COVID-19 Travel to the French Riviera
How is the French Riviera during COVID-19? Is it possible to enter France, move around within the country, and is it worth visiting? Here’s a recap of our experience:
Our family trip around the world moved along with a flight from Malaga, Spain, to Marseille, France. We spent one night in Marseille to tour the city. Then, we jumped on another Flixbus in the afternoon from Marseille to Nice, finishing with a local bus from Nice to our accommodations in Cagnes-sur-mer.
Arriving in France by air
Flying to France from Spain in September 2021 was easy. Our kids (7 and 9) did not need a COVID-19 test and, because Ashley and Jon are both vaccinated, it was smooth sailing. We showed our paper CDC cards at the airport check-in. Jon has a digital EU COVID pass, but Ashley’s never came through, so we continue to just use the cards to make it easy. After a month of traveling in Europe, it has never been a problem that we don’t have digital passes: our CDC cards have continued to work without any issues. We landed in France without the need for any passport control.
Health pass requirements
In France, the requirement for showing a health pass continues to increase. Read about our initial experience in Paris at the end of August here. The same information still applied for our time in the French Riviera. Vaccination continues to be universally recognized, but negative COVID-19 tests and proof of recovery from COVID-19 can also create temporary health passes.
Using public transportation
Masks are always required. We were never required to show any health pass information for using the bus and trains but always kept it ready. The Cagnes-sur-mer train station was a short walk from our Airbnb, and we utilized it. We took a day trip to Monaco and 2 day trips to Antibes for sandy beaches. It was easy and cheaper to book our train tickets online: read about saving money in the French Riviera here.
Are things open?
Yes! Outside of wearing masks and occasionally showing our CDC cards, our time in the French Riviera seemed fully normal. Restaurants, grocery stores, activities, museums, the Monaco aquarium, transportation, beaches: we didn’t miss out on anything we wanted to do. Read about our adventures during the week for some great ideas for the French Riviera.
Overall, our family enjoyed the French Riviera during COVID-19. The coastline is amazing. We traveled up and down both directions during our adventures and enjoyed the beaches. We also have posts that detail our experience traveling during COVID-19 to Monaco, Paris, and Spain.
*This post is a description of our experience with travel to the French Riviera during COVID-19. It is not prescriptive and ensure to consult the latest travel changes before planning and booking your trip. We use the official EU site for our ongoing travel planning.
If you have questions about traveling to the French Riviera during COVID-19, let us know!
