Wonder how to travel to French Riviera on budget? Although French Riviera is known for its luxury and high class parties in the summer. This is the place where rich people come to spend their money, but today you will discover how you can discover famous Cote d’Azur on a budget.

When you picture Cannes or Nice and see photos and videos you might see top class parties, luxury yachts, big villas and high class people, but this is not all, Cote d’Azur has a lot to offer for working class people as well, you can find good deals if you pay some attention.

Accommodation Prices 

Like any other tourist destination, there are mid-season from March to May, high season June to August and finally low season from September to February. The prices varies according to the season, the prices are the highest during the high season and also during some important congress in Cannes like Cannes Film Festival or MIPIM, Grand Prix in Monaco.

Accomodation in cities like Cannes, St Jean Cap Ferrat, Villefranche-sur-Mer  are considered a bit more expensive since they are considered more exotic location with beautiful views and luxury and also because these cities generate a lot of tourists round the year. 

The cheapest destination on French Riviera could be cities like Nice, Antibes or Grasse and these are the cities where you can find a range of accommodations from top luxury to very affordable once. You can find cheap hotels to luxury 5 star hotels.

The Average cost of hostels in high season is 25 € per person for shared dormitory bed. 1 star hotel would cost you around 60€ per night for a double room while 5 start hotel would cost you around 300€ for a double bedroom.

Transport cost 

Public bus transport is considered very cheap with single way bus ticket cost only 1.5€, you can also buy multiple tickets for example 5 tickets pack at once. If you plan to stay for more than a month then monthly buss pass would be your best bet. Trains are efficient and you can cover a lot of coastal cities by trains and you will have the beautiful views of sea. The price of a train ticket from Nice to Cannes is around 6€ but you can often find good deals on their online website. 

Car rental is an expensive option as renting a car is not cheap here, but it’s the most convenient way to cover more places you want to visit and you can save a lot of time. Car rental is also useful for going to specific remote or mountain places where public transport frequency is not much. Average per day car rental for a budget car with all insurance starts from 55€ per day. (Manual transmission)

Food cost 

Food prices really depend on what you want to eat and how much you want to spend, On French Riviera you can find food options to suit everyone’s budget. Average takeaway pizza would cost you around 10€ while a menu from fast food joints like Mac Donald or Burger King would cost you around 9€. 

Average prices if you go to a restaurant would be 50€ for two people including wine, but this price can rapidly increase if you go to luxury or famous restaurants, some luxury 5 star restaurants would cost you around 250€ per person. Beach restaurants are very nice for a good outdoor lunch with great view of the sea, but often a bit more pricey, you would pay around 65€ for two people including wine.

Leisure cost 

You can find a lot of exciting activities for free on French Riviera for example Hiking, a lot of beaches on French Riviera, museums, a lot of famous spots like Nice castle hill, Fragonard perfume factory etc. All of these activities are free except if you go to private beaches then you’re obliged to pay for a drink at the minimum to get a spot but then it comes with services with private cushion and seat.

Walking around in Promenade des Anglais in Nice or la Croisette in Cannes is also free.

If you’re into art and painting you can check out the Picasso museum in Antibes but it's only free on some days, so you need to check the official website for more details.

If you’re looking for a company to organize everything for you like car rental, restaurant booking, ground support, booking activities, organizing trips and transport, you can get in touch with us.