Les meilleurs sentiers pédestres en bord de mer

Le Côte d'Azur offers some of the best nature and walking trails in the world. Below are our favorite walking trails that are easy (mostly flat) and seaside. You can bring your dog, and fit elderly people should be fine on these trails. Wear sunscreen and a hat because there’s little shade along the way.

Monaco to Cap d’Ail: Mala Beach Coastal Path

L'une des promenades les plus pittoresques et les plus célèbres est celle qui longe le sentier côtier qui s'étend de Cap d'Ail de la plage Marquet (à l'extrémité ouest de Monaco) à la plage Mala (à Cap d'Ail), une très belle plage dans une crique, avec plusieurs restaurants de plage.

Le sentier débute au parking de la Plage Marquet, où il vous faudra environ 3€ pour vous garer pendant 2 heures. Depuis le parking, vous verrez l'entrée bien indiquée qui marque le début du sentier côtier.

About 15 minutes from the start of the trail (next to Monaco) you’ll reach the cap of Cap d’Ail, where you can find a small beach and a chic restaurant with great sea-views called Le Cabanon . If you’re lucky enough to get their attention, you may see one of the several friendly cats who roam the cap.

A bit farther down the coastal path there is a picnic area . It’s a great place to bring your own wine and snacks and hang out by the water. A few steps further is another great seaside restaurant called La Pinede .

Continuing around the coast, there are informational plaques about the flora and fauna surrounding the colorful trail. There are also 20th-century villas belonging to some celebrities among the cypress trees and exotic shrubs. Barricades are blocking the risky parts at the tip of the coastline in case the wind and waves get stronger than normal.

La route côtière continue de Cap d'Ail jusqu'à la Plage Mala, où vous pourrez vous détendre sur la plage et prendre un verre ou un repas dans l'un des deux restaurants (ouverts au printemps et en été uniquement, donc appelez à l'avance).

Antibes: Le Sentier du Littoral

The Sentier du Littoral, Cap d’Antibes is a popular walk for both locals and visitors, a narrow coastal trail hugging the water and offering breathtaking sea views and many places to swim.

The path is partly paved, very rocky in places and riddled with steep steps and the occasional scary drop (wear decent shoes). It provides a superb lookout on the rugged coastline and is memorable for its many tiny sundecks and picnic spots, considerately crafted into the stone. 

The path begins at Plage de la Garoupe, behind a restaurant called Plage Joseph , and goes all the way around the Cap d’Antibes past Billionaire’s Bay .

Les villas plus grandes que nature et les pins parasols se dressent au-dessus de vous à chaque tournant, et le chant frénétique des cigales constitue une bande sonore surnaturelle en été. Une promenade autour de la « Baie des milliardaires », naturellement majestueuse et remplie de demeures de millionnaires, est un moment fort de la Riviera.

Attention : le sentier est désormais fermé plusieurs fois par an, parfois pendant des mois, en raison de réparations suite à des chutes de pierres, de dégâts causés par des ondes de tempête ou de simples alertes météo. est De longues étendues ouvertes sont coincées entre les clôtures des villas et les pentes abruptes sans aucune ombre, de sorte que certaines parties de cette promenade avec vue sur la mer peuvent ressembler davantage à un exercice d'évacuation en file indienne.

Cap-Ferrat: Seaside Tour

La promenade en bord de mer de Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat est sans doute la plus belle promenade en bord de mer au monde. La végétation luxuriante et fleurie du Cap Ferrat, ses rochers blancs, la mer bleue méditerranéenne et ses impressionnantes villas font de cette promenade un moment inoubliable.

The beach resort of Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, once a fishing village, sits on the eastern side of the majestic forested Cap Ferrat Peninsula. Often called the peninsula of billionaires because of the imposing properties that are installed there, you can walk around Cap Ferrat thanks to the coastal footpath from the bay of Villefranche to the village of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.

Make sure to bring a backpack with plenty of water and snacks. Wear sneakers, a baseball cap, sunglasses, and comfortable clothing. If you want to swim, bring a towel and swimsuit. The walk is great year-round, but in the winter bring a light jacket.

La promenade côtière peut être divisée en deux sections plus courtes, ou vous pouvez faire la promenade entière en une seule fois, ce qui vous fera faire le tour du Cap. Les deux premières descriptions ci-dessous sont la promenade divisée en deux. La dernière (tour du Cap) est la promenade entière en une seule fois.

Beaulieu-sur-Mer Village to Cap Ferrat Village

This shady path starts in the Fourmis bay, with the Greek Kerylos Villa on the right (now a museum) of the beach at Beaulieu sur Mer and Les Fourmis harbor; on the left is the 5-star Royal-Riviera hotel.

Le Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild can be visited by taking the small path to the left. If you look back at the view behind you as you take this path you’ll see incredible views of the French Riviera. On the hills to the right you’ll see the picturesque village of Èze, and below lies Cap d’Ail. The last headland on the horizon is in Italy.

The Maurice Rouvier trail ends in front of the town hall and offers a panorama of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat bay, the marina, Cros deï Pin beach (the beach in the village, next to the parking lot), and the Pointe Saint-Hospice which leads to Saint-Hospice Chapel .

Cap Ferrat: Tour of the Pointe Saint-Hospice

This educational trail explores the coastal heritage of the Saint-Hospice headland. It has been listed for its 6 observation points.

Walk alongside the harbor, past the Voile d’Or hotel, and continue towards Paloma Beach from where you can access the seaside footpath. Go down a few steps to see the bay that comprises La Scaletta, Beaulieu, Eze Bord de Mer, and Cap d’Ail. Eze Village and La Turbie can be seen on the hillside. Continue to the Pointe Saint-Hospice and on your left, you will be able to see Monaco, Cap Martin, and Italy.

The path snakes around the coastline through rocky landscapes carved out by salt and spray, with the sea to your left. Take a right onto the Edmund Davis path that leads to the St Hospice path, at the end of which lies an 11th-century chapel , a bronze statue of the Virgin (1904) and a Belgian cemetery dating from the 1914-1918 war.

Retrace your steps to rejoin the Edmund Davis path that leads to the seaside, turn right and go past the Pointe du Colombier, cross the pine forest and rejoin Avenue Claude Vignon. Turn left onto Avenue Claude Vignon that runs alongside Les Fossettes bay followed by Les Fosses, where you will see the former communal wash-house, before arriving back at the village center via the Passage des Fosses.

Cap-Ferrat: Tour of the Cap

From the Place du Centenaire, go up the shopping street then turn left after the bank onto Avenue Claude Vignon. The La Carrière path begins 50 meters after the bowls pitch. Stones used in the construction of the Port of Monaco (1896-1906) were extracted from this quarry.

The path hugs the coastline, passing below the Cap-Ferrat Grand Hotel with their Club Dauphin (one of the best pools and hotels on the French Riviera). If you want to pay a fee, and they’re not over-subscribed, you can take a break to sit by the Olympic-sized pool and sip cocktails alongside celebrities and billionaires.

En poursuivant le chemin, vous arriverez au phare et à la pointe Malalongue. Ce phare date du régime sarde de 1827, détruit en 1944 mais reconstruit en 1951. Par temps clair, on a une vue imprenable sur la pointe Nice et l'Estérel depuis le pied du phare.

You are now on the western slope of the peninsula. There are a number of coves between you and Passable beach which faces Villefranche harbor with its citadel dominated by Mont Alban castle .

The walk ends with a few steps. Turn left to reach Passable beach, where you can have a bite to eat and a cocktail, or go up the steps to reach the Passable path which leads to Avenue Denis Séméria . To get back to town, turn right, go in front of the Tourist Office and continue along Avenue Denis Séméria which leads to the village.

Cap Ferrat: The Complete Tour

To explore the entire Cap Ferrat walk, you can do the three walks in the order presented above, starting in Beaulieu sur Mer and heading to Cap Ferrat village (with a stopovers at Villa Kerylos and Villa Rothschild), then continuing to the chapel on Pointe de Sainte-Hospice et ensuite tout autour du Cap.

From Passable Beach you can walk to Villa Rothschild (which has live music on summer evenings) or back to Cap Ferrat village. From the village you can either catch a cab or walk back to the train at Beaulieu-sur-Mer. If you walk directly without stops it’ll take you about 3 hours to end up back in Beaulieu, but you could easily stretch it out to a full day if you stop at the beaches and in the villages, and tour the villa museums along the way.