This is where the rich and famous flock to in France and it certainly wasn´t a true backpacker option, what with enormous French villa´s, expensive restaurants and glamorous people strolling down the streets. We didn´t really look the part with backpacks and I certainly didn´t fit in with the hundreds of topless women lining the beaches.

And the beaches, you´ve heard so much about them right? Well let me kill the aura of the French Riviera and tell you that they suck! Firstly there is no sand, just pebbles and rocks which isn´t very comfortable to lie on and it really hurts to walk on in bare feet. The water looks clean but when i managed to work up the courage and jump in (it was freezing!) it was actually pretty dirty. And unlike Australian beaches, which stretch for miles and have that great, easy going fun vibe, these beaches are small coves with everyone crowded in and a huge snobbery factor. People are here to sunbake and look good and pay money for the private beaches where waiters serve you drinks. ARG! There was so much pretension here I couldn´t stand it!

That said we stayed in a really pretty town called Villefranche-Sur-Mur meaning French village on the sea. It had a lovely little old town where we managed to find a really nice classic French restaurant (a little on the pricey side) and awesome deli meats and cheese to make our own rolls for lunch. We laughed at the people paying 2.50 for a glass bottle of 0.2 litre coke at the cafes while we skulled our 1.5 litre for less than half the price. Nice, the capital of the French Riviera, was pretty cool too. We only really explored the old town which had lots of little cafes, a food market and nice squares to chill out in.

I suspect we will be doing lots of chilling out in Spain, our next destination. But after France I am really craving an Australian beach. Give me Ocean Grove any day!