When I thought about the French Riviera before I went, I honestly just pictured a stunning part of France.
Probably more of a couples’ holiday.
Or rich kids with daddy’s money.
Princess Diana on a yacht. The iconic images we all remember.
I didn’t think flashy. That’s the wrong word.
More… quietly rich, if that makes sense.
The sort of place where a lady strolls down the street with a chihuahua in one hand and an Louis Vuitton bag in the other.
Swanky, but subtle.
That was genuinely my view.
Maybe if I’d thought something else…
I would never have gone in the first place.
The thing that completely changed my mind?
Hands down.
As soon as I found the campsite in Fréjus and realised how perfectly central it was, I knew we’d found our way in.
I already knew Ryanair would get us there for a decent price. Who doesn’t love a budget flight?!
Then all we needed was a hire car… once we’d got the car…The trips looked after themselves.
Suddenly Èze wasn’t too far away.
Neither was Cannes.
Or Nice.
Or Saint-Tropez.
Or the Gorges du Verdon.
We weren’t paying hundreds of pounds for organised excursions every day.
The car became our access.
Let’s call it… the prepaid part of the holiday.
Every holiday starts exactly the same way…
We land.
Find the hire car.
Throw the suitcases in the boot.
Set up Google Maps.
Then I spend the next twenty minutes giving my husband a full lecture on the driving…
Even though I’m not licensed to drive myself.
I stress everybody out.
Every.
Single.
Trip.
But then there’s always a moment.
The windows come down.
The warm European air drifts through the car.
The sat nav is talking.
I look out at the rolling hills and the scenery as we’re driving and, without even realising it, the stress, the worry and even the panic about my husband driving just disappears.
Everything and everyone gets left behind apart from what’s loaded into our car…
And my people.
That’s the moment I exhale.
That’s when I know…
We’re here.
This time, I was back in the South of France.
The place where I first fell in love with campsite holidays.
A place full of beauty, culture and great fucking food.
And a whole week ahead of making memories with the people I love.
That moment…
It’s bliss.
Why Fréjus made all the difference
Once we’d arrived and I’d finally stopped stressing my husband out, that’s when I realised we’d accidentally cracked it.
The French Riviera didn’t suddenly become affordable because we’d found some hidden luxury deal.
For us, that was Fréjus.
Now..we chose Fréjus because it gave us the best of both worlds. We could enjoy a relaxed Eurocamp holiday while still being within easy driving distance of some of the French Riviera’s most beautiful places.
Instead of paying Riviera prices to stay in Nice or Cannes, we stayed at Eurocamp and used it as our base for the week.
The hire car wasn’t just another expense.
It was the thing that unlocked the holiday.
Suitcases & Stories Tip: Hire Car
We hired our car from Europcar at Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, which made it really easy to collect once we’d landed and just as easy to drop off before flying home.
Prices obviously change depending on the season and how early you book, but I’d budget around £250–£350 for a week for a small family-sized car. Ours was roughly £300, which felt like money really well spent because it gave us the freedom to explore the whole region.
Where we went.
Five places. One unforgettable week.
From Fréjus we visited:
Èze
Cannes
Nice
Saint-Tropez
Gorges du Verdon
What surprised me most was how easy it all felt.
We weren’t constantly booking organised tours or paying expensive entrance fees.
Most days we’d simply jump in the car and go.
Some days we’d spend hours wandering little streets.
Some days we’d sit with a drink looking out over the sea.
Some days we’d kayak through bright turquoise water surrounded by towering cliffs.
Every single place reminded me that the French Riviera wasn’t just one glamorous postcard.
It was lots of little moments stitched together.
Suitcases & Stories Tip: Why Fréjus?
Approximate driving times from Fréjus:
📍 Cannes – 40 minutes (around 40 km)
📍 Saint-Tropez – 1 hour (around 70 km, but allow longer in summer because traffic can be brutal)
📍 Nice – 1 hour (around 70 km)
📍 Èze – 1 hour (around 75 km)
📍 Gorges du Verdon – around 2 hours (roughly 120–130 km depending on which route you take)
What actually saved us money?
The memories were always worth more than the money we spent.
Looking back, I don’t actually think we spent less because we were constantly searching for the cheapest option.
For us, that looked like:
Staying at Eurocamp in Fréjus instead of paying premium prices to stay in the bigger Riviera towns.
Booking Ryanair flights early.
Hiring one car for the whole week instead of relying on trains, taxis or organised excursions.
Mixing supermarket breakfasts with meals out.
Choosing beautiful places to explore rather than paying for expensive attractions every day.
None of it felt like we were compromising.
If anything, it gave us more freedom.
So… can you really do the French Riviera on a budget?
If someone said to me today,
“I’d love to go to the French Riviera… but it’s for rich people.”
My honest answer would be…
“Well… how do you want to do the French Riviera?”
Because if you’re chasing the Beyoncé and Jay-Z version…
Then sure…
You’re probably going to need bags!
But if you want the Suitcases & Stories version…
Listen…
There’s a way.
You just need to think about what it is you actually want from that trip.
How do you want it to feel?
Because luxury doesn’t have to mean a yacht.
Romance doesn’t have to mean Michelin-star restaurants.
Beauty doesn’t come in one size.
Whether you’re flying Ryanair or Virgin Atlantic…
We’re still getting to the same place.
Whether you’re driving around in a little Toyota or sailing on a yacht…
I’m still looking at the same view.
Whether you’re eating a croissant, drinking a local glass of vino on a hill watching the sun go down with the people you love…
Or sitting in a Michelin-star restaurant…
Babes…
We’re still enjoying life together.
We’re still making memories.
And there are still French people cooking the absolute shit out of that food. Lol!
Suitcases & Stories Tip: If I only had one week…
If you’ve only got a week, these would be my non-negotiables:
❤️ Èze – still one of the most magical little villages I’ve ever laid eyes on.
❤️ Gorges du Verdon – hire a kayak. Trust me.
❤️ Cannes – don’t just do the promenade. Wander up into the old town.
❤️ Saint-Tropez – go for the atmosphere rather than the designer shops.
❤️ Fréjus – don’t rush away every day. It deserves your time too.
Suitcases & Stories Tip: What I’d spend more money on next time.
There aren’t many things I’d change about this trip, but if I was stretching the budget anywhere, it would be experiences rather than accommodation.
I’d happily spend a little more on:
Local vineyard lunches.
Fresh market produce.
Another day kayaking at the Gorges du Verdon.
Long, lazy dinners in little family-run restaurants.
Those are the memories that I hold onto.
If I was doing it all again…
I’d stay in Fréjus again.
I wouldn’t try and squeeze every single place into one trip.
I’d leave room for slow mornings.
Long lunches.
Random little cafés.
Walks I hadn’t planned.
Because looking back, those are the moments I remember most.
Not because they cost the most.
But because they made us feel something.
Final thoughts
Looking back, I don’t think my favourite memory was one single place.
It was getting to experience some of the most beautiful little corners of the French Riviera with the people I love.
I think that’s what surprised me the most.
For years, I’d built this picture in my head of what the French Riviera was supposed to be.
Then I got there and realised there was another way to experience it.
One that felt completely like us.
Sometimes we rule places out before we’ve even looked into them properly.
I know I have.
But if this trip taught me anything, it’s that some of the world’s most beautiful places don’t always need the biggest budgets.
Sometimes…
You just need another way in..
And that my friends, is how stories are made.
If you’re thinking about planning your own Eurocamp adventure, you might also enjoy – How to book Eurocamp Holidays Without Overpaying.
Loves,
Zo x
Travel That Adds Something
I write about travel that adds something to you, not just takes you away.
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