South of France 8-Day Itinerary
Navigate the legendary French Riviera from Monaco's billionaire haven to St Tropez's sun-soaked beaches, experiencing Cannes glamour, Nice culture, and Cap d'Antibes natural beauty along the way.
Day 1: Monaco
Your French Riviera adventure begins in Monaco, the world's second-smallest country carved into cliffsides above the Mediterranean. Port Hercules hosts superyachts worth hundreds of millions, their gleaming hulls reflecting belle époque palaces. After midday embarkation and Champagne welcome, the crew guides you through the yacht while the Captain outlines the week ahead. The Monte Carlo Casino's beaux-arts façade has drawn royalty and celebrities since 1863. The Prince's Palace perches atop Le Rocher, offering panoramic views across the harbor where your yacht floats among the world's finest vessels. Larvotto Beach provides crystalline swimming, its imported sand testament to Monégasque perfectionism. As evening falls, the principality awakens with exclusive nightclubs and exotic cars purring through tunnels.
Mooring Options: Port Hercules marina, Monaco Yacht Club, Fontvieille marina
Recommended Beach: Larvotto Beach
Dining: Le Louis XV - Alain Ducasse
Activities: Noon embarkation at Port Hercules, Welcome Champagne and yacht tour, Lunch at Monte Carlo Hotel, Casino Square exploration, Prince's Palace visit, Larvotto Beach swimming, Sunset cocktails on deck
Day 2: Beaulieu-sur-Mer
A gentle hour's cruise along cliffsides brings you to Beaulieu-sur-Mer, "beautiful place by the sea." Protected from northern winds by surrounding mountains, Beaulieu enjoys exceptional microclimate that attracted British and Russian aristocracy in the 19th century. The town's belle époque heritage remains intact: pastel hotels with ornate balconies, palm-lined promenades, gardens frozen in the gilded age. Villa Kérylos, a stunning Greek villa recreation built 1902-1908, showcases wealthy collectors living among priceless antiquities. Plage des Fourmis provides the Riviera's clearest swimming from a pebble beach backed by towering cliffs. Beaulieu represents the Riviera before mass tourism, elegant and understated, favoring substance over flash.
Sailing: 1 hours (5 nautical miles)
Mooring Options: Port de Plaisance de Beaulieu, Beaulieu Bay anchorage, Fourmis Bay mooring buoys
Recommended Beach: Plage des Fourmis
Dining: La Réserve de Beaulieu
Activities: Morning departure along dramatic coastline, Arrival at Beaulieu Bay, Belle époque architecture exploration, Villa Kérylos visit (Greek villa replica), Plage des Fourmis swimming, Bistro lunch ashore, Sunset dinner onboard
Day 3: Nice
Sailing around exclusive Cap Ferrat reveals billionaire villas before the full sweep of the Baie des Anges opens ahead. Nice, the Côte d'Azur's capital, offers authentic urban energy distinct from Monaco's polished exclusivity. Vieux Nice's medieval lanes preserve Italian-influenced character: laundry hanging between ochre buildings, markets selling socca and pissaladière. The Cours Saleya market, operating since the 18th century, displays Provençal abundance. Nice's artistic heritage runs deep—Matisse lived here 37 years, Chagall 35, immortalizing the Mediterranean light. The Promenade des Anglais, built by English aristocrats in the 1820s, stretches seven kilometers along pebble beaches lined with grand hotels. Modern Nice balances heritage with contemporary vitality: world-class opera, rooftop bars with panoramic views.
Sailing: 1 hours (5 nautical miles)
Mooring Options: Port de Nice, Port Lympia, Villefranche-sur-Mer anchorage
Recommended Beach: Villefranche-sur-Mer
Dining: Jan by Jan Hendrik
Activities: Sail around Cap Ferrat peninsula, Mooring at Port Lympia, Vieux Nice exploration, Cours Saleya market visit, Matisse or Modern Art Museum, Promenade des Anglais walk, Michelin-starred dinner or opera
Day 4: Cap d'Antibes
Sailing along the Baie des Anges reveals Cap d'Antibes rising from azure waters, its pine-covered peninsula separating Antibes from Juan-les-Pins. This concentration of old Riviera glamour centers on Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, opened 1870, where Marlene Dietrich and Winston Churchill once sought privacy. The Sentier Tirepoil coastal trail winds through forests past monumental villas, offering spectacular vistas. Villa Eilenroc, built 1867, showcases belle époque elegance with 11-hectare gardens displaying Mediterranean flora. Plage de la Garoupe provides the Riviera's finest swimming—white sand shelving into crystalline water. Port Vauban ranks among Europe's premier superyacht marinas, hosting vessels exceeding 100 meters. Antibes itself, founded by Greeks in the 4th century BC, preserves authentic character behind 16th-century ramparts: Picasso Museum in Château Grimaldi, Provençal market stalls, lanes fragrant with pizza and perfume.
Sailing: 2 hours (10 nautical miles)
Mooring Options: Port Vauban, Antibes, Cap d'Antibes anchorage, Garoupe Bay mooring
Recommended Beach: Plage de la Garoupe
Dining: Les Pêcheurs at Cap d'Antibes Beach Hotel
Activities: Sail along Baie des Anges, Hike Sentier Tirepoil trail, Villa Eilenroc gardens visit, Plage de la Garoupe swimming, Eden-Roc exploration, Antibes old town, Sunset cocktails onboard
Day 5: Cannes
Approaching Cannes reveals white buildings climbing behind a crescent bay, the Palais des Festivals dominating the harbor where film stars ascend red carpets each May. What began as a fishing village discovered by Lord Brougham in 1834 became synonymous with glamour through the festival established 1946. La Croisette stretches two kilometers, connecting iconic grand hotels—the Carlton with distinctive twin cupolas, the Martinez, the Majestic where million-euro deals close over lunch. Yet accessibility survives: Le Suquet atop the hill preserves Provençal character with cobbled lanes. Forville Market sells regional produce daily except Monday, when it transforms into an antique market. Private beaches provide structured European relaxation with impeccable service and exceptional people-watching. Port Canto and Vieux Port host hundreds of yachts, creating floating exhibitions of wealth and design.
Sailing: 1.5 hours (6 nautical miles)
Mooring Options: Vieux Port de Cannes, Port Pierre Canto, Bay of Cannes anchorage
Recommended Beach: Plage du Midi
Dining: La Palme d'Or at Hôtel Martinez
Activities: Morning sail to Cannes, La Croisette promenade, Le Suquet old town, Forville Market exploration, Beach club lunch, Film festival venues, Evening cocktails and dining
Day 6: Îles de Lérins
Just offshore from Cannes lie the Îles de Lérins, two islands belonging to another era. Sainte-Marguerite covers 152 hectares of protected forest and coastline accessible only by boat—eucalyptus and Aleppo pine forests, deserted coves with transparent water, birdsong replacing traffic noise. Fort Royal, built by Richelieu and expanded by Vauban, imprisoned the Man in the Iron Mask. Swimming reveals why these waters enjoy protected status—seagrass meadows, abundant fish, 20-meter visibility on calm days. Saint-Honorat belongs entirely to Cistercian monks maintaining their monastery since 410 AD, among Christianity's oldest active monasteries. They produce wine from seven hectares of vines, liqueur from island botanicals, maintaining contemplative simplicity impossibly close to Cannes' excess.
Sailing: 0.5 hours (2 nautical miles)
Mooring Options: Sainte-Marguerite anchorage, Saint-Honorat monastery buoys, Private coves around islands
Recommended Beach: Secret coves on Sainte-Marguerite
Dining: La Guérite beach restaurant
Activities: Short sail to islands, Swimming in marine reserve, Sainte-Marguerite trails, Fort Royal visit, La Guérite lunch, Saint-Honorat monastery, Monk-made wine tasting
Day 7: St Tropez
Your longest passage sails west past the dramatic red cliffs of the Esterel Massif across the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. St Tropez occupies unique status in Riviera mythology—discovered by artists in the 1920s, transformed by Brigitte Bardot's 1956 film into international fame. The port presents extraordinary concentration of wealth—superyachts moored stern-to, boutiques catering to clientele for whom expense means nothing. Yet authentic Provençal character survives in La Ponche's narrow lanes. Your afternoon focuses on Pampelonne Beach, the five-kilometer sweep of sand that established luxury beach club culture. Club 55, originally Bardot's film catering tent, now serves champagne-soaked lunches. The beach experience defines modern Riviera lifestyle—white loungers, rosé delivered tableside, crystalline swimming, endless people-watching.
Sailing: 5 hours (30 nautical miles)
Mooring Options: Port de Saint-Tropez, Vieux Port, Bay of St Tropez anchorage
Recommended Beach: Pampelonne Beach
Dining: Club 55 at Pampelonne Beach
Activities: Early departure for St Tropez, Sailing along Esterel coast, Arrival at St Tropez harbor, Pampelonne Beach visit, Lunch at Club 55, Swimming and water sports, Evening cocktails at port
Day 8: St Tropez
Your final day offers unhurried appreciation of this singular destination. Morning brings last swims from the yacht, coffee watching the harbor awaken—fishing boats departing past superyachts, crews hosing decks. La Ponche retains authentic character: narrow lanes, pastel houses, locals conversing in thick meridional accents, fishermen mending nets steps from million-dollar vessels. The Sentier du Littoral coastal path winds along rocky shoreline offering views back to town and forward to open Mediterranean. Place des Lices, the plane tree-shaded square where locals play pétanque, hosts Provence's finest market Tuesday and Saturday mornings. Your farewell lunch celebrates the week's journey—from Monaco's vertical glamour through belle époque elegance, island solitude, and Riviera excess. St Tropez provides fitting finale, embracing authenticity and excess simultaneously.
Mooring Options: Port de Saint-Tropez, Vieux Port
Recommended Beach: Bouillabaisse Beach
Dining: La Vague d'Or at La Résidence de la Pinède
Activities: Final morning swim, La Ponche exploration, Place des Lices market (if Tuesday/Saturday), Sentier du Littoral coastal walk, Final lunch celebration, Disembarkation and transfers
