Trifter

French Riviera might be the most exclusive and expensive sea-front on the entire planet. From the starry sandy beaches of St. Tropez to the bustling city of Nice, from the Snowy slopes of French Alps to the razzmatazz of money in Monaco this is the place to be. The places ranks high on many a tourist itineraries but alas is notorious for its priciness. Read on to know how to enjoy your time here without losing your shirt.

Time

The best time to be here is of course Summertime that is June, July and August. However April, May and September are quite warm and sunny too. Be cautious about October as it tends to be rainy. There is another tourist season in end-December and January catering to the ski crowd.

Getting There

Nice is the second busiest airport in France. It has a budget terminal to which Easyjet connects from London, Brussels, Paris, Berlin, Geneva among other destinations. Ryanair connects Dublin to Nice but the closest Ryanair hub is in Marseille which it connects to many other cities. Another cost effective way would be a train ride from Paris that can cost as little as €10 if booked in advance on voyages. There are cruises from Rome and Barcelona as well.

Staying

Cost effective options are available on Hostelworld.com. These would be dorms or small hotels. It might be difficult to find something below €15 a night. However not to despair for students and other young travelers, there are a lot of opportunities on the yatchs and tourism related activities and this could turn out to be an amazing working Holiday. This area is known for its big expensive yatchs and in fact Monaco hosts the biggest Yatch show in the world. Thus there is always a need of deckhands. Imagine all the extra cash you can earn. Broadly even 3 days a week are enough days off to enjoy your time around here, I had met a American girl working at Subway and holidaying here last year.

Another good option would be to travel in a group and to rent an apartment. A good resource for this would be the classifieds section on Riviera Anglo Info. You can also share and you might find Appartager useful. For slightly pricier options check out France Loc.

Eat and Drink

Budget eating is mostly concentrated around Station areas or other places slightly away from tourist traps. Socca is the local bread, one has to develop a taste for it to really appreciate it. There are many eateries in the older portions of the towns and be sure to go to them especially in Happy hours. For an absolute shoestring budget you must check out Monoprix and Carrefour, they have sections where they sell hot cooked food. It is advisable to carry a picnic basket and a cooler for beer when hitting the beach. Imagine all the fun you can have especially if travelling in a group.

Mix

Mix with the local people and the eclectic tourist and student population around here. Good places would be night clubs, discos, beaches, parks or even stores like FNac. The region borders Italy so you get to meet a lot of Italians, in fact the area was Italy not so long ago in the past.

Visit

The beaches of Nice and Cannes are arguably the best Pebble and Sand beaches anywhere. This is further enhanced by the quality of crowd they attract and the cities they are in. The beach on Juan-Les-Pins is frequented by the younger crowd and a must go. Public beaches are aplenty and much more fun than private ones.

Besides beaches there are famous museums like those of Picasso, Modern Art or the oceanographic one in Monaco. These are usually free on the first Sunday of any month. Do witness the change of guard at Monaco’s palace that happens at 12 noon daily. Spend time at their Cathedral and the Oceanographic Museum. Students get a discount at many places so be sure to carry an I-card along if you are eligible. In the evening head to one of the numerous casinos.

Cannes is an iconic town, its famous for the film festival and sandy beaches. The Film festival is held in May and is followed by another prestigious festival called the Cannes Lion for advertising. Do not miss this opportunity to rub shoulders with the stars if you happen to be here around this time. The long sandy beaches are always brimming with people and there is a shopping street not far from them where you can find affordable eating and bargain souvenirs.

Eze village close to Nice is the World’s Perfume capital. Its three big perfumeries Fragonard, Galimard and Moulinard are famed world over. You can visit these at no charge and €1 bus ride away from Nice and see the quaint methods that go into perfume making.

Most bus-rides are €1 even intercity ones and come with connecting tickets. You can also buy day passes for €4. For longer distances like Nice-Cannes trains may prove to be a better bet as the fare is about €4.8 while time required is considerably lesser.

Monaco is an independent principality ruled by Monarch. It has a beautiful palace, F1 track, celebrity houses and expensive casinos.

Other places worth visiting are StPaul De Vence, Villefranche and the ski resorts, like Isola.

Nudity

While nudity may not be legal it is certainly tolerated on the beaches. You might see may a topless girls but please don’t ogle, its just Joie-de-Vivre. In fact seize the opportunity to work on an all over tan. You might try the bottomless thing on less crowded beaches. Just be aware of the social settings and your own comfort levels. The area is crime free.

Beyond

Your trip to French Riviera can very easily and very budget friendlily spillover to following destinations: -

Corsica

Cruises to Corsica leave from Nice, Cannes and Marseille. These can be booked online on the website SNCM. This can be quite a deal with return trips costing as less as €35 per person especially if you are a group of four.

Sardinia/Tunisia/Algeria

Same cruises also leave for these destinations.

Rome

There is a night train between Nice and Rome. Book in advance on www.voyages-sncf.com.