From the port of Cannes
A French Riviera tour from the port of Cannes has one job: take you to Nice, Èze, Monaco and Monte-Carlo and bring you back to your ship. The private 6-hour shore excursion does it with a driver-guide who meets you at the port. Here is the route, what you get for $504 per group of up to 8, and what to book if you have the whole day in Cannes.
Quick answer
The short answer. Off a cruise ship, the French Riviera tour to book is the private shore excursion at $504 per group, up to 8 people: 6 hours, Nice, Èze, Monaco and Monte-Carlo, rated 4.6 from 114 reviews. Staying in Cannes? The shared Monaco day at $147 per person runs 8 hours in a small group, but its listing rules out cruise passengers. Rather be at sea? Our top pick, the full-day catamaran, is $179 per person and back at 17:15.
Side by side
Two road trips and two catamarans. The private van is priced for the whole group; the other three are priced per person.
| Tour | Price | Length | Starts from | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private shore excursion | $504 per group, up to 8 people | 6 hours | Your ship, port of Cannes | 4.6 · 114 |
| Shared Monaco and Èze day | $147 per person | 8 hours | Cannes; pickup on the listing | 4.8 · 64 |
| Full-day catamaran | $179 per person | 7 hours | Old Port of Cannes | 4.5 · 137 |
| Half-day catamaran | $94 per person | 3 hours | Old Port, ferry to the boat | 4.4 · 576 |
The route
The order is the one the listing gives. It names no clock times, so treat the 6 hours as the whole frame.
Your driver-guide waits with a sign bearing your name, then you board an air-conditioned van for 2 to 8 people.
The first stop is in Nice, for the panoramic views over the heights of Villefranche and out to Cap Ferrat.
Next comes the medieval village of Èze, with the chance to visit a perfumery.
In the principality you visit the cathedral, where you can pay your respects to Monaco’s princes and princesses, and see the palace.
The tour ends among the casinos of Monte-Carlo and drives the Grand Prix circuit before heading back to your ship.
Private means priced per van
One van, one guide, one group: here is how the price splits.
As a French Riviera private tour, this one is sold per group, not per seat: $504 covers up to 8 people. Split it and the sums are simple: $252 each for two, $126 each for four, $63 each for eight. A couple pays the same total for this French Riviera tour as a group of eight, so it rewards a full van.
The van, the guide and the day are yours. The guide speaks your language from a list of eight: English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, Russian and Arabic. The listing marks the tour as wheelchair accessible and says pickup is included.
One honest caveat. The tour can be moved or cancelled if too few people book or for logistical reasons, and the listing asks you to keep a second time slot ready the next day. A ship rarely gives you a next day in port, so book early.
What the price covers
Read off the two road-trip listings; anything they do not mention, budget for.
A driver-guide, an air-conditioned van for your group, pickup at the port and the drive back to your ship.
A live guide in English or French, pickup and a guided visit to a traditional perfumery.
Meals and drinks. Neither listing names a lunch stop, so plan to buy food along the way.
On the shared day the palace visit in Monaco is paid separately.
Staying ashore
Eight hours in a small group, for people who sleep in Cannes.
If you are sleeping in Cannes rather than on a ship, the shared day at $147 per person is the lower-cost French Riviera tour here. It runs 8 hours in a small group of up to 8, rated 4.8 from 64 reviews, with a guide in English or French and pickup included; check the listing for where.
The route covers more ground than the private one: a panoramic view over Nice from Mont Boron, Èze with its craft shops and a guided tour of a traditional perfumery, then Monaco’s Old Town. In Monte-Carlo the van drives the Grand Prix circuit and you get time on your own at Casino Square, before the Lower Corniche brings you back past the bay and citadel of Villefranche.
Read this before you book it from a ship: the listing says the timings of disembarkation and embarkation make it unsuitable for cruise passengers, and there is no pickup at the cruise port.
Before you book
A few minutes now saves a rushed day later.
The private tour lasts 6 hours. Compare that with the time your ship spends in Cannes.
The private tour offers eight languages; the shared Monaco day runs in English and French, at most two per minivan.
The shared day asks for your email and phone number, so the guide can reach you.
Both road trips come with free cancellation and reserve now, pay later.
Our verdict
Off a cruise ship: the private tour. It meets you at the port, fits Nice, Èze, Monaco and Monte-Carlo into 6 hours and brings you back to the ship, at $504 per group, up to 8 people.
Sleeping in Cannes: the shared Monaco day at $147 per person covers the same corner of the coast over 8 hours, rated 4.8.
Book direct
Two road trips and two catamarans. The private van is priced for the group; the other three are per person.
★ 4.6 · 114 reviews
★ 4.8 · 64 reviews
★ 4.5 · 137 reviews
★ 4.4 · 576 reviews
Pair it with a boat trip
With a whole day to spend, the half-day catamaran leaves the Old Port at 14:00, takes you by ferry to the boat at Île Sainte-Marguerite and is back at 17:15, at $94 per person. Our top pick, the full-day catamaran at $179 per person with a cold buffet lunch and wine, also returns at 17:15. Compare all seven boat trips before you choose.
Common questions
Six hours, from meeting your driver-guide at the port of Cannes to being dropped back at your ship. The listing gives the order of the stops, Nice, Èze, Monaco and Monte-Carlo, but no clock times, so the guide sets the pace within those six hours.
Its listing says no: the timings of disembarkation and embarkation make it unsuitable for cruise passengers, and there is no pickup at the cruise port. Off a ship, book the private shore excursion instead; it is the one that meets you at the port.
Two shapes work. Head out on the 6-hour private tour to Nice, Èze, Monaco and Monte-Carlo, at $504 per group, up to 8 people. Or stay on the water: the half-day catamaran sails at 14:00 and is back at 17:15, at $94 per person. Check your ship’s timings first.
$504 covers the van and the driver-guide for up to 8 people, so the share falls as the group grows: $252 each for two, $126 each for four and $63 each for eight.
Not as such. The private tour starts at the port of Cannes and the shared Monaco day starts from Cannes; neither listing mentions a start in Nice. If you are planning a day trip to Cannes from Nice, the two catamarans board at the Old Port of Cannes, so you reach the port on your own.
Go deeper
Ferries from Cannes to Île Sainte-Marguerite compared: the round trip, the tickets, how long the crossing takes and what a return costs.
Boat to Saint-TropezThe round-trip boat from Cannes to Saint-Tropez: the timetable, the time ashore and what the price covers.
Estérel by boatThe boat trip from Cannes to the red rocks and calanques of the Estérel: length, route and price.
Private boat tripsPrivate boats from Cannes to the Lérins Islands and Cap d'Antibes: group size, hours and what each price covers.
Sailing to the Lérins IslandsThe half-day sailboat trip from Cannes to the Lérins Islands: what the price covers and how long it takes.
Jet skiJet ski rides in Cannes with or without an instructor: length and price.
Full-Day Catamaran Cruise Departing from Cannes
★ 4.5 · 137 reviews · 7 hours