VAN-COMPARATOR Guide
The French Riviera by campervan: Nice, Cannes, Antibes, Saint-Tropez and the real parking puzzle
Nice, Antibes, Cannes, the Estérel massif, Saint-Tropez: a realistic campervan itinerary along the French Riviera, the real overnight parking rules, best season and budget.
Palm trees, turquoise coves, Belle Époque façades and hilltop villages packed close together: the French Riviera is one of Europe's densest coastal drives, and one of the most misunderstood by campervan. The itinerary itself is rarely the hard part — the real challenge is finding somewhere to sleep, between restrictive towns and eye-watering car parks. Here's how to build a realistic road trip between Nice and Saint-Tropez, without an unpleasant surprise come evening.
The route, from Nice to Saint-Tropez
From Nice, the Promenade des Anglais and the old town set the tone from day one. Next comes Antibes and Juan-les-Pins, about half an hour away, for the Cap d'Antibes coastal path — free to walk and pleasantly uncrowded. Cannes follows twenty minutes further on: the Croisette and Le Suquet are worth half a day, with no need to stay overnight. Allow a good ninety minutes on to the Gulf of Saint-Tropez via the Estérel massif, its red volcanic rock plunging straight into the sea — one of the most spectacular coastal drives in France, best done early morning to dodge the July–August queue, with short stops possible at the Trayas or Anthéor coves for an impromptu swim. For corniche roads over beaches, the opposite direction from Nice reaches Èze, perched at 400 metres, in forty minutes, then Monaco and Menton, the mildest town on the coast — a route that ties in naturally with our guide to the Great Alpine Route for anyone continuing up into the mountain passes.
The real issue: where to sleep
This is where the Riviera differs from every other French coastline: a large share of it flatly bans overnight campervan and motorhome parking, backed by municipal orders, from spring through autumn. Saint-Tropez and its peninsula are among the strictest stretches of coast anywhere in France: no overnight parking tolerated near the beaches, with frequent checks in season. Cannes applies a similar rule along its entire seafront, tightened further during the Festival in May, when the whole town fills up well beyond campervans alone. Antibes and Juan-les-Pins follow comparable rules by the water, with more leeway a short way inland. The good news: ten or twenty minutes back from the beaches, the hinterland looks completely different — service stopovers and campsites are easy to find, at a fraction of a seafront night's cost. Our motorhome stopovers guide explains how to spot them, and our full breakdown of wild camping rules in Europe covers the line between parking and camping, nowhere more closely watched than here.
When to go
July and August are worth avoiding wherever possible: traffic jams along the Corniche, beaches packed by 10am, and any tolerated overnight spot claimed before 8am. May, June and September bring an already-warm sea, freer roads and noticeably lower rental prices — see our off-season RV rental guide. The one exception to dodge in May: the two weeks of the Cannes Film Festival, which locks up hotels and car parks across the surrounding coast. During a summer heatwave, our where to go during a heatwave guide helps weigh the coast against the nearby hills of the Nice hinterland.
The real budget
Budget €85–160 a day for a campervan or panel-van conversion in high season on this much sought-after stretch, 15–20% less outside July–August. Overnight stays are the real variable: €8–15 at a hinterland stopover against €30–45 for a seafront campsite in Cannes or Antibes in summer. Fuel barely registers on such a short route — under 100 km separates Nice from Saint-Tropez — but budget for daytime parking in the town centres, often €15–25 a day for a campervan.
Which vehicle for the Riviera
The narrow lanes of Le Suquet in Cannes, Antibes' old town and the Corniche's hairpins all favour a compact campervan or a mini-camper (see our guide on which RV for which trip): easier to park in the few daytime spots available, and more discreet for a hinterland stopover. A large A-class drives these roads without issue, but complicates every stop in town — better to leave it at a stopover and continue on foot, by bike, or by hopping on the seasonal boat shuttles linking Nice, Cannes and the Lérins Islands.
Compare before you book
Van-Comparator queries Yescapa, Goboony, Roadsurfer and Indie Campers in a single search for pickups in Nice, with the total price shown upfront. To extend the trip inland, our guides to the Verdon Gorge from Nice or the Great Alpine Route round out a French Riviera road trip naturally.
Free checklist: your first campervan trip
Licence and vehicle size, pick-up inspection, stopovers or campsites, water and electricity, insurance, drop-off: everything to check before and during a first trip. Sign up — the link to the full checklist appears immediately.