The Riviera invented the modern holiday and then, sometime in the late 1950s, stopped trying to impress anyone. That is precisely why it still does.
A week between Nice and Monaco is not a tour of famous places. It is a slow conversation with them — in the language they were built to speak, which is the language of the sea.
You will not visit Monte-Carlo. You will moor in front of it, at the hour the lights come on along the Boulevard Albert Ier and the rock of the Palais turns rose. You will not see Antibes. You will step out of the tender at the Quai des Pêcheurs and walk to the café on the Place Nationale where Picasso ordered his espresso.
For seven days, this coast belongs to you. The route below is a frame — each day is offered as a set of choices, not a programme. Guests pick the rhythm; the crew arranges the rest.
Embark in the morning at the Quai d'Honneur, Port de Nice. A short hop east brings the yacht into Villefranche-sur-Mer — the deepest natural harbour on the Mediterranean, water that lets you watch the chain drop fifty metres to the bottom.
For the afternoon, among the options:
A walk up to the Citadelle and through the old town.
An aperitivo ashore at one of the harbour terraces.
The swim platform until the light fades from the headland.
For the evening, two directions:
A quiet first dinner aboard, prepared around the morning's market — a soft start, in port lights.
A run east to Beaulieu or Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat for dinner ashore — La Réserve de Beaulieu for a classical evening, Le Cap at the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat for something more refined.
Nice & Villefranche-sur-MerDay 1
02 Log 02/07 · 43°41′N 7°20′E · Cap Ferrat & the Rothschild Gardens
Cap Ferrat & the Rothschild Gardens
A short cruise around the peninsula opens the day.
Morning, among the options:
Anchor off Paloma Beach, east-facing, lunch arranged with the beach club.
A coastal walk on the Sentier du Littoral before swim.
Diving along the rocks at the Pointe Saint-Hospice.
Afternoon, between two moods:
A cultural afternoon at the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild — nine themed gardens spilling down towards the sea, the Belle Époque interiors, fountains that play to a Tchaikovsky score on the hour.
A slower one at anchor — paddle boards, jet ski circuit of the Cap, the tender for a cove away from the cabanas.
For dinner, the choice:
Aboard, on the swim platform, with the lights of Saint-Jean rising behind the headland.
A car east to Menton for Mirazur (3*) — Mauro Colagreco's kitchen, named the world's best in 2019, with the Italian border lit on the far shore.
A lighter option closer to anchor: Le Cap at the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, terrace facing the sea.
Cap Ferrat & the Rothschild GardensDay 2
03 Log 03/07 · 43°34′N 7°07′E · Cap d'Antibes & the Picasso Museum
Cap d'Antibes & the Picasso Museum
Morning at anchor off Plage de Passable, the small north-facing beach on Cap Ferrat that looks back across the bay to Villefranche.
Morning, among the options:
The Villa Santo Sospir by appointment — Jean Cocteau's "tattooed house", interior walls covered in his frescoes. Open to a small number of visitors a year.
A long swim and brunch on board at anchor.
A coastal cruise along Cap Ferrat with stops at the small unmarked coves on the western side.
The yacht then crosses to Cap d'Antibes during lunch underway, passing close to the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc and the 1920s diving platform.
Afternoon, in Antibes:
The Musée Picasso at the Château Grimaldi — the work Picasso made from the upper floor of the château in autumn 1946. Private viewings can be requested through the museum.
The old town and ramparts of Antibes — Marché Provençal, rue Sade, the Picasso café on the Place Nationale.
A swim and tender ride around the Cap, ending with cocktails at the Eden Roc Pavillon.
For the evening:
Aboard in Port Vauban, the largest yacht harbour in Europe.
Ashore at Les Pêcheurs (1*) at the Cap d'Antibes Beach Hotel, terrace above the Anse de la Garoupe.
Aboard with a screen on the foredeck, late-night swim from the platform.
Cap d'Antibes & the Picasso MuseumDay 3
04 Log 04/07 · 43°33′N 7°01′E · Cannes & the Bay of Golden Light
Cannes & the Bay of Golden Light
A slow morning cruise past the Cap, easing west along the Sentier des Douaniers. Anchor off La Croisette.
For the morning, the options:
Tender ashore for the galleries on the rue d'Antibes.
A long swim and breakfast at anchor.
A day-pass at the Eden Roc Pavillon on the way past.
Lunch, two directions:
The terrace of La Plage du Martinez, on the sand.
A lighter lunch aboard, screen of the Croisette in soft focus.
Afternoon:
An aperitivo at the Bar L'Amiral of the Hôtel Martinez — the bar where the Palme d'Or is celebrated every May. The Carthusia Negroni is a house signature.
A walk along the Croisette and into the Suquet for the small antique galleries.
A short tender to the Îles de Lérins for an off-hours swim before the evening.
For the evening:
Aboard, on the foredeck, with the lights of La Croisette behind.
Ashore for the seventh-floor suite Maison Martinez or one of the Croisette restaurants.
A late swim from the platform — the water is the warmest of the week.
Cannes & the Bay of Golden LightDay 4
05 Log 05/07 · 43°31′N 7°03′E · Îles de Lérins & the Esterel
Îles de Lérins & the Esterel
Two miles offshore from Cannes, two islands the day-trippers never quite reach.
Morning, among the options:
Anchor in the Calanque du Loup at Sainte-Marguerite, swim along the buoyed line that follows the old prison wall (Iron Mask, the right cell, still visible).
A long paddle around the south coast of the island.
The Fort Royal and the small museum of the sea.
Lunch, two choices:
Saint-Honorat, the smaller of the two islands, where the Cistercian monks have made the Lérina wine since the 1860s — when the abbey offers lunch in the cloister, served simply, with bread from the abbey ovens.
Aboard at anchor, the long plateau de fruits de mer on the aft deck.
Afternoon:
A slow cruise west along the Esterel coast, red porphyry cliffs falling straight into the sea — anchor in the calanque of Anthéor or Agay.
A run further on for a sunset at Théoule or the Île d'Or, the small red islet that inspired Hergé's L'Île Noire.
For the evening:
Last dinner of the western leg under way, on the aft deck as the sun sets behind the Massif.
A late evening at anchor in the calanque, lights from the village above.
Tender into the Vieux Port for the boulangerie Sénéquier on the rue de la Garonne.
A walk through the lanes of La Ponche and the boutiques of the Place des Lices under the plane trees before the heat builds.
A swim from the platform off the eastern bay before going ashore.
Lunch, two directions:
At Sénéquier on the harbour — one of the small ceremonies of the village.
La Vague d'Or (3*) at the Cheval Blanc Saint-Tropez, terrace above the Baie des Canebiers, long tasting menu.
Afternoon, the choices:
Tender to Pampelonne for an afternoon at one of the beach clubs — Loulou Ramatuelle for the restrained, organic line, Cabane Bambou for the louder, Polynesian-chic line.
A vineyard afternoon inland — Château Minuty or Château de Saint-Maur for a private tasting in the cellar.
A slow afternoon at anchor in the bay, jet ski circuit of Cap Camarat.
For the evening:
Dinner aboard at anchor, swim from the platform until late.
A late evening at Caves du Roy in the Hôtel Byblos — the address in Saint-Tropez where the night is still made.
A quieter dinner ashore at La Vague d'Or or one of the smaller Place des Lices terraces.
A slow morning cruise west to the Îles d'Hyères. Porquerolles is a national park since 1971 — no cars, no hotels, the entire island a mosaic of vineyards, pine forest and beach.
Morning, among the options:
Anchor in the Plage Notre-Dame, regularly named the most beautiful beach on the French coast.
A bicycle tour of the island vineyards — Domaine de la Courtade, Domaine Perzinsky.
A long swim and brunch at anchor.
In the afternoon, the helicopter lifts from La Môle airfield for the Monaco Heliport — a few minutes of flight, a final aerial view of the route, a car waiting at the helipad. The yacht continues east along the coast and arrives at Port Hercule by the evening.
Final afternoon in Monaco, the choices:
A walk along the Larvotto waterfront before the light softens.
Shopping on the Avenue des Beaux-Arts and inside the One Monte-Carlo complex: Hermès, Dior, Richard Mille among others.
A visit to the Palais Princier state apartments (when open) or the Oceanographic Museum.
An aperitivo on the terrace of the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, sun coming low across the Place du Casino.
For dinner, three options:
Le Louis XV — Alain Ducasse à l'Hôtel de Paris (3* Michelin, confirmed 2026). The signature Jardins de Provence menu, vegetable-led, has been served here since 27 May 1987; chef de cuisine Emmanuel Pilon runs the service today.
Yannick Alléno at the Pavyllon Monte-Carlo (Hôtel Hermitage) — counter dining, lighter rhythm.
Aboard at Port Hercule with the city as the backdrop — a final menu drawn from the week.
For the night, the choices:
Casino de Monte-Carlo — the Salle Europe at the rear, where the high-stakes baccarat is still played by hand.
Jimmy'z at the Sporting Monte-Carlo — the Riviera's longest-standing nightclub, open since 1971.
A last drink back aboard, on the upper deck, the principality the colour of bronze.
