Provence & the French Riviera Guidebook

In Rick Steves Provence & the French Riviera you'll find in-depth Rick-tested information on:

• Arles
• Avignon
  • Nearby: Nîmes, Pont du Gard Roman aqueduct, Uzès
• Day Trips from Alres and Avignon: Les Baux, St-Rémy-de-Provence, and the Camargue
• Côtes du Rhône
  • Orange
  • Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  • Vaison-la-Romaine
  • Côtes du Rhône wine road (including Séguret, Crestet, Suzette, and Gigondas) and other drives
• ​Hill Towns of the Luberon
  • Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
  • Roussillon and Joucas
  • Gordes and nearby
  • Villages and sights south and east of Roussillon
  • Buoux and Lourmarin
• Marseille
• Cassis
• Aix-en-Provence
• Nice
  • Several self-guided walks and museum tours
• Villefranche-sur-Mer
• Monaco and nearby
  • The Three Corniches (including Cap Ferrat, Eze-le-Village, and Le Trophée des Alpes)
  • "Quickie Riviera" bus tour from Nice to Monaco
  • Menton
• Antibes
• Cannes
• St-Tropez
• Inland Riviera
  • St-Paul-de-Vence
  • Vence
  • Grasse
  • Grand Canyon du Verdon
• Practicalities
  • Self-guided walks, museum tours, and rural drives
  • Easy-to-follow maps (including color maps of the region)
  • ​Trip planning: When to go, pre-trip checklist, festivals and holidays, recommended books and movies
  • Recommended two-week itinerary and advice on planning your time and avoiding lines
  • Transportation: Trains, buses, city transit, and driving
  • The region's history, culture, and cuisine (including recommendations for cooking courses)
  • Extra chapters on traveling with kids and shopping
  • Handy French survival phrases
  • Detailed advice on managing money, communicating, reserving rooms, handling emergencies, and other helpful hints

Should I get this Provence & French Riviera book in addition to either Rick's complete France guidebook or his Best of France guidebook?

Probably not. If you're only spending a few days in Provence and/or the French Riviera, as part of a longer trip in France, the Provence and Riviera chapters of either France guidebook are all you're likely to need. (Rick Steves France includes thorough coverage of the most popular destinations in these two regions; Rick Steves Best of France has condensed coverage of nearly as many places.)

If, however, you're spending at least a week in the region, the extra information in Rick Steves Provence & the French Riviera can be worthwhile. It really delves into this corner of France, covering significantly more destinations, and with more in-depth sightseeing information for Nice, as well as extra background on the region's culture, history, and cuisine.

Should I get the Nice & French Riviera Snapshot guide in addition to this Provence & French Riviera guidebook?

No, because the Snapshot guide for the Riviera is simply excerpted chapters taken directly from the complete Rick Steves Provence & the French Riviera guidebook.

Latest updates: When we learn of critical changes to the information in our guidebooks on France, we post them. (Of course, it's still smart to reconfirm critical transportation and sightseeing details locally.) Armed with a Rick Steves guidebook and these late-breaking updates, you're set for a great trip!

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