Routes · Europe

Stockholm to the Riviera: Nice, Monaco and Provence

Stockholm → Nice → Monaco → Provence (Avignon)

Riviera & lavender Best season (general guide): Late Jun–mid-Jul (lavender)

This route links the Riviera with Provence in lavender season. It spends seven nights in France and Monaco. From Stockholm you'll fly to Nice.

Nice's Promenade des Anglais runs along the bay. The old town and the Cours Saleya market are good for lunch, and the Cimiez hill has museums dedicated to Matisse and Chagall.

The Prince's Palace and the Oceanographic Museum stand on the rock above the harbour.

Then head inland to Avignon, where the Palais des Papes dominates the town. The lavender fields of the Valensole plateau usually bloom from late June to early July. The Luberon villages and the Pont du Gard are day trips, and L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue has antique markets.

Late June to mid-July is the best time for lavender.

Pacing: in Nice, walk or take the trams and buses. Monaco is a short train ride along the coast, and Avignon is a few hours by train. Hiring a car is easiest for Valensole and the Luberon, as public transport to the villages is limited.

The lavender is at its peak for a short time, and the harvest can start in July, so check reports before you go. The fields are on private farms, so stay on the edges and don't pick the flowers.

Provence's villages are busy on market days, and the antique market at L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is held on Sundays. Book accommodation in Avignon well ahead for the festival in July.

Provençal food is a highlight: socca and salade niçoise in Nice, and ratatouille, olive oil and local wines inland. Markets are the best place to buy picnic supplies.

Getting there and around: fly into Nice, go on to Monaco overland, go on to Provence, Avignon overland, and return overland to Nice for the flight home.

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