco and the Italian border town of Menton, and north into the hills above Nice to the medieval village of Saint-Paul-de-Vence, whose Fondation Maeght is among the finest small modern art museums anywhere in the world.
The anchor of this itinerary is the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat — a Four Seasons property on a forested peninsula between Nice and Monaco that has attracted writers, artists, and royalty for more than a century. It is the finest hotel on the Riviera, and the right base from which to experience everything around it.
The Full Riviera Experience
We'll secure Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat with Four Seasons Preferred Partner benefits — daily breakfast, resort credits, room upgrades — and arrange every detail from Cannes to Menton so your five days feel entirely effortless.
Arrive into Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE) and use the day to absorb the city before heading west to Cannes the following morning. Nice has more depth than a Riviera gateway typically receives — a remarkable Baroque old town, a serious museum collection, and a seafront that in the evening light is among the most beautiful in southern Europe.
- MorningPromenade des AnglaisWalk the length of the Promenade from the airport tram stop toward the old town — an effortless introduction to Nice's scale and character. The Belle Époque hotels, the Victorians who came here to winter, the extraordinary blue of the Baie des Anges: it all resolves into a coherent picture on this first walk.
- MiddayCours Saleya & Vieux-NiceLunch at La Merenda (arrive without a reservation at 12pm opening) for the finest Niçoise cooking in the city. Spend the afternoon navigating the old town's Baroque streets — the Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate, the Chapelle de la Miséricorde, and the extraordinary colour of the facades that reflect Nice's centuries under the House of Savoy.
- AfternoonMatisse MuseumHenri Matisse spent the final 37 years of his life in Nice and left an extraordinary collection at the museum in Cimiez — drawings, paintings, cut-outs, bronzes, and personal objects spanning six decades of work. The building is a 17th-century Genoese villa surrounded by olive trees. Allow two hours.
- EveningDinner in NiceA first Riviera dinner — either at the Hôtel Negresco's brasserie (Le Relais for a more relaxed option than Le Chantecler) or at one of the old town's excellent neighbourhood restaurants in the Rue Droite or Rue de la Préfecture.
- MorningAntibes — Picasso MuseumDrive or train west from Nice to Antibes (25 minutes). The Musée Picasso occupies the Château Grimaldi, where Picasso worked in the autumn of 1946 — the paintings and ceramics he left to the city on departure form one of the most significant Picasso collections in France, shown in the precise rooms where they were created. The ramparts outside offer views across the Baie des Anges to Nice and the Alps beyond.
- MiddayMarché Provençal & Old AntibesAntibes' covered market (Cours Masséna) is one of the finest on the Riviera — local cheeses, tapenade, lavender honey, and the extraordinary produce of the Provençal hinterland. Walk the old town lanes toward the sea ramparts and have a simple Provençal lunch at one of the bistros on the Cours.
- AfternoonCannes — La Croisette & Le Suquet20 minutes west by car or train to Cannes. Walk La Croisette — the famous seafront boulevard with its grand palace hotels and the Palais des Festivals at its east end. Climb into Le Suquet, Cannes' original fishing village above the port, for a completely different atmosphere: narrow lanes, a 12th-century chapel, and views over the Iles de Lérins in the bay below.
- EveningCocktails at Hôtel Martinez & Dinner in CannesThe Martinez bar terrace overlooking the Croisette is an excellent Cannes aperitivo stop. Dinner at La Palme d'Or (the Martinez's two-Michelin-starred restaurant) or at one of the excellent fish restaurants in the Rue Saint-Antoine in Le Suquet.
Drive east from Cannes along the coast to Cap Ferrat — approximately 45 minutes — and check in to what may be the finest hotel on the entire French Riviera. The rest of the day belongs to the peninsula and the sea.
- MiddayArrive & SettleCheck in, unpack, and spend an hour on the clifftop terrace with a glass of rosé. The hotel's position — facing south over open Mediterranean water — is immediately apparent. This is what the Riviera is for.
- AfternoonCap Ferrat Peninsula WalkA 10km coastal footpath circles the entire Cap Ferrat peninsula — through pine forests above limestone cliffs, past private villas and small beaches, with the sea visible on both sides. Allow 2.5 hours at a leisurely pace. The Pointe Saint-Hospice on the east side of the peninsula offers the most dramatic viewpoint.
- Late PMVilla Ephrussi de RothschildThe Villa Ephrussi, built between 1905 and 1912 for Béatrice de Rothschild, is one of the most extraordinary houses on the Riviera — a rose-pink Belle Époque palazzo surrounded by nine themed gardens on the narrowest point of the Cap Ferrat peninsula, with sea visible on both sides. Allow 1.5 hours for the house and gardens.
- EveningDinner at Le CapThe hotel's Michelin-starred restaurant, with a terrace over the water. Seafood from the local catch, Provençal vegetables, and one of the finest wine lists on the coast.
- MorningMonaco — A Full DayDrive or taxi from Cap Ferrat to Monaco (15 minutes). Begin at Monaco-Ville — the original rock settlement with the Prince's Palace, the Cathedral (where Grace Kelly is buried), and the extraordinary Musée Océanographique with its rooftop views over the principality. Allow two hours on Le Rocher before descending to Monte-Carlo.
- MiddayCasino de Monte-Carlo & Port HerculeThe Casino forecourt at noon — before the gaming rooms open — has a particular grandeur: the Belle Époque facade, the Ferraris, the immaculate gardens. Walk through the public rooms if they are open, then down to Port Hercule to see the superyacht concentration and, in late May, the Grand Prix circuit barriers.
- LunchCafé de Paris or Joël RobuchonCafé de Paris for the quintessential Monaco brasserie experience, or the Joel Robuchon Monte-Carlo for something more refined — three Michelin stars, set within the Hôtel Métropole.
- AfternoonMenton30 minutes east of Monaco by car, Menton is the last French town before the Italian border and the most Italianate of all Riviera towns — pastel facades, Baroque churches, extraordinary lemon and citrus cultivation (the annual Fête du Citron in February is Europe's great citrus festival). The Jardin Serre de la Madone and the old town cemetery (where the English writer and Riviera chronicler William Webb Ellis is buried) are worth a visit. Return to Cap Ferrat via the Grande Corniche for the high-altitude coastal views.
- MorningFinal Hotel BreakfastA last breakfast at the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat — on the terrace if the weather allows — before checking out and heading inland. Luggage storage at the hotel until departure.
- Late AMSaint-Paul-de-Vence30 minutes north of Nice (and 25 minutes from Cap Ferrat by car), Saint-Paul-de-Vence is the finest of the Riviera's perched medieval villages — a completely intact fortified hill town, entirely pedestrian within the walls. The Fondation Maeght, set in a Sert-designed building outside the village walls, is one of France's great modern art foundations: Miró, Giacometti, Calder, Léger, and Braque, displayed in gardens of extraordinary beauty. Allow 2.5 hours for the foundation and a walk through the village lanes.
- AfternoonDepart from NiceDrive to Nice Côte d'Azur Airport — approximately 30 minutes from Saint-Paul-de-Vence via the A8.
Practical Information
Driving on the Riviera: There are three corniche roads running east–west between Nice and Monaco at different elevations. The Grande Corniche (high road, 500m elevation) offers the most dramatic views and is the fastest in traffic. The Moyenne Corniche passes through Èze. The lower Basse Corniche runs along the waterfront through each village and is the most scenic but slowest in summer.
Marina restaurants and dress: The restaurants along Port Hercule in Monaco and the marinas of Cannes and Antibes range from excellent to expensive-and-mediocre — lean on your hotel concierge's current knowledge rather than online reviews, which can lag six months. Most marina-adjacent restaurants have no formal dress code, but a Mediterranean smartness is expected.
Booking Le Cap at Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat: Guests of the hotel receive priority at Le Cap — make your reservation as soon as you book your room, and request a terrace table for evening service. The restaurant is often full with non-resident guests as well, so early booking matters.
Casino de Monte-Carlo: Jacket required in the main gaming rooms after 8pm. The Salle Europe (lower limit room) is more relaxed in dress and is accessible with a passport and the €17 entrance fee. Photography is generally permitted in public areas but not at the tables.