My Favourite Places in the South of France - A Lifetime of Visiting

When I think "home away from home", I instantly think Biot in the South of France. It’s a village in the center of the French Riviera, or as they like to call it the 'Cote D'Azur' and I have spent my childhood visiting this beautiful coastline, once a year since I was 5.

I think my Mum liked it a lot as she has been visiting now for over 30 YEARS! I know, CRAZY.

I use to think "why aren't we going elsewhere?" "why do we always go to the exact same place?" , but as Ive grown up and it has become a place I love and always want to return to, I can see why my Mum has kept returning. Don’t get me wrong, she has been to many places as well as France and I plan on stretching my wings too, but I'm so glad I spent the years that are normally spent holding your parents hand, being able to wander a little bit further than I would have purely because I knew my surroundings.

Biot

This hilltop village next to Antibes, which is a harbour town known for its sailing boats and markets. It was a great base for us as it has a great community, a train station for travel.. and a beach! We tend to stay in caravan sites as (apart from it being what my Mum has always done) they were a great size for our family who were only ever at their room to either sleep or relax, so it then gave us the private outdoor space to have general downtime in while still basking in the sunshine, which most hotels cant offer unless you get a balcony.

Pylone and Eden are our two favourite sites and I would highly recommend them for any relaxing stays, due to the fact they're ran by lovely people and both have great amenities like a restaurant, small food shop, a pool and much to my delight - free WiFi areas.

Antibes

Our most visited place is definitely this old coastal town, mainly because its so convenient, but also quaint and interesting.

Like I said, they have a big market on a Thursday, which my parents always tend to buy table cloths and homewares at, and I'd get a summer dress or two. It's town center is quite compact in the way that we can walk a circle from the market, to the harbour and beach, through the streets lined with shops and restaurants - of which we always end up in the Irish bar for a Croque Monseur - and back to the bus again all in 20 minutes if you don’t stop.

You could always wander around the back streets if that's more your thing and go into Old Town of Antibes which has beautiful stones and buildings, but be warned as it has quite a few steps. It is worth it though if you love older architecture as it homes Antibes Cathedral and flows all the way back down to the old sea wall, where the Grimaldi Castle - the home of a Picasso museum since 1966. The famous painter lived in the nearby town of Golfe-Juan during the 1940s and set up a studio in the castle, so when he decided to return to Paris, he left 23 paintings and 44 sketches in the Castle’s custody.

Also on offer here is whats called a Le Petit Train, they have them all over but the one in Antibes can take you up to Juan les Pins -another beach front town but this time a bit more modern with a promenade and more seaside kind of stores. As a whole Antibes is a great place to spend a day wandering around and wishing you had a boat you were sailing away on.

Even though we stay in the small village of Biot during our holidays, the transport in the area makes it so easy to travel around and explore. The train line even goes to Ventimiglia, which is actually part of Italy! But the mode of transport I say we use the most is the bus, as it is only €1 - €2 no matter how far you go. Normally they have some bus pass sales on where (remembering off the top of my head) you could buy 10 tickets in advance and get a discount, which is great. I believe the furthest we went on the bus from Biot was Cannes in one direction and Nice the other.

Cannes

I love Cannes! Not only is it the hotspot for the latest pictures during its Film Festival, which usually takes place some time in May, its great for both shopping and sunbathing a like. With its beautiful soft beaches and streets lined with stores, it’s a great place to visit if you're going on holiday to Nice, but want to broaden your horizons and see a different sandy beach....

I use to love going to this seaside town as a kid and walking on the red

carpet outside the film festival (obviously when it was closed…) and enjoying seeing my family use the Face in Hole frames of famous people scattered around the streets. You'll probably recognise it if you've seen the film Mr Beans Holiday!

Nice

This extremely popular city also has so much to offer, even though I mentioned broadening your horizons, it's so vast and wide spread that I don't think you can ever see enough of it! I would almost call it the capital of the Riviera as its such a buzz and full of so many things to do.

It has the most beautiful beaches but by far they're the most popular as it will always be the most densely populated and has by far the most museums if that's your cup of tea.

We always go to it as the big shopping part of the trip as this main road pictured is just a strip from the beach to the train station lined with shops and malls of every budget all the way up to Chanel!

The main place that we just go to to spend our money is called Cap 3000. It's a HUGE shopping centre right by the airport, on the main bus route along the riviera.

Theres such a variety of shops and also so many options for food, both sitting in and grab&go. I highly recommend.

Eze

There is a lot of places you can go for the 'small town in the hill' feel, but the one we've visited multiple times and enjoy climbing and exploring is Eze. Its very high up in the hills and you can either get a very wobbly bus or hike- which we didn't think would be as steep as it was and then felt very bad taking my parents and uncle who aren't really up for being monkeys like us, down that way.. BUT it did give us amazing views so my dad loved getting pictures. A very well deserved drink was bought when we got back to the bottom!! But its streets are filled with the cutest shops and cafes as well as very classic French bakeries and buildings.

Right next to Eze is the last huge city on my VISITED list and that's

Monaco

It is beautiful. I love walking around taking in all the architecture and picturesque sea views. You could visit the famous Monaco Casino or wander through the outstanding chapels. It pulls the best of everything with its beaches and harbours too, there's so much I still want to do.

The main tourist draw for visiting Monaco is the palace. This is the Prince of Monaco's 13th Century residence and will always have people outside admiring the views or watching the changing of the guards.

The other big draw to Monaco is the Grand Prix. It's a is a Formula One racing event held every year on the Circuit de Monaco, in late May or early June. It is what Monaco is mainly known for and what gets the most tourism so if youre not one for crowds or cars, do your research and don't visit during that time. Its a great experience though if that's up your street, my Dad and Uncle got to go during the 2006 Grand Prix and had a great time even if it is a tiring busy day.

The streets are lined with market stalls selling souvenirs and shirts to do with all the cars and clubs racing which is great for any F1 fan. They were very lucky with their seats too and had a corner long stretch view by the harbour.

Overall, Ive seen the South of France but I've nowhere near completed it! Theres sooooo many things I want to do and places I want to visit, especially with Tom as he's only been with me once and for 1 week. We also cannot wait to vlog it for you!!

Thank you for reading XX