Nice & South of France Solo Female Travel Guide: How to Spend theWeekend on the French Riviera
Goodness. When I sat down to write this post over the weekend, I had to stop and think: how many times have I been to Southern France? Honestly, I can’t come up with a number. Maybe 10? Or is it closer to 15? That’s not meant to come off as obnoxious AF (though it undoubtedly does), but more to suggest my familiarity and oodles of amour for the region.
If you’d told my 15-year-old self, who split her time between cattle auctions in Calhan, Colorado (population: 762, per the 2020 census) with her mother, to dancing on floats in Denver’s Pride Parade with dad, that 25 years later she’d be riding high post-divorce, living in London, and collecting passport stamps like a champ, she’d laugh. Then wonder: how in the holy hell did she pull that off?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been enchanted by the Côte d'Azur and French culture. My early infatuation was sparked by To Catch a Thief with Grace Kelly and Cary Grant, and deepened later with Priceless (Hors de Prix) starring Audrey Tautou and Gad Elmaleh. Sure, some Parisians might say the French Riviera is overrated, opting instead for spots near Biarritz or Nantes. But for this Colorado girl, the South of France has always held a special kind of magic. And always will.
This region holds special markers in my story. I’ve visited this sun-splashed playground with girlfriends, my ex-husband, my pandemic lover also known as Captain Crustacean, and eventually, solo. At the end of 2021, when it felt like no one was leaving the house (let alone going into an office), I figured: why not leave The Big Smoke for some Southern sunshine? I’d been venturing into the office alone for months, often with the office going into dark mode if I wasn’t typing rigorously enough at my keyboard. So I test-drove life in Nice, staying in an Airbnb for nearly two weeks. Then, one afternoon, after hours of Zoom calls, I was strolling with Celine the Poo along the Promenade des Anglais when the CEO of my company dropped a Slack bomb: a return-to-office mandate. Not that anyone else showed up, even months later, but as they say, it was a good college try.
While I didn’t end up moving to Nice, it’s a place I return to again and again. And with any luck, I’ll spend my golden years on one of its golden beaches. (Lame line intended.) So, whether you're craving a solo long weekend or a full-blown French Riviera fantasy, below are my trusted travel tips for travelling alone through the South of France.
Is Nice a Good City Break?
Coming from London, or really anywhere on the continent with a direct flight makes Nice, France, one of the easier warm-weather weekend escapes. While I’m not going for the museums and grand cathedrals, the region offers an overflowing serving of sun, coastal walks, and delicious seafood. Plus, there is a lot of history in Old Town Nice, and be sure to keep an ear out for the midday cannon boom.
How Many Days Do You Need for Nice?
It entirely depends on how you want to spend your time. You can easily soak up the gems of the city in a few days. If I’m going for a long weekend, I typically like to spend four to five days there as a minimum, since I use Nice as the centre point for hopping off to other spots like Villefranche-sur-Mer, Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Cap d’Ail, and Cannes (for the shopping and people-watching).
Does Nice Have Any Sandy Beaches?
I’m afraid you’re tough out of luck on this one. I know as Yanks we’re accustomed to thinking of pearly sand beaches as the pièce de résistance, but there is something quintessentially Riviera about the rocky ones. It’s funny, really. I find the experience of getting in and out of the sea as the grand equaliser. No one looks cool. No one. It’s all about embracing the awkward shuffle, dancing like a tentative crab, and becoming one with the rocks before you can get deep enough to succumb to the water. However, there are sandy beaches nearby. Check out my fave beach clubs in the French Riviera.
Is the Mediterranean Water Warm in May and June?
Not really. The beaches in the South of France aren’t particularly warm in May and June. Some spots fare better than others —think shallow bays with plenty of sunshine, like Baie des Fourmis with Anao Plage, which I’ve frequented many times, or the southern end of Cannes. The water tends to warm up properly in July and August, and is absolutely glorious in September.
Do You Need a Car in the South of France?
Nope. In fact, having a car in the French Riviera is a bit of a faff, especially if you’re staying in the city versus the villages (and then I’d change my answer). Parking in Nice and Cannes is quite simply a nightmare unless you have an allocated parking spot, and then if you’re going to the best beach clubs outside of the city, you also have to find parking (think parallel) or do valet, and make sure you keep the rosé in check.
In fact, it’s crazy easy to get around by train or with Ubers. I highly recommend downloading the Trainline app. (And no, I’m not just saying that because I used to work there.) It’s just a few clicks for buying train tickets on the go and avoiding the hooting and hollering when an American family is trying to navigate the ticket machine in French and your train is already pulling into the station.
Ubers are also super easy to use and not astronomical. Just a note, you can take an Uber into Monaco, but you can’t call one from Monaco. A fun fact I learned while using Tinder in the South of France.
Is It Safe as a Solo Female Traveller in Nice?
Generally speaking, yes. Do you need to keep your wits about you? Absolutely. Of all the solo journeys I’ve embarked on, the only real issue I’ve had was in Paris. The attitude toward approaching women in the South of France is noticeably different from anywhere else I’ve lived, even in the heydays of Miami.
During my Nice trial run, I was sitting on a bench with Céline the Poo when a boy who couldn’t have been older than 12-teen came up and asked, in French, if I wanted to make out. Some dudes can get a little grabby if you’re out out, but for every questionable interaction, I’ve had ten positive ones. These days, I’m mostly in my “Gold Buick Era”— early nights and early mornings to soak up the best of the city, but here are a few safety tips for your late-night adventures for when I was out on the town.
My top five late-night safety tips:
If it’s after midnight, just take an Uber home. Just do it.
Change the name of your iPhone so it doesn’t reveal your full name. I know it sounds odd, but if some creepy ass dude nearby tries to Airdrop you something and sees your details, it’s easier for him to drop into your DMs on social media.
If you’re out dancing and drinking, I recommend ordering beer in a bottle and keeping your thumb in it when not sipping. Recently, I saw Zoe Saldaña’s character on Special Ops: Lioness explicitly order a beer in a bottle at the bar, and I reckon there is something to this approach.
Even if you meet the friendliest people on the planet, avoid taking drinks you didn’t personally see the bartender make.
Make sure you have a backup photo or printout of your passport page and all relevant travel documents, plus a recent cloud backup of your phone, you know, just in case.
