5 spectacular walks on the French Riviera

Starting at the quarry used to build Monaco’s port, this beautiful 4.8km circular path follows the wild, rocky southern tip of Cap Ferrat, and lasts around two hours. You’ll pass several highlights of the peninsula, including the fabulous Grand Hotel du Cap, the picturesque Cap Ferrat lighthouse, and the wave-splashed Pointe Malalongue.

By the sandy, foliage-framed Plage de Passable beach, cross east over the peninsula onto Avenue Denis Semeria (past the Villa des Cèdres and its botanical gardens, once home to notorious Leopold II of Belgium), and on to St-Jean.

Rolling Stones fans can gaze at Villa Nellcote, where the album Exile on Main Street was recorded: from the Plage de Passable, turn left on Avenue Denis Semeria and walk 1km to Avenue Louise Bordes. For an easier stroll in the area, there’s a pretty 3km walk from Paloma Beach to the 11th-century chapel of Saint Hospice, following the eastern protrusion of the coast just south of St-Jean.

This 3-hour 6.6km coastal walk, to Cap Martin’s tip and back, offers spectacular views and famous 20th-century architectural landmarks.

The walks starts at the Roquebrune train station, crosses the pebbly beach ‘Plage de Buse’, then climbs up through gardens to the famous ‘Cap Moderne’, a clutch of 20th-century UNESCO World Heritage architectural icons in gorgeous setting. The highlight is the Eileen Gray E-1027 House, the Modernist masterpiece (1929) of the famous Irish designer and her partner, Jean Badovici.

The Promenade then takes in sumptuous Mediterranean foliage along the white rocky coastline, with glimpses of fabulous villas and views of Monaco.

The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche famously walked up this beautiful, zigzagging path – and was inspired to finish Thus Spake Zarathustra in the process – but most non-philosophers prefer the views (and effort levels) when walking down.

This route stretches from the dramatic village perche of Eze to the train station in seaside Eze-Bord-du-Mer, covering 1.6km and a 400m decline, and takes the average walker just under an hour to descend. It’s more like an hour and a half to hike the trail upwards – either way, the path is well signposted. For the best views, start or finish at Eze’s succulent-filled Jardin Exotique at the top of the medieval village.

In contrast to the ritzy, designer beach clubs of nearby Saint-Tropez, this rugged but well-maintained 18km coastal walking path offers an escape into pure nature. Signposted in yellow, it follows the wildest and most picturesque shores of the peninsula, protected by local authority the Conservatoire du Littoral.

Starting at the sandy, pine-fringed Gigaro Beach, the trail skirts the wild, protruding Cap Taillat – lapped by bright turquoise waters – and the wild cliffs of Cap Lardier, before ending at the Baie de Pampelonne, where there are sands to lounge on or frequent buses back to Saint-Tropez.

Escape civilization along this surprisingly wild, circular 5km coastal path that winds around Cap d’Antibes. Start at Garoupe Beach and pass rocky cliffs, high over the crashing waves.