The French Riviera has always been known for its sunshine and blue water, but locals value most the food. Here, meals are built from what the sea brings in each morning and what the farmers grow just a few miles inland. If you’re planning a customized vacation in France, this region is where flavor and place come together naturally.
From Nice’s bustling seafood stalls to the citrus groves of Menton, every town has its own rhythm built around markets, fishing boats, and kitchens that respect tradition. With customized tours France, food travelers can eat well and meet people who make it happen.
Nice: The Market That Defines the City
Nice’s Cours Saleya Market opens early, just as the sun hits the Mediterranean. The first smell is always salt and basil. Stalls overflow with red tomatoes, purple artichokes, and wild herbs gathered from the hills. Next to the vegetables, vendors sell fresh sea urchins, small anchovies, and octopus pulled from the bay that morning.
Local guides often start their tours here because the market explains everything about Nice, its Italian roots, its fishing culture, and its focus on simplicity. You’ll see vendors handing out samples of socca, a chickpea pancake cooked on a wide copper pan, crisp at the edges and soft inside. It’s eaten hot, folded in paper, and best paired with a glass of cold rosé.
A stop at the market fits easily into a France customized vacation, whether you’re staying a few days in Nice or moving along the coast. You can spend a morning shopping with a chef, visit their kitchen later in the day, and learn how these same ingredients turn into Niçoise classics like ratatouille or pissaladière — a caramelized onion tart with anchovies and olives.
Menton: Where Citrus Shapes Everything
Travel east along the coast and you reach Menton, a small border town where the air smells like lemons even before you see them. The town’s climate, warm, bright, and sheltered by cliffs, makes it perfect for citrus. Families here have been growing lemon varieties for centuries, and every February they celebrate with the Fête du Citron, a festival where floats, sculptures, and even street art are made from thousands of lemons and oranges.
Food lovers can visit local farms to see how these fruits are grown and preserved. Guides often organize tastings that pair lemon marmalades with goat cheese or showcase candied peels dipped in dark chocolate. Some farmers still produce liqueur de citron, a Menton version of limoncello that’s smoother and less sweet than its Italian cousin.
For travelers booking customized tours in France, Menton offers a slower, more intimate side of the Riviera, perfect for those who prefer farm visits, cooking classes, and meals in small family-run restaurants over crowded resort dining.
Antibes and the Riviera’s Fishing Heritage
Between Nice and Cannes lies Antibes, a port town with a deep fishing history. Its covered market, Marché Provençal, is one of the best on the coast. You’ll find swordfish steaks, fresh clams, and local olives piled high beside jars of anchovy paste and tapenade. Many vendors have been in the same family for generations.
A private guide can take travelers behind the stalls to meet fishermen who still use traditional wooden boats called pointus. Some morning tours even let you join them at the dock when they unload their catch. Lunch afterward usually happens at a small bistro near the harbor, grilled sea bass, roasted fennel, and a squeeze of lemon.
Cannes and Beyond: Markets by the Sea
Cannes may be known for its film festival, but locals take their markets just as seriously. The Marché Forville, just steps from the old port, is full of seafood, flowers, and cheeses. This is where local chefs buy ingredients before serving multi-course tasting menus in nearby Michelin-starred kitchens.
Beyond Cannes, smaller coastal towns like Villefranche-sur-Mer and Saint-Raphaël offer quieter versions of the same experience, smaller markets, open terraces, and simple dishes like grilled sardines, seafood soup, and tomato salads made with olive oil pressed just inland.
Why Food Defines the Riviera Experience
On the French Riviera, food connects everything: the sea, the land, and the people. Private tastings, market visits, and small-scale producers turn meals into experiences. A French customized vacation built around food lets you shop, taste, and cook like locals, transforming dining into a genuine part of life here.
