Your ship anchors in one of the deepest natural harbours on the Mediterranean. A tender brings you to quai de l'Amiral Courbet, in the old village of Villefranche itself. We are there with a name board before your tender docks. We leave Villefranche heading west. The road follows the coast into Nice — fifteen minutes — and we drive straight onto the Promenade des Anglais: the grand hotels on the left, the sea on the right, the sweep of the Baie des Anges ahead. Then the A8 motorway west to Cannes, another thirty minutes. Three stops: Cannes, Antibes, Saint-Paul-de-Vence. No group, no fixed pace.
The route.
Three stops, one day.
We start at the Villa Rothschild, built in 1881 by Élisabeth de Rothschild. The park is formal and contained — terraces, Mediterranean plantings, the Belle Époque villa above it — and tucked behind the port hill, away from the bay. Then Le Suquet, the old town on the hill above the port. From up here you see Cannes as it actually is: the Croisette curved below like a parenthesis, the Îles de Lérins offshore. At the foot of the hill, the marché Forville — a covered market, open every morning, the kind of place where the restaurants still shop. We walk down through it. The Palais des Festivals next — not a beautiful building, which is part of its honesty. What you come for is the Allée des Étoiles: the handprints and signatures of the film world set in the pavement outside, and the specific quality of red carpet underfoot. Then the Croisette. Five palace hotels in succession — Le Splendid, the Majestic, the Carlton, the Martinez, JW Marriott — each from a different decade, each a different idea of what luxury looked like at the time. Even the names sound expensive. A coffee on the Carlton terrace, facing the sea, is not obligatory. It is, however, correct.
From Cannes we drive east along the coast, passing through Juan-les-Pins — the jazz festival town, flat and relaxed where Cannes is vertical and performative. Then the Cap d'Antibes. The road circles the peninsula under umbrella pines and past the gates of estates that are never photographed: this is where the serious money has always been private. The south side of the cap brings you to Port de l'Olivette — a small bay, fishing boats in faded primary colours pulled up against the stone wall. No beach bar, no organised views, nobody selling anything. The kind of place that painters found before anyone else did, and that still looks exactly as it did then.
From Antibes we leave the coast and climb into the hills of the arrière-pays. Saint-Paul-de-Vence is a medieval village on a ridge at 180 metres, surrounded by ramparts that have changed very little since the sixteenth century. We leave you at the main gate; the car waits below. Inside: a single main street, stone fountains, a twelfth-century church, and the cemetery where Chagall is buried. The village is pedestrian and small enough to walk end-to-end in twenty minutes, which means the sixty you have here is for looking rather than moving. The Fondation Maeght is ten minutes’ walk outside the walls — one of the best modern art collections in France, housed in a building by Josep Lluís Sert (€22, allow an hour). If you go there, do it first.
What's included
Pricing.
One price. Per vehicle.
| Route | Duration | Group size | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cannes · Antibes · Saint-Paul | From 5 hrs | Up to 7 | €800 |
| Antibes only | From 4 hrs | Up to 7 | €800 |
| Saint-Paul only | From 5 hrs | Up to 7 | €800 |
| Custom itinerary | Your schedule | Up to 7 | €800 |
Per person: 2 guests = €400 · 4 guests = €200 · 7 guests = €114. Payment by card, bank transfer or cash (EUR).
Questions.
Plain answers.
At quai de l'Amiral Courbet in Villefranche-sur-Mer — the tender landing pier, in the old village itself. We will be there with a name board before your tender docks. The quay is directly in front of the tender dock; the car is thirty seconds away. Any difficulty, WhatsApp us: +33 6 69 96 22 72.
The full Villefranche–Cannes–Antibes–Saint-Paul route typically runs 5 to 5.5 hours. We take the Promenade des Anglais through Nice then the A8 to Cannes (about 30 minutes from Villefranche), then east to Antibes (20 minutes), then inland to Saint-Paul. Saint-Paul is another 25 minutes inland. We can shorten the day if needed — usually by skipping the Cap d'Antibes circuit or reducing time in Saint-Paul. Send us your departure time when you enquire.
No. We drop you at the entrance to each place and wait with the car. Both Antibes and Saint-Paul are small enough to explore independently. We brief you on what to see and where to find it before you go in.
We wait. No extra charge for tender delays. We stay in WhatsApp contact throughout the day. If the shore window is reduced, we adapt — usually by going directly to Antibes and keeping Saint-Paul shorter. Villefranche ships anchor in the bay; tender delays are standard and we plan for them.
Yes, if modern art is of any interest to you. The permanent collection includes major works by Miró, Giacometti, Braque, Léger, and Calder, in a building purpose-designed for them. It is not a compromise collection. Budget 60 to 75 minutes and go first, before the village.
Yes. Skipping the Cap d'Antibes circuit saves 30 minutes and gives more time in the old town or Saint-Paul. Skipping Saint-Paul entirely gives 75 minutes more in Antibes and is a reasonable option if you prefer a slower pace in one place. Tell us your preference when you enquire.
