Driving tour on the Cote D'Azur

Hello,

I am doing a driving tour of North Italy and the Cote D%26#39;Azur at the end of the month. I have 2 weeks in which to do it and would appreciate some tips.

I would probably go no further than St Tropez along the coast.

As for accomodation I am looking to keep the cost down by using campsites, but would stay a few nights in a B%26amp;B or hotels along the way.

Can anyone recommend a good route/places to stay/things to do?

Any tips on keeping the costs down?

Cheers!

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Have just returned from holidaying near Le Lavandou, well west of St Tropez, but we did drive over there early one evening, think it was Thursday or maybe Friday. I knew from previous visits that the traffic could be heavy, but we were horrifed at the queue that we passed when going into the town at about 6pm. The traffic was SOLID right from the port/centre all the way out to the main coastal road (N98?)- about 10km. No accidents or roadworks, just sheer weight of traffic as there%26#39;s really only one way in and out of the place. With this in mind we made sure we didn%26#39;t leave until much later in the evening (around 10:30) when it was still busy, but at least moving steadily.

So my tip is, when you get to the St Tropez end of your journey, get in early and don%26#39;t plan to get OUT of there in a hurry!

Oh, and just two other suggestions - when you do the section between Monaco and Nice, check out the quiet and pleasant coastal town of Beaulieau-sur-Mer, and don%26#39;t miss the ancient hilltop village of Eze.

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End of August will be a little better, traffic-wise, around St Tropez than early August, but still a pain.

I recommend you soak in the sites on the Eastern Cote d%26#39;Azur: Menton, Eze, Monaco if you must (it%26#39;s a very built-up area), Nice where you%26#39;re far better off parking your car and enjoying the town by foot.

Moving west, I would visit Vence, St Paul de Vence, Valbonne, Cannes and possibly the islands off Cannes (iles de Lérins).

Then drive from Cannes to St Raphael through the woods of the Esterel Mountains on the N7. Return from St Raphael to Cannes on the coastal road. You%26#39;ll have the best view in that direction.

If you only have a week for the French part of your trip, I would not try to do too much and not go further west. Otherwise, it all turns into a blur, and an exhausting one at that.

There%26#39;s always the possibility of another trip for the rest of the French Riviera %26amp; Provence!

Enjoy!

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