With its miles of coast and steeply rising hills overlooking the sea, walking on the French Riviera offers stunning views as well as the opportunity to appreciate spectacular coastal architecture. Wear comfortable shoes and bring water. Most of these walks have limited shade which can make them uncomfortable in summer. But a coastal walk is one of the most wonderful things to do on the Riviera in winter.
Mont Boron is a verdant hill in east Nice that was a favorite of vacationing Brits in the late 19th century. It's still a prestigious address with woods, parkland and ornate villas, one of which is occupied by Elton John. Follow the marked paths to the top where Fort Alban presides over the coast. The air is fragrant with pines and peeking through the branches are some of the best views in Nice.
How to do the walk?
Take bus 98 to the La Reserve stop. Look for signs to the Lazaret Cave and take the steps leading up the hill. Follow the signs and keep climbing up to Mont Alban Fort.
photo by Yolande Jourdren
This 16th-century fort was part of the Nice-Villefranche defensive system, built by the Savoy dukes to discourage French and/or Ottoman invaders. There's not much to see inside which is good because it's closed most of the time. Why go? The view from the top is unforgettable.
To extend your walk follow signs to take the path down to Villefranche-sur-Mer. Otherwise, return by the same route or take bus 33 down to Port Lympia.
This coastal path in east Nice is an easy and delightful two-kilometer promenade. As it's popular with locals, weekends can be busy. Note that the path passes close to the water. In heavy winds or high seas it will be closed.
How to do the walk
Take bus 98 to the Jean Lorraine stop. Walk ahead a hundred meters or so and take the stairs downhill to the Jardin Félix Rainaud.
The rocky coastal path begins on the left. The path rises and falls with gradual ascents and short flights of stairs. There are a few places where benches have been carved out of the rocks. No food or drink is available. It takes about 30 minutes to reach the end of the trail.
It's possible to continue the walk to Villefranche-sur-Mer by taking stairs (many of them) up to boulevard Maeterlinck after the Palais Maeterlinck is in view. The stairs are not easy to find but they're there!
(The white structure on the right is the Palais Maeterlinck)
Walk along the boulevard about 800 meters and you can take the stairs back downhill to the coastal path to Villefranche-sur-Mer.
The Promenade Maurice Rouvier is a short (about 30 minutes), easy, beautiful walk along the sea that runs from the Baie des Fourmis (above) in Beaulieu-sur-Mer to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.
The path passes next to the Villa La Fleur du Cap, a 19th-century villa that once belonged to the actor David Niven.
The walk is paved, flat, wheelchair accessible and affords lovely views of Cap Ferrat. As it runs a short distance from beach to beach it's a perfect walk on a summer morning.
How to do the walk
Take bus 15 from Nice to the Baie des Fourmis stop or take the train to Beaulieu-sur-Mer and walk to the coast. The walk begins at the far end of the Plage de Fourmis next to the Hotel Royal Riviera.
The walk ends at the Plage Cros dei Pin in Cap Ferrat.
After finishing the walk at Plage Cros dei Pin, it's just steps away to the paths around Cap Ferrat, perhaps the most stunning patch of land on the Riviera. There's a reason why kings, countesses and oligarchs chose Saint Jean Cap Ferrat as the place to build or buy elaborate villas. It's gorgeous!
There are 14km of pathways winding around and through the woodsy Cap-Ferrat peninsula. As you can see from the map below you have a choice of two routes.
The tour du cap coastal walk passes a number of beaches, the Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat and the lighthouse before finishing near Passable beach and the village. There are stairs and hilly portions of this walk, making it a nice but not too difficult two-hour workout. It's great for catching the winter sun but is too exposed to be comfortable in summer.
A cooler, shadier walk for summer is the Saint Hospice walk, outlined in white which winds through Cap Ferrat's leafy interior.
How to do the walks
Take bus 15 from Nice to Port-Saint-Jean on Cap Ferrat. The walks are well sign-posted but the only refreshments available are in Le Cabanon, a snack stand in the Jardin de la Paix.
See more details about walks on Cap Ferrat.
In addition to the coastal views on one side and the Mediterranean greenery on the other, this one-hour walk around Cap d'Ail affords glimpses of the Belle Epoque villas once inhabited by the likes of Winston Churchill and Greta Garbo.
How to do the walk
Take the train to Cap d'Ail and follow 100 steps downhill to gorgeous Mala Plage.
From Mala Plage the coastal path leads to the Plage Gramaglia which is directly below the restaurant La Pinede and a shaded picnic table. Continue to two tiny beaches on the Pointe des Douaniers. From there walk about 1/2 hour to Plage Marquet on a protected cove. To return to Nice, walk 400m to the Liberté bus stop and take bus 600 back to Nice.
The Tirepoil footpath runs along glamorous and wealthy Cap d'Antibes. Around the middle of the 19th century when the Cote d'Azur was booming, affuent visitors from England and Russia descended on Cap d'Antibes and built luxurious villas. This footpath was developed to allow visitors to get the same coastal views.
How to do the walk
Book a train to Antibes with thetrainline. From the train station, take the #2 bus 15 minutes to Eden Roc and descend at the Fontaine stop. Check the schedules at Envibus.
Start the walk at La Garoupe beach. Head northwest away from town and walk the flat path around the peninsula past the Chateau de la Garoupe. Continue walking and and turn right to see (and possibly visit) the Villa Eilenroc estate, built between 1860 and 1867 for the former governor of the Dutch East Indies. Return to the bus stop Fontaine by taking avenue Mrs LD Beaumont to boulevard John Fitzgerald Kennedy. The walk takes a leisurely two hours and covers 5km with very little climbing. As the path passes close to the sea, it's closed in case of wind or high waves.
When to Go to the French Riviera
Hi! I'm Jeanne Oliver--tour guide and author and I've been living on the Riviera for years. With my local insights your trip will be easy and fun. And, do check out my book Nice Uncovered: Walks Through the Secret Heart of a Historic City.
