French Riviera in October? Should you visit?

The French Riviera is a place which needs no further introduction. Situated in the south of France, in by the Mediterranean, it is known for its mild climate, stunning scenery, and for being a hideout place for the rich and famous.

The French Riviera became popular due to the British aristocracy starting to go to the French Riviera in order to escape the cold and dark winters back home. Eventually, though, the French Riviera turned into a summertime resort rather than a winter hideout place, just because of its beautiful summers with plenty of sunlight and a very pleasant climate.

But while the main “tourist months” on the French Riviera in June, July, and August being the most crowded, the fact is that most of the visitors that come to the French Riviera visit outside of the summer months, Of course, this may not come as a surprise considering the fact that the rest of the year contains far more months than the few summer months, but also because there are a lot of events and such that take place all year round, which draw people to the French Riviera for business purposes.

But how about the French Riviera in October?

October is still a month that is close to the so popular summer months, and the truth is that the rest of the months of the year tend to be overshadowed by the summer when it comes to the French Riviera. In this article, we’re looking at the French Riviera in October and whether it is a time when it’s worth visiting.

The climate on the French Riviera in October

As you can see in the graph below, the average temperature at the French Riviera in October is 18 degrees. This is quite a pleasant temperature considering the fact that October is an autumn month.

French Riviera average temperature — Source: Holidayweather

Let’s have a look at the average rainfall in October:

Now, this is the problem that many people have with the French Riviera in October. As you can see, October is the month on the French Riviera when it rains the most. It rains on average 140 mm per day.

Average rainfall in Nice

Source: Holidayweather

As far as the weather goes, it’s important to point out that it is not everything. Of course, if you visit the Riviera in the summer, you’re probably only after one thing, and that is to lie on the beach, sunbathe, swim, and relax. But not everyone wishes to spend their vacation that way. Some people want to explore and discover new cultures and people, and frankly, if this is you, there’s no reason to visit the Riviera in the summer.

Instead, if you visit the French Riviera in order to discover what it has to offer, and not act like the regular tourist, you should in fact visit outside of the summer months, because you want to avoid the extreme heat (or at least warm temperatures), large crowds, as well as the more expensive prices.

Also, depending on what you’re planning to do, the relatively high rainfall on the French Riviera in October may not matter. For example, if you plan to visit the museums throughout the French Rivera, you’ll still spend your time indoors, and thus weather plays a less important role.

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The reason why people look at the French Riviera in October is that all the tourists have left, and this allows you to get a true sense of the Riviera without its tourists, and you can come as close to the “original”, French inhabitants as possible, and truly take part in the French culture. Also, since all the tourists have left, it also tends to be cheaper to visit in October as well.

If you visit the French Riviera in October, it means that you don’t have to crowd with a bunch of people, wait in line at a restaurant, or sick-sack through large groups of people. When visiting the French Rivera in October, you can get away from all of that, and that is a huge plus according to many.

In fact, this is one of the main reasons why people who decide to visit the French Riviera in October decide to do so.

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Now, with that said about the weather and climate on the French Riviera in October, it’s important to point out that in October, it’s not like the weather is terrible and rainy all day. In fact, many days actually offer blue skies and wonderful dazzling sun, and this enables you to sit outside at a café with nothing more than a sweater, or even a shirt, and enjoy the lovely warmth from the sun, and since the French love to sit outside at cafés, you’ll see lots of people out this time around.

The good news is that the French Rivera does normally not get prolonged periods of rain and bad weather. The bad weather tends to change to sunlight and blue skies instead.

French Riviera in October

If you’d like, it is possible to go swimming in the ocean in October. In fact, you can go swimming all the way to November if you’d like. Of course, you should avoid going swimming when the waves are big and when the weather is poor.

In terms of clothing, generally speaking, you don’t need huge jackets and hats, at least not when the weather is okay. You’ll get by with a sweater or slightly isolated jacket, especially in the morning. During the day when the sun comes out, you can even go around with just a shirt. On the flip side, the locals tend to dress with lots of garments, as you’ll see many Frenchmen with hats, large coats, furs, and down jackets. During the evenings and even in the mornings, it tends to get a bit chillier.

When should you visit the French Riviera?

Now to the unavoidable question. The real answer is that it depends, but should you visit the French Riviera in October?

Well, according to those who visit, October is the best time to visit the French Riviera. The average sunlight hours is 6, and overall, you can count on the weather to be quite good. Now, mind that the weather on the Riviera can be extremely different from the northern parts of Europe, who may get their first snow at this time, and even though the temperature isn’t extremely warm, there’s a big difference going from a few minus degrees to 18 or 20 degrees, and so it makes sense that northern Europeans decide to visit the French Riviera in October.

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Activities

Due to the chillier temperatures, October is a perfect month to do activities in. During the summer, the temperatures can simply be too warm in order to do any physical activity, since you quite instantly get very tired. As such, October is a perfect month for activities such as walking or cycling, and for discovering the surrounding areas and the hidden places of the Riviera.

October is a month which is the start to when the Riviera starts going into hibernation. The pace is slowed down and tourists have disappeared, thus allowing you to effortlessly stroll around and experience the true personality of the French Riviera. Now, you will not get blue skies and sunlight every day, but the days you do are amazing.