If you are going to go to the South of France (which you should), the easiest place to visit is Nice. At first I wanted to overlook Nice because it’s more casual compared with some of the beaten-path spots in the South of France, but that’s what makes it great — it has a little bit of everything. St. Tropez and Cannes are fabulous, but much more touristy.
My second hot tip is that if you are going to visit Nice and want to maximize your stay, I recommend getting a car. I have been to a few places (St. Tropez, Monaco, Nice, Cannes, Cassis, Marseille (airport), to name a few). My most recent trip was a girls trip — the best way to do it in my opinion. It started with a flight to Nice, which again is an incredible airport because it is right on the beach and there is no long drive to get to your destination — it’s about 12 minutes from the central area.
We had wanted to see Eden Roc so we booked dinner at the grill there (they have multiple restaurants on the property; Le Grill has a great patio and more of a yacht-club vibe).
Our first day, we grabbed coffee at PAPER PLANE, which I recommend for coffee every day — I love having a great coffee shop that can make a flat white when I travel. Other excellent options include La Brome, La Claque Coffee Shop, SAVVA Coffee Shop, and Café Fino.
I loved booking the Hotel Negresco Beach Club. One: the Hotel Negresco is iconic, and two: the food and drinks are excellent. For dinner, I booked Lavomatique, which is one of my favorite dinner spots. They have great small plates and are really amazing with ingredients. The vegetable dishes and the proteins are incredible — my favorite way to eat!
The Autograph Collection opened up a new hotel in Nice in an old monastery. It has very minimalist vibes and a great spot to grab drinks if you don’t stay — Hotel du Couvent. It’s perfectly in town but tucked away enough to be out of the madness. Another great restaurant recommendation is Jan — he’s a chef from South Africa with the most special tasting menu! It was a highlight for my husband and me when we went to Nice together. For a more casual local vibe, there is a wine bar called Rouge. Reddit
On our second full day, we were driving to Monaco so we planned to stop at Plage Passable, which was recommended to me by my favorite hotelier in London, The Broadwick Hotel. We stopped and had lunch on the beach here prior to our drive. Reddit
Oh Monaco — what a scene Monaco is. I had low expectations for Monaco as my husband and I had been to the casino before and I simply remember a lot of restaurants that we have in London as well like Amazónico Monte‑Carlo and Mome. 
Nonetheless, we wanted to go out as gals to the casino and so we grabbed dinner at Amazónico (on the rooftop). The next morning was rough… and we had a boat planned! Not sure how, but these girls rallied and made it on the boat.
Our favorite dinner was that evening which opened up a whole new Monaco for me. So add this restaurant to your list — it was such a treat: The Pearls of Monte‑Carlo.

​Map here.