French Riviera by train in 5 days

Arrive in Menton and choose one garden only after checking its current opening and access. Pair it with the pastel old-town slope and harbour rather than trying to visit every garden on the map. The climb is real, so a lower-level market, museum and seafront circuit is a valid alternative, not a lesser day. Take time for lunch and notice the Italian influence in the town’s food and architecture. Pack only what you can manage on tomorrow’s station walk; four one-night bases punish oversized luggage. Before dinner, save the exact train you intend to use, confirm the accommodation’s checkout and bag arrangements, and check whether planned paths are comfortable in the forecast. The seafront gives the evening a natural finish without another reservation.

• a garden or waterfront route selected by current opening
• the pastel old-town ascent and harbour light
• follow a lower-level market, museum and seafront circuit

Base: Menton

Take a short regional train to Nice and leave luggage through an arrangement confirmed in advance. Cours Saleya, Vieux Nice and the seafront make a coherent urban day; choose one elevated viewpoint only if heat, rain and footing support the climb. Do not add Monaco merely because the rail map makes it look close. Nice deserves time as the route’s largest city, and its museums, arcades and food halls create a complete poor-weather alternative. Check the official event and transport notices before travel, because a disrupted coastal service matters more than the usual journey time. Use the evening to enjoy the old town after day visitors disperse, then identify the exact station entrance and platform information process for Antibes. Keeping the day geographically compact offsets the effort of another hotel change tomorrow.

• the short train to Nice and a straightforward luggage drop
• Cours Saleya, Vieux Nice and the seafront
• use Nice’s museums, arcades and food halls as the complete day

Base: Nice

Board a verified regional service to Antibes with luggage that can handle ordinary stairs and a platform change. After bag drop, focus on the market streets, ramparts and old-town scale. The peninsula is optional; adding its full circuit can crowd out the reason for sleeping here. If rain or heat changes the plan, the Picasso Museum area and sheltered lanes provide a focused cultural alternative, subject to current opening. A delayed train should shorten the walk, not compress lunch and every sight into a sprint. Check beach surface and access individually before promising a swim, since the coast does not offer one uniform experience. Stay for the quieter evening and keep the Cannes event calendar in mind when confirming tomorrow’s room access. This stop works through intimacy, not the quantity of attractions.

• the Nice-to-Antibes regional train
• the old-town market streets and rampart edge
• choose the Picasso Museum area and sheltered old-town lanes

Base: Antibes

Use a morning coastal train to Cannes, store the bag as agreed and begin with Le Suquet. Seeing the hill, harbour and older streets first gives context to the polished Croisette later. Read the official event calendar before assuming normal access or room prices; festivals and congresses can reshape the centre. Walk the waterfront at a quieter hour and treat paid beach facilities as optional, especially when sea or weather conditions are poor. A rainy version can combine the old quarter, covered shopping streets and a long lunch without a token seafront march. Keep enough daylight to compare upper and lower Cannes rather than compressing both at dusk. Confirm tomorrow’s luggage collection and onward station before the evening, then choose dinner away from the busiest promenade.

• the brief coast train from Antibes
• Le Suquet followed by the Croisette at a quieter hour
• use covered shopping streets and the old quarter without a long seafront walk

Base: Cannes

Make a market visit or final Le Suquet viewpoint only if it fits the departure time and luggage arrangement. The non-negotiable part is the onward rail or airport connection with a realistic transfer margin. Do not bolt on another resort because it lies on the line; every extra stop introduces lockers, platforms and delay exposure. If time contracts, stay close to the bag collection point for a café-and-port loop. Check whether the ticket names Cannes station, Nice-Ville or the airport connection, then work backwards from the required arrival time. Keep the ticket available offline and allow for disruption rather than relying on the last plausible service. A calm final meal is more valuable than one hurried photo stop. This route ends successfully when its frequent hotel changes never threaten the journey home.

• a final Le Suquet viewpoint or market visit
• the direct onward rail or airport connection appropriate to the ticket
• take a short café-and-port loop close to the collection point

Base: Cannes