Best beautiful small coves and villages in the South of France

[mulranno]

Have never been to the SoF - plan to tour along eastern section this summer - need a list of unspoilt beaches and authentic villages (on coast or inland) .... bit worried as my hairdresser said SoF is all over run with Oligarch Bling -not our scene at all!! -- any suggestions please

The coastal village of Eze is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.

We stayed in Villefranche and loved it. Eze is nice too.

Villefranche is on a great railway line so you can get to Nice and Monaco really easily.

As far as the coast goes I would recommend the section between Hyeres and St Tropez. The rest of the coast between there and Nice is quite built up. Best beaches = Cabasson, La Fossette, Aiguebelle, Pramousquier, Cavaliere, and my favourites - Gigaro and L'Escalet.

Bormes Les Mimosas and Le Lavandou is lovely as are Ramatuelle and Gassin and La Croix Valmer - stunning views over the Bay of St Tropez - which is itself definitely worth a visit. The over the top of the hills is "interesting" though . Further east, Ste Maxime is nice enough - but a big resort. Juan Les Pins has a gorgeous beach, but secluded cove it isn't.

Oh and I am forgetting <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=www.grimaud-provence.com/grimaud/images/images_historique/pont-des-fees_gr.jpg&imgrefurl=www.grimaud-provence.com/grimaud/en/history-grimaud.php&usg=__zezIB3mlN09ksuoQVU0nmlnnZls=&h=333&w=500&sz=38&hl=en&start=4&zoom=1&itbs=1&tbnid=2vb-Xr7B6qVxzM:&tbnh=87&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3DGrimaud%26hl%3Den%26tbm%3Disch&ei=pg2bTePoNYrtOf3ImOsG" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Grimaud

This <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=www.lemicocoulier.com/images/index_r3_c3.gif&imgrefurl=www.lemicocoulier.com/&usg=__4ksuDwOKg6Ee-s4CENp7XxclKfw=&h=308&w=416&sz=63&hl=en&start=1&zoom=1&itbs=1&tbnid=lMeKPms-fNAIFM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=125&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dle%2Bmicocoulier%2Bgassin%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26tbm%3Disch&ei=FQ6bTeKZKc7sOeLoyP4G" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">restaurant in Gassin is one of my favourite spots ANYWHERE. The photos don't really do the view justice.

<a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=www.francethisway.com/places/images/gassin-1.jpg&imgrefurl=www.francethisway.com/places/gassin.php&usg=__R_fZ2CJ9LnY_iSbW8DFlLMf9ePY=&h=240&w=360&sz=32&hl=en&start=8&zoom=1&itbs=1&tbnid=hnMuXCzoUFTVkM:&tbnh=81&tbnw=121&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgassin%2Bfrance%26hl%3Den%26tbm%3Disch&ei=xg6bTdiBFs-SOs_hkYMH" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Website with pictures of the local towns....

In between St Raphael and Cannes are the Esterel Mountains - absolutely beautiful and far from the madding crowds. The small town of Agay on the coast is a good base but only a few miles from tourist hotspots.

I also recommend La Turbie, up the mountainside above Monaco, with its Roman ruins.

I love the Cote d'Azur - it is glamorous!

wow... thanks so much ... I am really looking fwd to this now. We have bought a holiday home in the Sth French Alps (Vaujany) ... and plan to be there all summer but want to shoot down to the coast for a couple of nights so that the kids can get their fix of the beach.... suppose another Q is where to avoid?

I have no complaints about the bits I have seen and I have stayed all along the coast. The traffic in July and August can be horrendous though! So leave early/leave plenty of time to get places.

All quite busy in August but still amongst my favourite places in the world
Mougins, St Paul De Vence, Grasse, Biot, Valbonne.

You are all so fabulous thx... any suggestions for cheap accommodation close to any of these locations - does not have to be right in the center and as we will prob just nip down for max 2 nights would need to be a campsite/cabin/hostel/cheap B&B type thing to house the 6 of us. Also any of your fave restaurants to recommend?