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We’ve been to the famous Côte d’Azur a few times now and love spending time at all of the spectacular beaches. We wanted to share our favorite French Riviera beaches (near Nice) to help you plan your next ultimate beach getaway.

Check out our French Riviera guide for more tips and ideas on where to stay, the top things to do and the best places to eat!

A couple of tips before we dive in:

Tip 1: When we traveling here with our kids, we invested in a beach umbrella, straw mats (that roll up since most of the beaches are pebbly) and some sand toys on the day that we arrived, which really up-leveled our beach experience. Yes, we paid tourist prices and we ended up leaving it all at our hotel after our 5 night stay. But, the summers can be HOT and having some shade and a comfortable beach set up made all the difference. It was totally worth it!

Tip 2: We also recommend bringing water shoes, like Tevas or these slip-ons because many of the beaches here are made of small pebbles or stones. It can be hard to walk on both in and out of the water, so if you plan to spend a bit of time at the beaches, you may want to consider it.

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Favorite French Riviera Beaches:

(1) Plage Sablettes in Menton: We love this beach because it doesn’t get too deep, water was warm and there is a lot of space to spread out. Also, the beach is made of small pebbles which doesn’t hurt your feet and our kids could still build “sand” castles. The highlight is that you have the vibrant, colorful buildings from the village as the backdrop.

(2) Paloma Beach in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat: This beach has been listed as a favorite for many tourists and locals alike and we agree! The water is clear and the views are incredible. There’s a private area where you can pay for loungers, table service and rent equipment like stand up paddle boards etc., but there’s also a public area, which is where we recommend going (because it’s free!). This beach is a bit pebbly (i.e. medium-size stones) so can be hard on bare feet. We came early (around 10am in late June) and it was empty aside from a local taking her daily swim. Coming early also means we got “princess parking” right near the entrance down to the beach. There’s also a shower area, which is nice, but it wasn’t working when we were there.

(3) Plage des Mariniere in Villefranche-Sur-Mer: We like this beach for the “sand” (as close to sand as you can find around here). You also have nice views of the colorful village and the water is warm and doesn’t get too deep to quickly. Because this beach is easily accessible by train, it can get pretty crowded here. But, if you come early, you can get a nice spot.

(4) Plage des Ponchettes in Nice: If you’re staying in Nice and don’t have a car, you still have access to plenty of public and private beaches. We like this beach because you have a nice view of Colline du Château and it’s right across the street from the Old Town. The water is refreshing and I love hearing the waves crash and roll against the large pebbles. The waves here are bigger and can get deep very quickly (less kid-friendly). It can also be tricky to get in and out of the water because there’s a bit of a steep step drop to the water. But, overall, it’s nice to get in a dip on a hot summer day or lay out on the beach.

(5) Mala Beach in Cap d’Ail: This beach is in a hidden cove and it’s a bit of long walk to get here. But, once here, you have clean and clear water and beautiful views. There are two beach clubs as well to choose from for loungers and food.