Planning a low cost holiday on the Azure Coast is not impossible: the important thing is to book your flight time and accommodation.

The Azure Coast is very well connected, and is easy to reach by car from European locations. If you want to visit the Azure Coast from further abroad, book your flight directly to the French Riviera.

We recommend some websites where you may compare airline prices, so you can monitor them and choose the best cost friendly option.

• Skyscanner.net 
• Kayak.com 
• GoOpti.kiwi.com
• Momondo.com

Our first advice when booking your holiday in Azure Coast is to review the flight offers, and of course you will also have to consider seat and baggage costs, and keep monitoring price offers.

The second tip we want to share with you is to choose the time you want to travel: avoid the high season months and those in which there are Festivals. Choose months such as April, May and September. These are the more affordable periods, and still enjoy the French seaside without tripling the prices due to tourism.

It is clear that in these months you will not always find a warm climate and you might even have cool or rainy days, so it is good to be prepared for that when preparing your suitcase.

Planning and travel time will help you avoid major expenses. Let us now see where to stay in Azure Coast.

What are the cheap accommodation options in Azure Coast?

Do you want to save on accommodation? Then consider choosing a B&B, a hotel or a Hostel, in an area other than Cannes, Saint-Tropez, Mentone, Antibes or Cassis. Choose accommodation slightly outside these centres, where prices will be lower.

An example of a place to sleep in Costa Azul is Nice, a larger city where you will be able to find cheaper accommodation.

Visit the Bluepillow - Nice page and find your perfect accommodation!

In any case, to avoid over spending on accommodation, you can also consider apartments or hostels. Especially an apartment, where you can also save on breakfast and other meals, if you want to cook a few dishes.

How can I plan my holiday in Azure Coast to save money?

Planning is the key to saving. If you are going to stay in Nice, in an apartment, it might be useful to know the supermarket chains near the house you book. Among the most famous French chains are the following:

• Intermarché, Casinò 
• Monoprix
• Monop’
• Super U
• Leclerc
• Auchan
• Spar
• Vival

Avoid supermarkets like Carrefour and Biocoop (where you can easily find inexpensive organic products).

The second point that should be included in your travel budget, is to buy advance transport tickets, even before you arrive. This will allow you to spend less on the bus. Another option may also be to rent a bicycle for 3 days.

In Nice, for example, there are the following public transport options to move around without spending too much:

• Bus and tramway: The Ligne d’Azur network offers tickets at €1.50 valid for 74 minutes. Night buses run up to 1:10.
• Daily passes: Passes from 1 day to €5 or from 7 days to €15.
• Bike sharing: Velo Bleu offers bicycle rental with the first 30 minutes free, then €1 for the next half an hour.
• Car sharing: Auto Bleu allows you to rent electric cars at €8 per hour. Generally, such cars are easily found.

These transport modes are efficient and cover most of the city. If you travel by car, the advice is to park it and opt for public transport, parking can be very expensive.

Another advice we can give you is to visit places like Cannes and Saint-Tropez for a walk, without, of course, having dinner, or buying anything, or staying by the seaside at a private establishment.

The Azure Coast is one of the most expensive places for dining out, so if your holiday has a modest budget, avoid entering restaurants without first researching which one is best for the offer/quality ratio. Street food, for instance, is one solution. 

If however, you would like to dine at a restaurant, at least one night, download The Fork App which allows you to book a quality, recommended place, perhaps less-touristy and with discount dinners. We recommend downloading it at least 3 months in advance, however, so that you can accumulate Yums (The Fork's points system) and get even more discounted prices even in particularly popular restaurants.

Where can I find free beaches on the Côte d'Azur?

If you go to the Côte d'Azur, you may mainly go for the seaside, but if you avoid private beach establishments, here are our free recommended beaches.. 

1. Juan-les-Pins: offers a splendid free beach.
2. Cape Antibes: the Baie des Milliardaires is a beautiful free beach.
3. Villefranche-sur-Mer: crystal-clear waters and a public beach.
4. Paloma beach: incredible panorama of the Maritime Alps.
5. Nice: Plage de Lenval and Opéra Plage are excellent free beaches.

Frequently asked questions on how to save money when visiting the Azure Coast

What are the best times of the year to visit the Côte d'Azur on a budget?

The best periods are April, May and September. These months are ideal for visiting the Côte d'Azur, both because of the costs and the fewer tourist crowds. 

How can I save money on meals during my stay on the Côte d'Azur?

The best advice is to rent a flat or B&B with a kitchenette, so that you can just eat at home. Another tip is to take advantage of the street food in the places you visit or to rely on Apps such as The Fork, having downloaded it in advance.

Are there cheap hostels on the Côte d'Azur?

Cheap hostels do exist, but you really have to be prepared to share everything with other tourists and above all be prepared for the lack of cleanliness and comfort.

What attractions are free or cheap on the Côte d'Azur?

Here we can recommend purchasing the French Riviera Pass, which allows you to select the type of activities you want to do for adults and children, one sum includes all activities and thus saves on the individual purchase of museum tickets and more. You can buy it online or on the site where you are staying. 

23/05/2024