Kosher Summer Travel in Côte d’Azur – The French Riviera a.k.a the South of France

Hey guys, welcome! This is my first blog post so here goes:

My wife and I have consistently been asked to share our travel itineraries, so I figured I’d document it all here for people to use and make it easier to share.

While traveling, we keep kosher, which adds another layer of complication to travel that is already quite a lot to figure out in the first place.

Hopefully, this helps some people plan the perfect trips with kosher food, because what’s a trip without food, am I right?

This is all based on our experiences and trips, and hopefully, it can be as fun for you as it is for us! Our trips are usually on the shorter side, so we have to cram a lot in, move around quite a bit, and prioritize just the highlights.

I’m starting with the South of France as I realized that it’s a bit difficult to find information online as a kosher traveller.

Brief overview of the Côte d’Azur:

The Côte d’Azur, or French Riviera, is a beautiful Mediterranean coastline in southeastern France, known for its azure waters, glamorous resorts, and vibrant cultural scene. Stretching from Nice to Monaco, it offers stunning beaches, picturesque villages, and a blend of natural beauty with high-end sophistication, making it a prime destination for relaxation and excitement.

We chose this trip for pretty obvious reasons: it’s a beautiful destination to visit in the summer, and the amount of kosher options far exceeds almost any other travel location!

Day 1: Arrival in Nice

We landed in Nice early in the morning before the city woke up. It turns out the city wakes up quite late in the summer due to a late-night culture.

We checked into the beautiful Hyatt Regency Nice Palais de la Méditerranée, about a 10-15 minute drive from the airport, on the main road with access to everything, and across from the ocean.

We put our stuff down and immediately started to explore the city, including Old Town Nice, with its narrow and charming streets, as well as the main promenades and squares such as Place Masséna.

There’s also a beautiful flower market and a main promenade along the entire oceanfront of the city.

We grabbed coffee at a local cafe and continued to breakfast at Le Kineret, a very cute old-school-style French bakery.

We continued to walk around the city and explore, slowly easing in after our flight.

For lunch, we went to Bozen Nice, a kosher sushi restaurant that is actually a chain around France and has delicious sushi and other items on the menu.

We headed back to the hotel pool overlooking the ocean and spent the rest of the afternoon there.

For dinner, we took an Uber about 15-20 minutes to a restaurant called Bistro K, where I believe a husband and wife own and manage the place. All the food was delicious, and the service was incredible. They really cared about the restaurant, food, and customers, and it shows.

Day 2: Monaco

We woke up the next morning, went to Kineret again to grab a quick breakfast (although I believe there are other places to go for breakfast as well), and got an Uber to Monaco. The ride is about 30 minutes.

To those that don’t know about Monaco:

Monaco, a tiny country on the French Riviera, is renowned for its luxurious lifestyle, grand casinos, and prestigious events like the Monaco Grand Prix.

It’s the second-smallest and most densely populated country in the world. Known for its picturesque Mediterranean coastline and glamorous attractions, Monaco boasts the historic Prince’s Palace, the opulent Monte Carlo Casino, and the beautiful Larvotto Beach. Despite its small size, it exudes a unique charm with a blend of old-world elegance and modern sophistication, making it a top destination for high-end travelers and celebrities.

Jewish life in Monaco is vibrant and well-organized, despite the principality’s small size. There are, however, no kosher restaurants in Monaco currently.

We explored the Monte Carlo Casino and walked around for a while.

We then found an exotic zoo with beautiful animals and views of the city

Leaving Monaco wasn’t as simple as getting there, as Ubers are not allowed to pick up in Monaco, so you have to call a local Monaco taxi, which is quite expensive.

We finally found one, and our next stop was Fragonard, a renowned French perfume company established in 1926. There are multiple locations, the main one being in Grasse; however, we opted for something closer—Eze.

The class was short and informative, and we got to make our own perfumes at the end of it. It was very fun.

As we exited the building, we noticed a little village and a path leading up to it, and decided to start walking along the path to check it out. This ended up being Eze’s old village, and one of our most memorable experiences of the trip.

We kept going further and further up, through old medieval streets of this ancient yet charming town of Eze

Eventually, we reached the top, which offered spectacular views of the mountains and ocean. There was also an exotic garden that cost a few dollars to enter, but it was worth it. You can see some of the plants in these pictures:

Eventually, we made the journey back down the mountain to the main road, and got an uber to take us back to Nice.

That night, we ate at a really great meat restaurant called Meat Bar in Nice, though it appears that as of 2024, it closed down.

Day 3: Antibes

Today was actually Bastille day so our travel capabilites were a bit limited, so we opted to stay more local in Nice that day as well as explore a neighboring town called Antibes.

There’s actually a lot to explore in Antibes, as it is quite beautiful. There is also quite a large jewish community and presence there, with many waterfront kosher restaurants to choose from. I would say at least 10 of them.

That night, we ate at Burger One Snack Restaurant, and it was really good.

Antibes really did come alive at night though, with great live music and bars and nightlife that is worth seeing.

Day 4: Cannes:

Friday morning, we checked out of our hotel in Nice after eating one last breakfast (there are around 5 kosher restaurants to choose from), and started our journey to Cannes.

Cannes, a glamorous city on the French Riviera, is synonymous with luxury, film, and high society. Famous for the annual Cannes Film Festival, which attracts celebrities and filmmakers from around the world, Cannes transforms into a hub of glitz and glamour each May. The city’s stunning beachfront along the Mediterranean Sea, lined with palm trees and upscale boutiques, offers a picturesque setting for leisurely strolls and sun-soaked relaxation.

Beyond its film festival fame, Cannes boasts a rich cultural heritage and vibrant arts scene. The Promenade de la Croisette, a world-famous boulevard, is lined with grand hotels, chic cafes, and luxury shops. Cannes also offers beautiful beaches, gourmet dining, and a lively nightlife, making it a premier destination for travelers seeking both sophistication and seaside charm.

A lesser known fact about Cannes is once again, it’s jewish community and Kosher options.

The city hosts several synagogues, including the Grand Synagogue of Cannes, which serves as a central place ofcommunity gatherings.

Kosher food is readily available in Cannes, with several kosher restaurants, bakeries, and grocery stores. The city also features a Chabad center, which provides additional support, including Shabbat meals, religious services, and various community events. Cannes’ Jewish community is known for its warmth and hospitality, making it a vibrant part of the city’s multicultural tapestry.

We checked in to the Hôtel Gray d’Albion, Cannes, a beautiful hotel right across from the ocean, and walking distance to our Shabbat Meals at a restaurant a few minutes away – Le Tovel.

There are about 5-6 other Kosher restaurants to choose from in Cannes.

Day 5: Cannes

Shabbat ended very late, I believe around 11 PM. We were wondering what we would do for food as it’s been hours since the shabbat meal.

Luckily, Möye was open until around 2 AM.

Day 6: St Tropez

Sunday morning, we packed up and checked out of our hotel, and started the process of the journey to St Tropez via private transfer.

The ride took around an hour and twenty minutes.

A little about St Tropez:

Saint-Tropez, a picturesque town on the French Riviera, is renowned for its blend of rustic charm and modern glamour. Once a quaint fishing village, it gained international fame in the mid-20th century as a playground for artists, writers, and the jet-set crowd, thanks in part to its association with Brigitte Bardot and other celebrities. The town’s beautiful beaches, such as Pampelonne, attract sun-seekers and yachting enthusiasts, while its vibrant nightlife, upscale boutiques, and gourmet restaurants offer a taste of the high life.

Despite its glamorous reputation, Saint-Tropez retains much of its traditional Provençal character. The historic Old Town, known as La Ponche, features narrow cobblestone streets, colorful houses, and charming cafes. Saint-Tropez’s blend of old-world charm and contemporary luxury makes it a unique and enchanting destination on the French Riviera.

St Tropez is also one of the most expensive travel destinations in the summer, so proceed with caution. Everything is expensive there, starting with hotels.

We checked in to the Hotel La Garbine, on top of a quiet mountain neighborhood, a few minutes away from the main city.

We settled in and headed back out to start exploring the area. We were only there for a short visit, so we wanted to take advantage.

For dinner, we went to the Chabad which also has a beautiful little restaurant on an outside patio. The food was delicious and they had some great kosher wines too.

We spent the rest of the night walking the lively main streets of St Tropez and doing some great people watching.

Day 7:

We woke up early, packed our stuff, and headed to the train to Paris where we spent the last 2 days of the trip, but that’s for a seperate blog post, as Paris is simply too much to cover in this one, and we wanted to keep this post about the south of france.

There’s honestly so many other beautiful places to explore in the french riviera that we didn’t have time to explore or cover, such as Menton, Villefranche-sur-Mer, and many other beautiful villages.

Pro Tip: if you’re booking a train from St Tropez to Paris, or anywhere else, book it as in advance as you possibly can! We ended up having to drive to Marseilles, and catching a train there to Paris, which was kind of a real pain.

I hope you enjoyed this, please let me know if you have any questions I can answer in the comments!