The French Riviera: Nice to Monaco

The Côte d'Azur is the stretch of Mediterranean coast that taught the world how to vacation — Matisse painted its light, Fitzgerald drank in its hotel bars, and generations of travelers have discovered that the combination of turquoise sea, hilltop villages, and rosé on a terrace is genuinely impossible to improve upon. This journey traces the coast from Nice to Monaco with detours into the perfumed backcountry, at a pace that leaves afternoon hours for the beach, the pool, or simply sitting at a café watching the Provençal world go by.

1. Day 1

   Arrival in Nice

   Private transfer from Nice Côte d'Azur Airport to Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, the Riviera's most iconic hotel — white cliffs above the Mediterranean, a seawater pool carved into the rocks, and gardens of Aleppo pine where Hemingway, Picasso, and the Fitzgeralds all spent their summers. Your sea-facing suite opens onto a private balcony with views across the Cap d'Antibes peninsula. Settle in with a glass of Bandol rosé at the poolside Eden-Roc Grill. Evening: a welcome dinner at the Eden-Roc restaurant, one table from the sea — grilled Mediterranean fish, ratatouille, and tarte tropézienne.

   • Stay: Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc — Sea-view suite
   • Culinary: Eden-Roc seaside dinner

2. Day 2

   Antibes: Old Town, Markets & Picasso

   Morning walk through Antibes' Provençal market at Cours Masséna — overflowing with socca (chickpea flatbread), tapenade, fresh figs, goat cheese, and lavender honey. Your guide navigates to Musée Picasso, housed in the Château Grimaldi where Picasso worked in 1946 — the collection of ceramics, lithographs, and paintings remains exactly as he left it, the Mediterranean visible through every window. Afternoon at leisure: swim at the hotel's legendary rock pool, walk the Cap d'Antibes coastal path (Sentier du Littoral), or explore the Port Vauban marina. Evening at leisure — your Byline concierge can recommend a bistro in old Antibes.

   • Cultural: Musée Picasso private tour
   • Culinary: Cours Masséna market morning (socca, tapenade, figs)

3. Day 3

   Saint — Paul — de — Vence & the Backcountry

   Private car into the hills to Saint-Paul-de-Vence, the walled medieval village where Chagall, Miró, and Calder lived and worked. Visit the Fondation Maeght, one of Europe's finest modern art museums — Giacometti's courtyard, Miró's labyrinth, and Braque's mosaic pool set among umbrella pines. Lunch at La Colombe d'Or, the legendary inn where artists once paid for meals with paintings — the walls are hung with original Picassos, Légers, and Calders, and you eat in the garden beside a Braque mosaic. Afternoon: drive through the Gorges du Loup to the hilltop village of Gourdon for views across the entire Riviera. Return to the coast for an evening at leisure.

   • Cultural: Fondation Maeght and Saint-Paul-de-Vence
   • Culinary: Lunch at La Colombe d'Or (original artworks, garden dining)

4. Day 4

   Nice: Markets, Matisse & the Promenade

   Private driver to Nice for a full day in the city Matisse called home. Begin at the Cours Saleya flower and food market — pissaladière (caramelized onion tart), fresh pasta, and Provençal olive oils. Walk the Vieille Ville (old town) with your guide, then visit Musée Matisse on the Cimiez hill, where the artist's cut-outs, paintings, and personal objects fill a 17th-century Genoese villa. Lunch at Chez Pipo, a local institution for socca — crispy, salty, cooked in copper pans over a wood fire since 1923. Afternoon: stroll the Promenade des Anglais, then climb Castle Hill for the panoramic view across the Baie des Anges. Evening: dinner at Jan, Chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen's Michelin-starred restaurant in the old town — South African-Provençal fusion in an intimate dining room.

   • Cultural: Musée Matisse with guide
   • Culinary: Cours Saleya market, socca at Chez Pipo, dinner at Jan (Michelin-starred)

5. Day 5

   Èze & Monaco

   Drive the Moyenne Corniche to Èze, the eagle's-nest village clinging to a cliff 427 meters above the sea. Visit the Jardin Exotique at the summit for cactus gardens and a view that stretches from Italy to Saint-Tropez. Stop at Fragonard's Èze perfume factory for a private tour of essence extraction (and a custom fragrance blending session if you wish). Descend to Monaco for the afternoon: the Casino de Monte-Carlo's gilded interiors (a guided visit, no gambling required), the Prince's Palace changing of the guard, and the Oceanographic Museum perched on the cliff. Lunch at Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse in the Hôtel de Paris — the three-Michelin-star restaurant where Riviera cuisine reaches its most refined expression. Return to Antibes for the evening.

   • Cultural: Èze village and Fragonard perfumery
   • Culinary: Lunch at Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse (three Michelin stars), Monaco
   • Scenic: Moyenne Corniche coastal drive

6. Day 6

   At Leisure

   A free day on the Riviera. Your Byline companion can arrange: a morning boat charter to the Îles de Lérins (Île Sainte-Marguerite for pine forests and the Man in the Iron Mask's cell, Île Saint-Honorat for a working monastery that produces wine and liqueur); a wine-tasting tour in Bellet, Nice's own vineyard appellation; a half-day trip to Grasse, the world's perfume capital; or simply a beach day at the hotel's rock pool, followed by a long rosé lunch at a waterfront restaurant in Juan-les-Pins.

   • Optional: Îles de Lérins boat charter, Bellet wine tasting, Grasse perfume tour

7. Day 7

   Departure

   Private transfer to Nice Côte d'Azur Airport. Your Byline concierge confirms flight details.