I would offer the following advice and information:
Expense – The cost of a pizza is about 15-30 euros each!
Clean? – The area is quite dirty with lots of dog poo and wee
Pollution – noisy, many ear splitting mopeds and cars that do not take any notice at crossings or of pedestrians.
Amenities – not many if you don’t like sitting in very expensive cafes and looking at empty tables because the tourists have gone elsewhere.
Helpful – with some exceptions the staff are surly and give the impression they are doing you a favour
Overall – give it a miss in my experience. Go somewhere where they appreciate visitors and offer something first.
Also in my view the local media and chamber of commerce do not like criticism even when they should listen to it. They even tried to ignore the heatwave this summer when even the locals left and many old people died.
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Comment On visit the french riviera?
We obviously visited a different French Riviera than this poster! I can’t comment on the pizza since we didn’t get any, but it seems silly to pay 15-30 euros for a pizza when there is so much excellent provencal cooking available at very reasonable prices.
He said it was dirty. We did see dog droppings once and it certainly wasn’t pleasant, but that was one place in several weeks over several different trips to different parts of the Riviera. I see more dog messes in the U.S. than I’ve ever seen in France. Where we were, it was clean and pleasant . . . and we are budget travelers so it wasn’t at 4 star hotels.
Yes, there is traffic. There is at home too! If you really hate traffic, don’t visit the Riviera in late July and August. All of Europe heads for the Riviera for their vacation and it is crowded; there is lots of traffic and it is noisy. Go in the Fall or Spring and avoid the crowds if it bothers you.
I’m not sure what his problems were with cafes. There are lots of busy cafes in all price ranges you can visit. It’s fun to sit and watch all the people. A cup of coffee buys you a seat at a cafe overlooking the beach all day if you like. There are fun shops, beaches, nightclubs and all kinds of concerts available.
All the places we stayed, ate and shopped, the people who worked there were very polite and helpful. We try to speak French, but we’re not great. Everyone who was able helped out by trying to speak English to us. We’ve always been impressed by service in France. They are very professional, knowledgeable and polite.
My only complaint about the Riviera is that some of the beaches are very stony, but a little research ahead of time will bring you to nice sandy beaches. Ask at your hotel and they will be happy to guide you.
I’m sorry the previous poster suffered through the heat wave, but you can hardly blame the French for their weather. It was highly unusual and one has no control over the weather. That’s like getting upset when there’s an earthquake in southern California! It happens . . .
Southern France and the Riviera are beautiful and fun places to go. We’ve spent a lot of time there and truly enjoyed ourselves. Don’t be discouraged by one bad report. Go and see for yourselves how nice the French can be.