Holiday Homes to Rent on the French Riviera

Welcome to our selection of holiday homes to rent on the French Riviera, France.

The French Riviera or Cote d'Azur on France's Mediterranean coast is one of the most popular destinations for tourists visiting the country. The first things that come into your head when you think of this area might well be sun, sea and sand, but there are also lots of cultural attractions, historic towns and villages and some great night life. Whether you want to spend your time lazing on the beach with a good book or exploring the more unusual parts of the coast, there are no shortage of accommodation options, even for those on a budget, and plenty of bars and restaurants to help keep you fed and watered.

The beaches in this part of France are always busy in the summer and the main road that runs along the coast is packed with cars from early morning until late at night. Luckily, there is an excellent train service that runs parallel to that road, stopping in all the major towns and cities and costing just a few Euros per trip. So don't feel like you have to stay on the same beach all holiday! You could try out the small, sandy beach next to Antibes' historic port and citadel or the glamorous La Croisette beach in Cannes, with its beach bars and waiter service. If you are staying in the large area of camp sites between Nice and Antibes, you are only a few minutes walk from a stony beach that has showers and toilets, and even offers water sports like wind surfing and paragliding.

Although most towns on the Riviera now have their modern, developed areas, most began life as small fishing villages. There will usually be a pleasant and quieter old town there if you look hard enough! Antibes is one town where you don't need to search for too long, as the large marina backs right onto the narrow streets of the old village, with its bars and street cafes. There is even a Picasso museum in Antibes, celebrating the fact that artist spent many years of his life living in this part of France. Menton is one of the least altered towns on this coast, with its Italianate promenade and old hotels still lining the sea front. Only a few kilometres from the Italian border, you can easily make a day trip to the town of Vintimiglia and its popular weekend market.

Every resort on the French Riviera is packed with restaurants and bars ranging from those serving cheap lunch time snacks, to the five star dining you might expect in cities like Nice and Monaco. If you are in Monaco for the day, it's worth staying into the evening to see the area around the famous casino come to life; though tourists dressed in shorts or flip flops won't be permitted to enter and you need to have proof of your identity with you too. Younger tourists will prefer the lively town of Juan les Pins, just along the coast from Antibes. As well as offering good quality, but good value meals, the main streets and squares are packed with bars and nightclubs that only really get going once the other visitors have already gone to bed.

Looking for self catering holiday accommodation in French Riviera? Then below is a selection of gites on the French Riviera and villas on the French Riviera that can be rented direct from their owners. You can either click on each listing for further details or you can use our search engine on the left if you are looking for something in particular.