Explore Nice, France in the Calmer Shoulder Season of October

Story, photos and video by Cassie Hepler

It’s been almost a year since I’ve been on French soil in the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten which was like doing a wine tasting, just dipping my tongue back into the delicious culture of France. So when the Atout France (Explore France) tourism board reached out for a media mixer earlier this year at the Arizona Biltmore, I was all in. We kept in touch through all the many debacles I’ve had this summer (I will fondly remember 2025 as the summer from hell) and went ahead and booked this press trip for October, right before Halloween week. Originally, I was going to continue traveling to Scotland and Ireland afterwards but it seemed the universe had other plans for me. So those travels will get pushed to next year as my body continues to heal.  That said, I was super excited to be flying to France to explore Côte d’Azur for 11 days straight!

I padded the beginning and end of this adventure with some DIY hotel stays, for stretches, resting and downtime using my Aeroplan credit card points after the new 10 and a half hour direct Air France flight from Phoenix. They were the only points that were going to expire and not my favorite credit card but it did come in hella handy as it seems the French are not a huge fan of American Express in Nice. My first nugget of advice: pack your passport, debit card and two different credit cards that you can use internationally without getting that ridiculous fee. I took out $20 Euro cash during this trip which ended up costing me $6 fee and with the trash conversion rates for the American dollar currently cost $36. ‘Merica! I remember when it was almost even and no real math needed aka $20 Euro equaled $20 USA. Anyways… back to traveling.

Due to said summer from hell, my intuition told me to book as many nights as points allowed when I arrived in Nice to acclimate. Then I could get myself, my mind and body back together before a busy six days straight of exploring Saint Tropez, Cotignac, Luberon, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Avignon, Provence, Marseilles and more in store. Côte d’Azur translates to Azure Coast meaning the French Riveria area with its sparkling turquoise waters. Ironically (or not) 23andMe just updated our ancestry and says my grandmother is partially from Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes which sits right above the Côte d’Azur area as well as Northern France, Grand Est, famous for champagne connected by Switzerland ancestry. I love geeking out on that information! I was actually surprised how much of the French language I have retained since high school and college. They say children are like sponges and it is true, words flew out my mouth at points I was unaware. My cognitive dissonance did dip by the end of the day each day with those 8 a.m. start times and 10 p.m. bed times of go, go, go… I also took the most drugs I have since the debacle happened to keep going. Anger and wonder both fueled me – that and many, many espressos, cappuccinos, Cokes and tea.

Flying Phoenix, Arizona to Nice, France

After 13 total hours of flying from Phoenix Sky Harbor to Charles de Gauelle in Paris with a quick layover then to Aeroport Nice and an airport shuttle to Novotel Nice Arénas Airport, I immediately took a hot shower and crashed for four hours. I was way too wired on the plane to sleep and went the way of espresso instead. So after my nap, I gobbled down a protein bar, drank water and crashed some more until morning and slowly made my way to the dirtiest Intermarche for a good one hour walkabout to get groceries and grounded. After my food coma, I crashed again! It was morning in Arizona and night there so I was all messed up. I was anxious to get exploring in the morning but limited physically and soooo glad I planned rest days. Slow travel is where it’s at for me nowadays and I’m perfectly okay with that. Last time I was in France, I was a mademoiselle now a madam after all. I soon found out they dropped that label in the past 10 years as not to show ageism. How progressive!

By Sunday, I was feeling slightly alive again. Dare I say even optimistic and a bit cocky about how much I had healed in only four short months. My dumbass was like go for a 5 hour walk… so I did and about killed myself in the process. According to the gals up front, the walk was about an hour by the coastline and at this point, I hadn’t seen much else except the airport and walk to the grocery store. I’m sure if someone designed the airport now, it would be more inland. But alas, I was well rested and determined to actually see Nice and catch the vibe. So with my trusty sneakers tied tight, I was off to explore Nice and Plage De Beau Rivage.

I braced myself to climb the Colline du Château! In my family, we are mostly stubborn mules with tunnel vision. And I am not the exception. The castle of Nice was a military citadel built at the top of a hill, which stood overlooking the bay of Nice from the 11th century to the 18th century. The climb to the top takes about 15 to 20 minutes on foot via stairways from Old Town Nice, or you can take the public lift at the foot of the hill near the Promenade des Anglais. I wish I would have known that ahead of time! It’s completely free, offers the best views of the city and there’s more to explore at the very top too which includes more steps of course. Don’t miss the waterfall at the very top too. My legs and dogs were barking after this experience & I spent the rest of the day resting and taking my drugs when I got back to the hotel but it was so worth it!

Here’s some helpful information about the Fontaine du Soleil in Nice, France. The sculptor who created the Sun Fountain is Alfred Janniot who also did some bas reliefs on the War Monument in Nice. The 5 bronze sculptures in the fountain represent: Earth, Mars, Mercury, Saturn, and Venus. Janniot had finished the bronzes but had not started on Apollo when the Second World War broke out where they were buried in a garden to keep them from being destroyed during the war and then dug up afterward. Smart thinking for these historical gems!

Right about here I seemingly picked up a French man, insistent on walking me back to my hotel in Nice, France. As any solo female traveler knows, never give out where you are staying when traveling. He told me he loved me and I laughed out loud and told him in French you don’t even know me, sir. He also said how beautiful my green eyes are, my skin, etc. They certainly lay it on thick! He was very aggressive and after a while I just told him I’m not interested. He then politely backed off. It was especially hard to use my brain AND keep walking so after a sit down on a bench I said peaced out, excited to lay down and rest the remainder of the evening. Call it lame all you want, pain is no joke and my prescription drugs were calling me!

The following day after doing my physical therapy stretches, hot bath, sloth time and espresso in the morning, it was raining outside. So I decided to walk to the local mall Cap 3000 in Nice, France. While a good place to escape the rain and spend a rainy day, it was packed to the gills by noon and after two hours of window shopping, I was SOL trying to find a Spring style jacket. One the way there my zipper busted off and my top blouse button was missing… oh the perils of travel! But everything felt designer and not unique or cheap crap from China, giving Shein vibes which apparently are coming to France soon unfortunately. So I braced the rain on the way back and called it a night again, determined to be well rested for the fist official day of the press trip – to Saint Tropez, France.

The next morning, I was up and at ’em ready to rock and roll. The included shuttle option came in clutch because I was meeting the group back at the airport. This time, a pilot was with us and we had to go to the private part of the airport to drop him off. It’s where all the celebrities go, most recently Elton John and was a nice peek into the 1% world. Heavily guarded and locked down, away from the mere mortals of the rest of the Nice Airport. Soon I was meeting the team, having more espresso and well on our way!