Routes · Europe

Moscow to the Riviera and Provence: Nice, Monaco and Avignon

Moscow → Nice → Monaco → Provence (Avignon)

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

This route combines the glamour of the Côte d'Azur with the hill villages and lavender fields of inland Provence. Flights from Moscow to Nice usually require a connection. The coast is linked by trains and buses, and a hire car is useful for the Provençal countryside. The itinerary spends three nights in Nice, one night in Monaco and three nights in Provence (Avignon).

Nice has a long seafront promenade, the colourful Cours Saleya market and the old town's lanes, plus the Matisse and Chagall museums in the hills of Cimiez. Monaco is an easy day out, with the changing of the guard at the Prince's Palace, the aquarium of the Oceanographic Museum and the famous casino square. From there, the route heads west to Avignon, whose Palais des Papes was the seat of the popes in the 14th century, and whose half-ruined bridge stretches into the Rhône. Day trips go to the Pont du Gard, the villages of the Luberon and the lavender fields of the Valensole plateau.

Lavender usually blooms from late June, with peak colour around the end of June and the first half of July, and harvesting starts from about mid-July. Exact dates vary by a week or so with the weather, so check local bloom reports. The summer festival season in Avignon also takes place in July.

July is hot and busy on the coast, so book well in advance. Lavender fields are working farms, so stay on the edges and don't pick the flowers.

Away from the coast, Provence's market days give a rhythm to the week. Each town has its own, from the large Sunday market in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue to smaller weekday markets in the hill villages of the Luberon, such as Gordes and Roussillon.

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