French Riviera: 10 Day Road Trip Itinerary (Through the Alps Back to Antwerp) Part 2

Fast recap from the previous blog: French Riviera: 10 Day Road Trip Itinerary (Christmas Edition) Part 1:

Christmas is a time to spend with family and loved ones. However, it also a great opportunity to spend a memorable time with someone you care for, driving in heart of Europe and through the famous French Riviera. Scaping from the blazered cold of north Europe to the warm and beautiful coast of the French Riviera (also called “Cote d’Azur”, “The blue coast” in French) was one of the best road trip ideas we made. 

I have spent many christmas and new year’s in different parts of the world, but I will never forget this holiday season in a car doing a ten-day unplanned road trip from the heart of Europe, cold Belgium to the warm Mediterranean coast passing through one of the most beautiful beaches and country sides and make the way back to Antwerp – Belgium passing through the Alpes and the famous Mont Blanc Tunnel. 

The itinerary 

When we started the trip, there was no intention of writing a blog, so there was no plan, we just wanted to have a road trip and plan the next city in the hotel room the night before. The trip was around 2800 Km (1750 miles) but sometimes we used more indirect roads through small villages, so in reality it was more like 3000 Km (1850 miles). The whole trip was a 10-day trip, it can easily be three-week trip. 

I will first mention the list of the major cities that we stopped or spend the night in, then I will touch upon each city, a short story about it, why we stopped there and what are these cities famous for. Looking back there were some things we could have done differently, I will talk about them below as recommendations. 

Part 1 (for part 1, please see my previous Blog)

December 21^st – Antwerp – Belgium
December 22^nd – Antwerp – Belgium, left for Brussels the capital.
December 23^rd tour Brussels – Belgium, stay there for a night. 
December 24^th, Drive to city of Luxembourg – Luxembourg, then Metz – France, and spend the Christmas night in Dijon – France.
December 25 spend Christmas day in Dijon, then drove to Lyon and stay one night in Lyon.

Part 2

December 26 leave Lyon and drive to Marseille, spend the night there.
December 27 drive to Cannes and spend the night in Cannes.
December 28 left Cannes and drove along the French Riviera to Nice – France using the long coastal way and stay the night in Nice.
December 29 tour Nice then continue driving along the French Riviera to Monaco. Spend the night in Monte Carlo – Monaco.
December 30 leave Monte Carlo and drive to Geneva – Switzerland, passing through Turin-Italy, then take the long way through Mont Blanc Tunnel.
December 31. Leave Geneva and drive back to Antwerp where we celebrated the New year.

The Trip – Continue

In the first part was about the trip from Antwerp to Lyon, and here I will continue the second half of the trip which includes the Mediterranean coast and then the way back to Antwerp. 

We left Lyon after spending the night there. We spent a bit more time touring the city (see my last blog) and then left for Marseille after lunch.

Marseille – France – The biggest city on the French Riviera (Cote d’Azur)

(200 mi or 320 Km driving further south, 3.5 Hr drive on A7 freeway)

Marseille is the second most populist city in France after Paris, with 93 mi² and population of 860 thousand people. It is one of the centers of trade of the country with the world since 600 BC. 

It is still famous for its old port, and the fish market. Marseille is also famous for its “Pastis”. Pastis, is an alcoholic beverage with 45 % alcohol, so it is usually drinking with water on the side which give it the white color. 

Marseille was our first city on the French Riviera (Cote d’Azur), which is 550 miles starting with city of Toulon- France at one end and Monaco on the other. This is one of the most beautiful and famous costal stretch on the Mediterranean and passes through iconic cities like Cannes and Nice and, of course, Monte Carlo. 

What to see in Marseille? 

1. The Old Port (Vieux-Port)
2. Notre Dame (our lady’s) Basilica, the most famous site in all Marseille, high on a hill side and overlooks the city. 
3. The Corniche, very nice place to walk or bike and have a great view of the sea.
4. Calanque d’En-Vau (national Park), amazing place to visit, far from the city center and on the Mediterranean Sea. A place to hike, rock climbing and pebble beach. (Not on the map above)
5. Le Panier, the old city existing since 600 BC, and it is the area north of the old port and have the following iconic places to see:
   • MuCEM, Museum of Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean, an iconic building opened in 2013. A must-see place. 
   • Cathedral La Major, a cathedral since 1800s. 
   • La Vieille Charité
   • Local Art Museum
   • Many water fountains, and artistic monuments in addition to the shops, restaurants, and the beautiful Mediterranean view. 
   • Porte d’Aix, this is like Arc de Triomphe in Paris (the monument in Paris, it marks the war victories of Napoleon). 
6. Boulevard Longchamp. A beautiful street full of places to see and enjoy the beautiful Cafes and restaurants. 

To tour Marseille properly, we needed at least few days to see and enjoy the city with its beautiful shops, historic areas. However, we did not have the time, so we left the city next day and continued to Cannes, which is one of the most popular cities in Europe. 

All the cities I mentioned before (in my previous blog, part 1) and will mention below can be reached via train, but we preferred driving. On my way to Cannes, we decided to leave the A8 toll road (fast way) and take the longer way along the coast way (almost 4 hours longer with all the stops) but was extremely rewarding. 

Cannes – France – next city on the French Riviera (Cote d’Azur)

(110 mi or 174 Km driving East, 2 Hr drive on A8 freeway)

Cannes is a small city founded around 1530s, with population of 74 thousand people. It is famous for being one of the favorable places for rich and famous to visit or reside in.

It is also very famous for its film festival (Cannes Film Festival), Cannes Lions International Festival of creativity, the famous and important MIDEN Music Festival (International Record and Music publishing market Festival) and many other festivals. 

Some of the cities’ highlights:

1. La Croisette, a 2 Km Blvd along the Mediterranean coast full of beautiful views and incredible weather. 
2. Le Suquet, which is the old Cannes with incredible shopping areas and restaurants.
3. Rue d’antibes, the road where you can see Cannes luxurious shops. 
4. The famous Cannes festival’s Red Carpet where almost all tourists have a picture on (Palais des festivals).
5. Le Vieux Port (the old port), it is something you will not miss. 
6. La castre museum, a 19^th century medieval tower and castle. 
7. Casino Barrière with its many locations, if you are a casino lover.
8. A tour to the Saint Marguerite island, the return ticket can be booked, and it is something like $20 per person (returned ticket)
9. A tour to the 11^th century Abbaye de Lerins monastery on saint Honorat island. The return ticked can be booked from many places in the city with $20 per person. 

When I toured the city in the morning walking out of the hotel, I felt the city is familiar, it looked like many other Mediterranean cities. It also reminded me of the Lebanese coastal cities with their mountain directly open up to the beach, green landscape, narrow streets and the smell of the sea. Cannes is the home to many very luxurious hotels, restaurants, and full of famous celebrities. 

Nice – France – The most famous city on the French Riviera (Cote d’Azur) 

For the people not familiar with “Nice”, it is pronounced just like the English word “niece”.  It is the fifth most populous city in France with an area of 28 mi² (72 km²) and a population of 345 thousand people. Nice is considered the capital of the French Riviera, and one of the most visited cities in the region. Some sources consider Marseille the capital, being the bigger city, but Nice is the most popular with more than 5 million visitors tour Nice every year. 

Best way to get too Nice:

Nice is 25 mi (40 Km) on the east of Cannes on the Mediterranean Sea, can be reached in 30 min on A8. That is if you are trying to reach Nice fast.  It also can be reached by 20 to 40 min train ride or by flying to Nice’s airport Cote d’Azur airport. 

However, the best way we decided to take is by driving from Cannes almost (40 mi) 60km along the coast. Stopping on the way to see the most beautiful scenery. It took us more than 3 hours, but it was one of the most beautiful road trips you will ever make.   

What is Nice famous for?

The city also called “Nice la Bella” (the Beautiful Nice) for having one of the most beautiful nature, weather, and coastal view I have ever seen. It is also remarkably close to Mote Carlo and has the closest airport to Monte Carlo (Monaco has no airport).

Nice is also famous for having the most museums after Paris, great architecture and of course the beaches. Beside all that, there are also many attractions, the below are some of these attractions:

1. Vieille Ville (The Old Town). A coastal area with many old churches and structures, roads full of water fountains, statues, shops, and beautiful scenery. Also, you can see the following:
   • Castle Hill, a park, and a historic place where you can have beautiful view over the beach, also place you can find cafes and restaurants. 
   • Nice Cathedral, and cathedral of Saint Marie. 
   • A coastal road and a beach. 
2. Promenade des Anglais (Angles beach Promenade) and Jardin Albert the 1^st.   in my opinion, this is the place to see and spend time, this is what makes Nice the most visited place after Paris. It has unbelievable scenery and beautiful beaches. 
3. Notre Dame Monastery (like every major city in France, there is a beautiful church or cathedral dedicated for Our Lady). 
4. Matisse Museum. There are many museums in Nice, but Matisse Museum is a beautiful 17^th century big house with many Matisse’s paintings that make this place unique and worth visiting. (further North, not on the map above)
5. The Orthodox church of Russian St. Nicolas. It was a gift from Tsar Nicolas of Russia and was completed 1912. It is one of the iconic buildings in Nice and worth visiting. 
6. Place Garibaldi, the largest square in Nice, walking distance from Notre Dame, and has the modern and contemporary art museum. 

We left Nice in the morning after breakfast and continued driving to the close and last city on the French riviera. 

Monte Carlo – Monaco – The end of the French Riviera (Cote d’Azur)

(15 mi or 25 Km driving East, 30 to 40 min drive from Nice)

“Monaco” is a Principality (Sovereign Micro-state), and its Capital (Administrative Area) is “Monte Carlo” with its famous Casino Monte Carlo (featured in many movies, the ones I remember is the 007 movie “never say never again” and “Goldeneye”). It is 0.81 mi² or 2.1 km² but extremely famous and the home of many worlds’ billionaires. 

The Principality is ruled by its Royal family Albert II, who came to power after his dad Prince Rainier III, and his mother was the famous Grace Kelly (the American Actress) who married the prince and became Princess of Monaco in April 1956. 

Monaco does not own an airport, it only has a small Heliport, the closest airport is through Nice (Cote d’Azur Airport). 

Monaco is incredibly famous for its Casino Monte Carlo, Monaco Yacht show, Monaco Grand Prix, and many other Glamorous events, and it has one of the most expensive real estates in the world per square foot. It is the home for the billionaires of the world due to it zero income tax since 1869 and very low cooperate tax. 

As far as I know there is only one public beach (Larvotto beach), and the biggest activity is walking in its unbelievable luxurious streets, malls, shops, and buildings. 

I was there on the 30^th of December and that is when most rich people from Italy and France come to Monaco to spend their new year parties, and I was lucky to see the largest concentration of exotic cars, people with the most lavish and expensive jewelry and clothing I have ever seen. 

After a night in Monte Carlo, it was time to get back to Antwerp, and we took the long way to Geneva and spend the night there and then to Antwerp. 

Geneva – Switzerland

(600 mi or 960 Km driving north from Monaco, around 11 Hr. drive)

There is a shorter way to Geneva from Monaco, but our intension was not to visit Geneva, that was a separate trip for different Blog. The intention was to rest in Geneva and the highlight was to drive through Turin – Italy and through the Alps and cross Mont-Blanc tunnel to Geneva. 

The tunnel is around 1400 meter (4,600 feet) in elevation at its highest point, and 7.2 mi (11.6 Km) in length. There is very strict speed limit and safety orientation pamphlets, before entering the tunnel, due to previous very deadly motor accident and fire (you don’t want to have fire in a long tunnel like that). The one-way ticket we paid was around 46 euros (there is a return ticket with discounted fee, but we didn’t need that). 

There are many statistics about the tunnel can be found online, they talk about its history and importance, the budget and feasibility. However, for me, all that was not important, the most important thing was the views, the drive, the unbelievable roads, the amazing structural achievement of the tunnel itself. It was definitely worth the 11-hour drive. 

We spend the last day of the tour in Geneva and drove first thing in the morning to Antwerp which was supposed to be 8 hours driving north on A31 freeway (around 550 miles, 830 Km).

Driving wintertime in Switzerland 

When we left the hotel early 6 am, the weather was overcast but was not too bad, after 1-hour drive and the snowstorm started and in 5 minutes the car was stuck in 4-inch snow, and it took me great effort to make it to the French boarders without wheel chains. I was driving behind big semi with very heavy load which was breaking the ice for me to be able to drive. 

At the border, the car was totally stuck in snow and I had to find a place to buy chains for the wheels and continued our trip to France. Without the little French I knew; we would have spent the new year in the car that day. That day I learned that there is zero courtesy for English speaking American in that part of the world, even from the police.

After we crossed the border the weather became good again and we were able to drive without chains and with regular speed. This made our trip so long and took more than the 8 hours planned and we reached Antwerp almost around 8 pm (took us 14 hours).  

We spent the New Years in Antwerp and it was worth the 14 hour drive, it was beautiful and a night I will not forget. Lot of people on the streets, fireworks, and lot of lights, food and cafes were open all night till 2 am where we went home. 

Conclusions

This trip was one of the trips I will never forget, the cities we visited were amazing, and you can feel the christmas joy in all the cities. The French Riviera had the most beautiful weather, and scenery at that time of the year was unbelievable. Monaco was amazing and exceptionally glamorous during the holiday season. Then driving through the Alps and crossing the Mont-Blanc tunnel was the cherry on top. 

What I would recommend do differently, is to spend more time in Brussels (maybe three night) and at least stay overnight in Luxembourg. Also, Marseille needs more than one day (at least two nights if not three), two nights in Nice, and one night in Turin. Sleeping in Turin will give you some rest so the road trip in the Alpes become more enjoyable and you can stop more often and have beautiful memorable pictures. If skying is your thing, then plan spending at least two night in Geneva. 

If driving is not something you like, you can do all that hopping on trains. The train system is very advanced and accurate in Europe, you just need to plan in advance to make sure you don’t miss the train schedule.   

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