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. Escaping 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. 

I will split this trip into two blogs to make them manageable, the first is from Antwerp – Belgium where most my European trips stared to Marseille the first city in my itinerary on the French Riviera. The second part will start from Marseille, passing though Nice to the famous Monte Carlo. Monte Carlo is the last city on Cote d’Azur. After Monaco, drove back to Antwerp, driving through the beautiful roads on the Alpes. 

I will describe each city I passed through briefly, the road we took to get there, and places to see in each city and on the way. I will make a dedicated blog for some of these cities in different time.

French Riviera Road Trip 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) or more. 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 as recommendations during the blog and at the end of the second part. 

Part 1

• 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 the 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 

The start was from Antwerp – Belgium, this use to be the place I start most of my Europe trips. It is very convenient location, in the heart of Europe, quite easy to reach via the airport in Brussels or the airport in Amsterdam and easy to rent a car or take a train to any destination in Europe. 

Antwerp city – Belgium

Antwerp is the English name of the city. The Dutch name is Antwerpen and the French name is Anvers. Most cities in Belgium have Dutch and French name and sometimes another name in English. 

Antwerp is a small city to the very north of Belgium on the border with Netherland (Holland). It is no more than 80 Mi² (205 Km², which is a bit smaller than Long Beach – California). Antwerp is not the largest city in Belgium, but it is by far the most dense city in Belgium, with a population more than half a million. It is also the capital of the Antwerp District, and the most famous city in the northern Flemish area of Belgium.  

The Official languages in Belgium are the French and the Dutch. The Dutch mostly used in the northern “Flemish region”, and the French used in the southern “Walloon region”. Some western parts, bordering Germany, the spoken language there is German. However, most people in Belgium speak English very well. 

Antwerp has a port, and business center, but famous for its Dimond center, Belgian chocolate, Belgium fries, Beer, and of course the famous Belgian Waffle

If you have only two or three days to spent in Antwerp, the following are the places I would recommend you visit and see: 

I included a map of most of the cities to make it visually easier to understand the location of the places I am talking about relative to each other. 

1. Antwerp City Hall, a 14^th century building, beautiful and you will not miss it. 
2. Antwerp Central Station, build completed in 1905, exceptionally beautiful structure and have many shops, cafés, and restaurants.   
3. Cathedral of our Lady, a 14^th century architecture. You can find many restaurants, bars, and shopping places around the Cathedral. It is a must-see place.  
4. St. Jacos Church 
5. St. Paul Church
6. Palace of Justice (it is further south, not in the map above)
7. Museum aan de stroom, very unique look and very beautiful (depend on your taste in architecture of course)
8. Statue of Brabo and the giant’s hand Fountain (see picture above)
9. Guildhouses at Grote Market
10. Grote Market, famous and nice place.
11. Groenplaats, this is where I always visit to have something to eat or drink at night. 
12. Diamond Museum. 

Antwerp is a city that you can easily miss after you leave. It has lot to offer in a small area of land and with excellent public transport without the need to own a car or sit in traffic waiting. I spent lot of time there and I will write a blog with pictures about this city. 

Brussels – Belgium

35 Mi Or 55 Km South Of Antwerp, 45-90 Min Drive On E19, Depend On Traffic

Brussels is the Capital of “Kingdom of Belgium”, and the French name is Bruxelles. Even though it is the Capital, but it is not the most densely populated city. The area of the city is around 162 KM² (62 Mi²) and the total population is around 1.2 Million. 

It is in the center of the country (but still in the Flemish region) and has both Flemish and French sections. During my many visits there I did not see many Dutch speakers; most are French speakers as I noticed, especially that it has a big immigrant population from the French speaking North African countries and Morocco. 

Brussels is famous for the following

Besides being the capital of the kingdom, it is also where the European Union body is located. i.e. the EU Commission Building, EU Council Building and the EU Parliament Building.

It has Belgium’s two international airports (the bigger one in Zaventem “BRU”, and the second in Charleroi ”CRL”). But if you want to fly to Belgium, it could be cheaper if you fly KLM to Schiphol (Amsterdam “AMS”) and take the fast train to Antwerp or Brussels or any other cities in Belgium. I always found it to be the cheaper option and sometimes even faster. 

Places to go in Brussels

• “The Grand Place” of Brussels (UNESCO world heritage)

It is the center of Brussels as far as I can tell, beautiful buildings, many restaurants, cafes, and Bars. It is the place to gather during big events in Brussels, such as the new year’s show, christmas shows, Christmas market is a walking distance. When staying overnights in Brussels, I always pick hotels in that area.

• Manneken Pis

Famous for its statue “Manneken Pis”, a famous small fountain statue of a young boy pissing, that became almost the symbol of Brussels. 

• Atomium monument/building and museum

• Palais de Justice.
• The Royal Palace and the huge public garden in front of the palace. The garden is definitely a place to visit. 
• Cinquantenaire & Triumphal Arch – the victory arch. (it has a great resemblance to the one in Berlin)
• Brussels is famous for the Belgian beer tasting, chocolate, waffle, mussels, and Tintin (the cartoon detective character). 

To see Brussels and enjoy it fully, you will need more than two days, but we visited the place many times before, so one night in Brussels was more than enough for us. The highlight for me was the christmas market in Brussels and the Grand Place and the restaurants there with their famous buckets of mussels and beer tasting. 

Luxembourg city – Luxembourg

140 mi or 220 Km south of Brussels, 2-3 Hr drive on E411, depend on traffic

Luxembourg is a small sovereign country (the smallest in Europe), but it has a long history with Belgium, the language is French, and it has its own identity. It is a rich country with high standard of living, but one full of history as well. 

Luxembourg the country is 1,000 Mi² (few miles smaller than Rhode Island). However, Luxembourg the city, is 20 mi² with population of approximately 115 thousand. We have not stayed in the city overnight; but I recommend you do. 

It is worth stating overnight to visit all sites especially the ones which are outside the city. Sites like Vianden Castle and Bourscherd Castle, both are way north out or the city limits. You will need a day to visit these remote beautiful and historic sites.

The city of Luxembourg is beautiful and looks very green (full of parks, gardens, and trees), you can park the car and walk the city (this is what we did). There is much to explore, but the below are some of the highlights of the city. 

Expats in Luxembourg always speak very highly of the city and quality of life, maybe that is why it is one of the fastest growing cities in Europe. 

Metz – France

60 mi or 100 Km south of Luxembourg, 1.5 Hr drive on A31tall road freeway

Metz was the first city we stopped in France. It is a small 15 Mi² city with a population of approximately 120 thousand. Located at the North Eastern side of France and close to the German border. Because of its location and the many fortes in the city, it has a very famous history during the WWII. 

In 1944, Lt. General G. Patton, fought and won the battle of Metz, it was 3-month long battle, started September 27^th and ended December 13^th of 1944. Although the American troops won that battle, the casualties were unknows from both sides, and the German soldiers were able to delay the US army for complete three months, which was crucial for the defeated German troops to regroup.  

Regardless of that violent history, Metz is an old city and has many beautiful places to see. The following are some of the famous places in Metz:

1. Metz Cathedral 

2. La Cour d’Or Museum 
3. Port des Allemands
4. Église Saint-Maximin de Metz
5. Place Saint Louis
6. Gare de Metz (Metz railway station)
7. New Temple
8. Basilica de Saint Pierre
9. Center Pompidou of Metz, the first Pompidou center built outside Paris in (2010)
10. The Covered Market

Dijon – France

(170 mi or 270 Km south of Metz, 2.5 Hr drive on A31tall road freeway)

Dijon was the second city we stopped in France and the first to spend the night in. It is a small 15 Mi² city with a population of approximately 155 thousand people. On the way you can also stop in Nancy, but we didn’t, and we continued driving to Dijon to spend the night and take a fast tour in the morning after breakfast. 

Dijon is famous for its Dijon Mustard, and a special liquor usually drank after the meals as a digestive called “Crème de Cassis”. The City center has been declared a UNESCO world heritage since July 2015, and its magical owls (I will talk about it below). 

The following are some of the famous places in Dijon. 

1. The Ducs Palace, which is in the center of the city, an old 14^th century medieval palace. It is the UNESCO heritage site, and beautiful place surrounded by restaurants and other shopping places. 

2. The church of Our Lady (Notre Dame), a beautiful church and architecture. What makes this church different from others, is that on its north side, there is the “Dijon Magical Owls” (Parcoues de la Chouette). It is a small owl carved on the fence around the 1500s and the legend says that if you touch that owl with your left hand from right to left side of the owl, your wishes will come true. Also, there are 22 stops around the historic center of the city each located at a landmark, these stops are marked with brass way markers on the road with numbers on them. 

3. Rue des Forges, a historic street with posh boutiques and restaurants. 
4. Musée Magnin, 17^th century townhouse, now museum of beautiful 16 to 19 century paintings. 
5. Natural History Museum and the beautiful garden next to it. 
6. Dijon Cathedral 
7. Every city has its covered market, and “Les Halls” is the covered market in Dijon, the place to have fresh fruits and something to eat. 

Lyon – France

25 mi or 200 Km driving south, 2 Hr drive on A39 tall road freeway

Lyon is the third populated city in France after the capital Paris and Marseille. It is 18 Mi² in area with a population of approximately 515 thousand people. It is half size of Glendale – California with more than double the population.

The city is located where “Saone” and “Phone” rivers meet. Besides being the 3^rd most populated city in the country, it is also famous for being the gastronomical capital of France and also famous for its UNESCO heritage sites.

In Lyon, you can enjoy the beautiful nature, the food, and historic sites. We stayed one night in Lyon to the many places that we needed to see during daylight and during nighttime with the beautiful Lyon night lights.

1. Vieux Lyon (old Lyon) is the area bounded with red line in the map above at the west on Saone river. It is the old section of the city and has many historic and shopping areas. 
2. Temple Du Change
3. Museo du Cinema el de la miniature
4. Quartier Saint-Jean & Saint Georges churches. 

5. Basilique de Notre Dame (our Lady’s cathedral). For me, this was the most beautiful structure I have seen on that trip, it is on high grounds and you can have a beautiful view of Lyon from top. We went there during daytime and then once during nighttime, the view both cases were unrevivably beautiful but totally different. 

6. Musee de la Civilisation Gallo-Romaine. Al old Roman 43BC historic place with roman style stadium, rewins, structures and museum. Incredibly beautiful place to see, hike, and take beautiful pictures.  

7. Parc de la Tete d’Or: a botanic garden with beautiful statues, fountains, and unique trees.

 8. Paroisse Catholique Saint Martin d’Ainay (Basilique – Abbaye Saint Martin d’Ainay): a beautiful church, full of tourists. 

 9. Finally, are the gourmet restaurants that is everywhere in the city and unmistakably the highlight of the city. 

Please check my part two of the blog where I start my trip into the French Riviera (Cote d’Azur) then through Mont Blanc Tunnel in the Alps back to Antwerp. At the end of my second blog, I will include my final impressions and recommendations for the whole trip. 

Conclusion

Even though this trip was just a way to get to the southern cost of the country, but it was one of the most beautiful trips and deserved a dedicated article talking about the beauty of the French countryside, the beautiful cities on the way, the history, the food, the weather, and the holiday and christmas spirit in every city. 

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