Jk this is a travel guide
I forced asked nicely my boyfriend of four months to travel with me to France for 10 days. Luckily he does pretty much anything I ask of him because he’s an absolute king. We’d never even left Manhattan together and decided, hey, why not try Europe first?
Pro tip: If you’re hoping to fall in love for the first time since the worst heartbreak of your life, and you’re freaking out and have no clue what you’re doing but really want to get the fuck out of the West Village, I recommend picking up a sexy 24-year-old man and heading to Paris.
I’d been dying to visit Paris and the French Riviera for a while, and June felt like the perfect shoulder season time to go. Spoiler alert: it was. This trip exceeded every expectation. I always put my itineraries into excel, so I’ll include that as a downloadable leave-behind at the end of this blog I’m pressuring you to read below.
Day 1 – Paris
We took a red eye (why does the term red-eye always sound so posh and cool to me) from JFK to CDG. We checked into the Hotel Queen Mary (highly recommend, great location and affordable) and walked straight to Le Nemours café, sitting outside for breakfast. From there, we walked to the Louvre, then to Musée de l’Orangerie, and finally to the Arc de Triomphe.
If you’re into museums that you can finish in less than an hour, check out the Musée de l’Orangerie. It contains several of Monet’s HUGE and gorgeous water lily paintings – very fun to visit ahead of Giverny later on in the trip.
We took the metro to the Hotel de Ville stop, wandered the shops, and grabbed sandwiches at Caractère de Cochon, a Tik-tok famous spot H (aka my sexy king bf) wanted to try. By chance, it was right across from Marché des Enfants Rouges, a lively outdoor food market full of French, Italian, and seafood stands. We went in for a drink, and it ended up being my favorite part of the day.
Later, we checked into the hotel and napped. That evening we had wine at Le Greffulhe, a bar right across the street, before dinner at Chez Andre. Le Greffulhe had a fabulous happy hour with the most amazing beer I’ve ever had but unfortunately I didn’t write it down. Anyway, at dinner, we ordered escargot, French onion soup, duck, and the burger. Afterwards, we headed home and passed out.
Day 2- Still Paris
We slept late, then took the subway to Maison Galland for croissants. After that, we grabbed coffee at Cordelia, a flower + coffee shop that was ADORABLE. We walked along the Seine to see Sainte-Chapelle and Notre Dame, then picked up another croissant and baguette at Maison de Isabelle. We sat across the street at Café du Metro for more coffee and a quick break.
In the afternoon, we strolled Luxembourg Gardens, then went to CityPharma for a full skincare haul (Nuxe body oil, Marvis toothpaste, Caudalie serums, La Roche-Posay, and more). I recommend watching TikToks to figure out what to buy before heading here – it was chaotic as hell. Next stop was La Grande Epicerie, where we stocked up for a picnic: butter, charcuterie, Brie, and wine. The butter was unreal — I bought several kinds to bring home, and they vacuum-sealed them for travel!!
That evening, we picnicked at the Eiffel Tower. The weather was perfect, and it was absolutely gorgeous. Afterward, we regrouped at the hotel and then went to Chez Nous, a wine bar across the Seine. I stole a wine glass lmao. We finished the night with dinner at UNO — the food was solid, but the atmosphere was the fun part. Young people and outside and lively and casual and easy. On the walk home, we stopped to watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle at 11 pm. Romantic affff.
Day 3 – Giverny + Paris
We grabbed coffees and breakfast at Pret before heading to the train station for a day trip. Once in Vernon, we rented bikes to ride to Giverny/Monet’s Gardens, but H’s bike chain kept falling off, so we had to stop several times. Eventually we made it but that was tough tough stuff. He was a trooper, and it made him hotter.
The gardens were stunning, and Monet’s house was beautiful. After the tour, we convinced the gardens shuttle driver to take the broken bike back. H rode the working one all the way to the train station. Kind soul. We grabbed smash burgers before taking the train home.
Back in Paris, we stopped by Galeries Lafayette to shop a bit in the mall. Later, we returned to our happy hour spot for drinks. OH WAIT I REMEMBER THE BEER IT WAS CALLED VEGA!!! I need to figure out how to ship that beer to the USA it was unreal.
H planned a big surprise. He brought me to dinner at Café de l’Homme, which has a perfect, unobstructed view of the Eiffel Tower. Kinda cheesey and probably way overpriced but the most romantic night. The food was fine, but the view made it unforgettable. Afterward, we joined the crowd outside where someone was singing. We danced drunk and sang along and said I love you for the first time. Unreal tbh. I’m like jealous of my past self as I type this.
Day 4 – Antibes
We took a 6 am train from Paris to Marseille, then connected to Antibes. The train was delayed due to a sick passenger (girl didn’t pack her epipen, yikes), but eventually we made it. Our hotel, the 1932 Hotel & Spa, was lovely — 10/10 recommend (though slightly expensive, this was def our big ball out moment of the trip).
We had reserved sunbeds at Hotel Belles Rives. We swam in the sea, ordered Whispering Angel, and relaxed. The food there didn’t look great and was overpriced, so H snuck over to La Crique-Snack at the public beach next door. He came back with wings that were incredible. I highly recommend people do the same – the food at this beach shack was giving country club pool chicken tenders in the best way.
That evening, we showered and went out for Thai food at Ban Kai Jaa. It wasn’t anything extraordinary, but it hit the spot after days of French food. We wandered through the Marché Provençal, then ended with gelato at Gelateria Del Porto, which is famous for shaping scoops into roses. Heads up: it’s cash only.
Day 5 – Antibes → Nice
Breakfast at the 1932 hotel was fabulous. We even grabbed some yogurt and granola to take as snacks for our hike. We ubered to Plage Keller, where the trailhead was easy to find. The hike was gorgeous — paved, easy, and right along the water. We met a few girls from UGA and ended up walking and chatting with them. At one point, we swam mid-hike in a small cove, which was the highlight.
The trail ended at Billionaires Bay, where we swam again. We then went back to the hotel for a late checkout, freshened up, and had snacks and piña coladas at La Crique before heading to lunch at Hotel du Cap Eden Roc. We couldn’t leave without hitting La Crique one more time.
Eden Roc was stunning — glamorous, expensive, and completely worth it. Sophia Richie would’ve been proud. We had lunch by the pool, drank rosé, and watched guests swim. The service was incredible, and the view was unbeatable. Afterward, we caught the train to Nice, where we stayed in an Airbnb in Old Town. We settled in, walked to the beach, grabbed gelato, skipped dinner after our huge lunch (skinny queens) and went to bed.
Day 6 – Nice + Boat Day
We started with coffees from a breakfast placed called Hobo and walked to the marina to rent a private boat. Before boarding, we stocked up on wine, pizza, snacks, and water. It was easy to find the boat rental places – there are a couple along the water. We put in “Rent My boat” in Google Maps and walked there from Old Town.
On the private boat tour (our other ball out moment), we spent four hours cruising from Nice toward Monaco. We swam in the bay at Villefranche-sur-Mer, then at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. The water was clear and stunning. The boat had both shaded seating and a sunny tanning deck. We even wakeboarded. H was great, I was terrible and couldn’t get up.
On the way back, the cops pulled us over for a random check lmao. Sunburned and tipsy, we decided to jump into the ocean again near Nice’s public beach. It was dusk and absolutely perfect.
That night, we split a seafood pasta at Campo Di Fiori, then got gelato at Fenocchi — the best of the trip. Strawberry and Nutella were the winning flavors.
Day 7 – Monaco + Nice
We had a sit-down breakfast at Hobo (again), then hiked Castle Hill for the views. This is such a big touristy thing to do in Nice, and it’s pretty, but not super notable. After that, we took the train to Monaco, walked through the casino and marina, and had lunch at Société Nautique de Monaco.
In the afternoon, we trained to Villefranche-sur-Mer for a beach day. Back in Nice, we napped and then had dinner at Gina. The veal and cacio e pepe were excellent.
Note: I don’t really recommend Monaco. Sue me! It’s a lot of expensive shops and not much else to do except explore the casinos. I wish we’d spent more time in Eze or Menton than spent a day doing this.
Day 8 – Eze + Menton + Nice
We ubered to Eze in the morning and had croissants and coffee at La Villa d’Eze. The walk up through the village was straight out of a fairytale — perfume boutiques, little shops, and cobblestone paths.
Lunch at Les Remparts (Golden Goat) was one of the best meals of the trip. We had lobster pasta, sea bass, cheese, dessert, and wine, all with a jaw-dropping view from a table on the edge of the terrace.
In the afternoon, we ubered to Menton. We stopped for lemon juice at Cocotte Café, then changed into swimsuits and swam at Plage des Sablettes. The colorful buildings and the mountains in the background made it one of the most beautiful beaches. Menton feels like a hidden gem — I wish we’d had more time there.
We trained back to Nice then packed up. Dinner was at Bocca Nisa — paella was pretty good, but the standout was the croquettes (10/10). This was a recommendation from a friend – if you go, make sure you’re sitting on the rooftop. I could see this being really fun for big girl groups. We got one last gelato on the walk home.
Day 9 – Nice → Home
Final breakfast at Hobo (avocado toast with grated egg. Can you tell we liked it there?). Then ubered to the airport. Flight home at 2 pm.
Superlantibes
Best Meals
- Eiffel Tower picnic
- Lunch at Eden Roc
- Lunch at Golden Goat in Eze
- Eiffel Tower dinner (💗)
- Seafood pasta in Nice at Campo Di Fiori
Best Bites
- Salami, Brie, and lemon olive oil butter at the Eiffel Tower picnic
- Maison de Isabelle croissant
- Cashew nut app at Eden Roc
- Nutella + strawberry gelato in Nice
- Tapenade + bread at Chez Andre in Paris
- Parmesan potato chips on the boat in Nice (see pic below)
Best Drinks
- Vega beer at happy hour in Paris
- Whispering Angel at Belles Rives beach club
- Rosé on the boat in Nice
- Piña colada from La Crique in Antibes
- Champagne under the Eiffel Tower
Favorite Experiences
- Eiffel Tower picnic
- Monet’s Gardens (post-bike saga)
- Boat + wakeboarding
- Fancy lunches (Eden Roc + Golden Goat)
- Post-Eiffel Tower dinner 💗
- Eze shopping
- French pharmacy + La Grande Epicerie haul
Meh Experiences
- Lack of AC
- Delayed train
- Bike breaking
- Monaco (meh)
- No takeaway food
Funniest Moments
- TikTok at Golden Goat (girls copied us)
- Wakeboarding fails
- H mispronouncing French words
- Double kisses + snap videos
- “Couscous is here” / pizza system / Pizz’Addict
- Pharmacy haul → baby powder chafing break
- “Nice boobies” Snapchat video
Itinerary:
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