6 tips for travelling the South of France on a budget
- sydneychapman5
- Jun 25, 2024
- 4 min read
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After my month studying in the South of France, I developed an understanding of just how expensive the area can be. Although, it is expensive for good reason, as it's one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.
While the area can be expensive, especially for a visitor, there are some ways to easily save money while travelling the area. I'm going to share 6 tips that I learned during my month in the area that will hopefully help you save some money on your upcoming trip!
Base Yourself in Nice
Nice is the best city to base yourself in if you're looking to travel around the Cote d'Azur area. It's larger than many of its neighbors such as Cannes, St.tropez, and Monaco so there are more options for accommodation. In addition, Nice is situated nicely in the center of many of the popular towns and directly on the Marseille-Ventimiglia train line, making transportation convenient.
In addition to being an affordable option, Nice is a nice place to base yourself because it offers the most to do, with many restaurants, the largest beach, and other attractions.
At the bottom of this post, I’ve linked some accommodation options in the city.
Don't assume hostels are cheaper
While hostels are an amazing choice for affordable travel, they are not always the cheapest. When travelling by yourself, a hostel is usually going to be the cheapest bet, plus it's a great way to meet new people. If you are travelling in a group or with a partner, however, a hostel may work out to be more expensive than a shared hotel room or Airbnb. Personally, I always recommend checking out multiple accommodation options to find the best deal that suits your needs.
Utilize the train and buses
Nice Ville train station
Many of the towns along the Cote d'azur region are very well connected by bus or train, so there's really no need to rent a car.
The TER (Trains Express Regionaux) train connects many of the major cities along the coast. It has stops at many popular destinations such as Cannes, Antibes, Villefranche Sur Mer, Monaco, Menton, Nice airport, and two stops in the city of Nice. Tickets don’t need to be booked in advance, but they can be booked online here. Ticket costs range depending on the length of your journey, but a one-way ticket from Nice to Monaco, for example, is around five euros. Trains come between every ten and twenty minutes. These trains are meant for short journeys, so you will not need to reserve a specific seat. That being said, in the peak tourist season, you will likely be standing as the trains can get very full.
Buses are a great option for travel within Nice and some of the other slightly larger towns. While I would say the train is much more efficient for travel between towns, some towns are not accessible by train, which is when the bus can come in handy. Most notably, the hilltop town of Eze is not on the train line. To get to Eze, you can take the bus lines 82 or 112 from Nice.
Bring your student ID if you have one
A lot of attractions in the area offer discounted admissions for students. Keeping your student ID in your wallet (if you have one) will allow you to get these discounted prices and save some money.
Some examples of attractions I encountered with discounted rates included the Prince's Car Collection, the Prince's Palace, and Musee Oceanographique in Monaco, Musee Picasso and Le Fort Carre in Antibes, and Le Jardin Exotique in Eze.
Having your student ID can get you a discount of anywhere between two and five euros off, depending on the cost of the attraction.
Avoid the beach clubs
The public section of Mala Beach
Most beaches in the region have public and private sections. The private sections of the beaches usually have beach clubs, where you pay to rent a beach chair and enjoy chairside service of food and drinks. Usually, a day's access to the beach club will cost around 25-40 euros, a meal between 20-40 euros, and drinks between 5-10 euros. While the beach club experience is extremely relaxing, and I do recommend doing a beach club once during your trip, you will save a lot of money by sticking to the free sections of the beach the majority of the time.
If you do choose to enjoy the public section of the beach, be sure to keep an eye on your belongings, as it is a popular place for pickpockets.
Have a picnic on the beach
Eating out in the South of France can quickly eat up your budget. Luckily there are many grocery stores around the area. One nice affordable way to enjoy the area is to purchase some picnic items at a grocery store and enjoy them on the beach. This is a great way to save on a meal out while enjoying the salty Mediterranean air at the same time!
Accommodations - Nice
Budget:
Mid-range:
Luxury: