South of France

I’m struggling to figure out an itinerary for the South of France portion of my trip. Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of time and the trip is in mid August (I know that is not the best time to go). I’ll be leaving Paris and have four extra days (three nights) before I need to be in Genoa, Italy.

My travel companion and I are young, and love to travel at a fast pace. When we travel, we usually rely on public transport but are ok driving. We are used to long commutes and days - so having full travel days doesn’t phase us. We actually like it that way. :) We also like small towns and try to avoid big touristy cities.

The Provence area is so pretty to me. I LOVE the look of Gordes. I prefer inland over the Riviera, but as far as the French Riviera, Menton looks fun and I’d like to stop by Monaco for at least half a day.

I’m not sure if it would be too tight to do two nights somewhere around Gordes, then one night somewhere around Nice before going to the Genoa area. I guess the other option would be to spend all four days in/around Nice.

When we went to Italy, we stayed in Ravello on the Amalfi Coast and it was so magical and quiet at night after the tourists left. I’ve always wanted to visit the French countryside and would like to experience the same feeling of being in a small town or quaint area.

There isn’t anything in particular I want to see. I just want to experience markets, walk or drive around, and explore. I know it’s not a lot of time, but I’m excited to get a small taste of the South of France.

I’d love advice on itinerary options!