I’ve lived on the French Riviera for more than 15 years.

Here are my favorite destinations in the south of France.

Winters are sunny and mild, but many tourist spots shutter.

Abbeye de Senanque Lavender Field Provence in Summer France

Credit:Alexander Hafemann / Getty Images

In Provence and the Cote dAzur, the combined bus and train web link is calledZou.

The equivalent in Occitanie is Lio Train, and in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, its the regional TER.

Everywhere else, its best to have your own transport.

Empty street with yellow buildings

Downtown area of Nice, France.Christopher Larson/Travel + Leisure

Here are 20 of the best places to visit in the south of France.

Plenty of day-trippers come for the beach, but they dont always venture into the town itself.

Unlike its neighbour, Ile Sainte-Marguerite, theres no chic beach club or water sports equipment to rent.

Villefranche-sur-mer on the French Riviera in summer

Colorful waterfront of Villefrance-sur-mer.StockByM/Getty Images

Instead, visitors come to picnic by secluded sea coves and sip on the wine from the islands vineyard.

Parts of the monastery are also open to tour.

Plage de Pampelonne

JHOTPEV/Adobe Stock

My favorite beach in France?

narrow street of old european town going down, Sainte Agnes, France

Small alleyway in Sainte Agnes.LightFieldStudios/Getty Images

Thats an easy one.

Its the largest in a small archipelago known asIles d’Or and can be easily accessed via ferry from Hyeres.

Its colorful port is a jumping-off point for numerous hiking trails in the car-free Parc National des Calanques.

Traditional old stone houses on a street in the medieval town of Saint Paul de Vence, French Riviera, South of France

Cobblestone street in Saint Paul de Vence.SvetlanaSF/Getty Images

Visitors can also hop on an electric boat or hire a kayak to explore by water.

Cotignac

Peter Zelei Images/Getty Images

Provence isnt short of beautiful villages.

Its a fascinating site carved out by both nature and industry.

aerial view of the Lerins Abbey in the Saint-Honorat island, France

Lerins Abbey on Ile de Sainte Honorat.nito/Adobe Stock

Moustiers is also the gateway to the Gorges du Verdon, considered Europes equivalent of the Grand Canyon.

By seeking these fields, visitors can have their lavender experience more responsibly.

The recently openedLes Bains Gardiansis the place to live out your luxe Provencal ranch dreams.

Town of Grasse, France

lucentius/Getty Images

Thats not to say this storybook village in southwest Frances little-known Lot region isnt popular.

A cascade of medieval houses spilling down the hillside, Cordes-sur-Ciel is the jewel of the region.

Its an idyllic setting to feast on fresh anchoviesa town specialtyand sip local Banyuls wine.

A wooden pier that juts into the ocean.

A pier on Plage de Pampelonne.JHOTPEV/Adobe Stock

Boats off the coast of Porquerolles

robixy79/Getty Images

Boats docked in a harbor.

A colorful harbor in Cassis.Evgeniya Vlasova/Travel + Leisure

CityscapeRooftops of Cotignac, Provence, France

Cotignac cityscape in Provence, France.Peter Zelei Images/Getty Images

Large orange stone buildings with blue shutters

Orange architecture in Roussillon, France.Chelsea Loren/Travel + Leisure

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie is a small town perched on the ridge of a mountain, in the middle of two rocky escarpments. There are two churches: the Église Notre-Dame, in the historic center, which dates back to the fourteenth century, and the Église Notre-Dame-de-Beauvoir, in the upper part of the village, dating back to the twelfth century, and built on one of the two sides of the mountain. Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, France.

The village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie alongside a mountain.Flavio Vallenari/Getty Images

Lavender fields with mountains in the background

Paula Galindo Valle/Travel + Leisure

Wild White Horses of Camargue running in water during idyllic sunset.

Francesco Riccardo Iacomino/Getty Images

Village and Catholic Church in Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, France

Cityscape of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie.HanzoPhoto/Getty Images

A village on a lake.

Cityscape of Albas la Jolie.natgi/Adobe Stock

Ancient alleyway down this narrow road through buildings, to a maison de maitre property,typical architecture of the homes and houses found in the backstreet alleys between buildings of stone construction in the ancient medieval old town of Monpazier, in the department of Dordogne, southwest France

Old town of Monpazier, France.pilesasmiles/Getty Images

The streets and houses of Cordes-sur-Ciel, a beautiful medieval town in southern France

Medieval buildings in Cordes-sur-Ciel.Joaquin Ossorio-Castillo/Getty Images

Colorful street in the south of Europ

Colorful pedestrian street in Collioure, France.fhm/Getty Images

A busy beach in the South of France

A popular beach in Biarritz, France.Stephanie Pollak/Travel + Leisure