3 Days in the French Riviera

I have just returned from the south of France and thought I would share my diary entries with you. This will hopefully give you some inspiration on how to spend 3 days in the French Riviera.

Day 1-Wednesday 13th September 2023

Yes! I have reached the French Riviera for some sun before having to endure the British winter. Going on mini beach breaks in September is heaven ㋛. I love the atmosphere here and the sea is “Gatorade” blue! Today I decided to go to Monaco which was very nice. Monte-Carlo (the capital city) is quite small so it only took me a few hours to wander around. I went to the casino, walked around the outside of the palace, and went to the port. They seem to be doing building works around the port which is annoying because it meant that I could only see one small area of the port through iron fencing. Oh my god it feels soooo hot because I’m not dressed appropriately. I am wearing jeans and a short sleeve blouse and it’s almost 30 degrees.

After taking the train back to Nice, it was time to check in but the card machine supposedly wasn’t working. So on my way to the cash point, I was approached by a German girl in my hostel who also needed to visit the cash point as she owed the receptionist a few euros. So after paying for my room, we went out together to explore. It took us 30 minutes to walk to Promenade Anglais which is where the beach is. We also passed by Place Masséna which is full of checkered patterns on the floor, and a big horse statue in a fountain. Then we grabbed some dinner, where I got to eat my favourite “moules frites” and drink a Monaco.

I was so tired from doing 35,000 steps today day…so I headed straight for the hostel to shower and sleep. There are 4 of us in the room and I got to meet 2 of the other girls. One is from Latvia and the other one is from America. The thing I don’t like about this hostel is that it doesn’t have a private bed curtain. Usually, I only try to stay in places where they have one…so that I can relax without feeling watched by strangers.

Day 2- Thursday 14th September 2023

Today was a day trip to Menton, which is a pretty beach town close to the border with Italy. I loved this town! everything is orange and yellow. I have noticed that people in the south of France are actually very warm and welcoming in comparison to the north. I spent a few hours on the beach today which was nice. It was the perfect atmosphere for meditating so I put my headphones in and played a guided meditation on YouTube. The water here was a bit cold…but this was kind of necessary because it was quite hot. I didn’t go in too deep because I’ve read about a lot of people getting stung by jellyfish in this region of France. Although…I did see cute little fish swimming around in the water!

When the sun reached its peak at around 12.30pm…it was time for me to get off the beach and grab some lunch. I found a cute little creperie in the centre which was surprisingly cheap for this region. A large ham, egg, and cheese galette with a glass of Rose wine for €12. This town is famous for lemons so I got a lemon sorbet for dessert from a place that does them homemade. Then went to buy some lemon-themed souvenirs.

I left Menton at around 3pm and decided to come back to Nice for a power nap. When it’s this hot you start to feel more tired and need more rest. So I can understand the whole concept of a siesta in southern Europe. You really do need a power nap for an hour or two in the afternoon. I got to meet the third roommate today, as she came back a few hours after me. She is from Israel and very friendly. She actually invited me out to go and join the rugby world cup celebrations but I politely declined because my feet really hurt today. I don’t understand how I did 30,000 steps today…almost as much as yesterday.

Day 3- Friday 15th September 2023

Bonsoir! I am writing from my flight back home to London. We never left on time and it’s late so I really hope this pilot will accelerate at a lovely speed. I’m just concerned about catching the last train from Gatwick airport to central London because I don’t want to be stranded. The last time I tried to get a taxi from this airport, they quoted me £90…which is a joke.

Today I got up quite early as I didn’t feel comfortable sleeping for some reason. I think maybe being on the top bunk makes me a bit nervous that I might fall. After checking out in the morning I still had a whole day, as the flight was due to take off at 9.30pm. So I went to Castle Hill and hiked to the top. Damn…that’s what you call a workout! French people are really healthy, I saw so many people using this steep upward hike for a morning exercise. There is supposedly a big waterfall at the top but I couldn’t find it ☹. I did find trickles of water coming down in some areas but it wasn’t the big waterfall I saw in online photos. After hiking back down, I went to Marché Aux Fleurs Cours Saleya to buy some souvenirs and eat socca. The portion of socca was huge and so worth the small price of €3.

I hope you enjoyed reading my diary entries from 3 days in the French Riviera. This was my first time back in France since 2019, and I’ve definitely been inspired to return more often. If you want to read more about my adventures in the south of France, then check out my day trip to Marseille.