Sentier Littoral walk near the Monaco Border

IGN map 3742OT is recommended for this walk

Leaving Plage Marquet from its most westerly point, head to the car park nearest the Cercle Nautique. As you continue round the headland you’ll come to a signpost marked “Sentier Littoral” and indicating places such as Cap Rognoso and Plage Mala.

As you leave the beach behind you’ll find yourself on a well-kept even footpath that hugs the coastline, high walls with plants creeping up them to your right and waves crashing against rocks on your left.

After about an hour you’ll go slightly inland behind a few very ritzy villas before heading left down a staircase and back onto the seafront at La Pinede, a rugged rocky headland with dramatic scenery. You can actually swim here in the little coves in between the rocks and there are either ladders or steps in some places leading down to the water - but be careful of the conditions as it can be very choppy.

There is a good restaurant here by the same name with a fabulous terrace overlooking the sea. It’s not cheap, a simple moules frites will set you back 24€, but the fish is as fresh as it gets and the views are magnificent.

If you prefer to bring a picnic there is a great shaded area with tables and benches, free to use and very picturesque. Toilets are nearby too.

You can improve your local knowledge on this walk, as there are lots of handy little information boards about flora, fauna and geology. For example, did you know that the rocks along the waterfront are formed by chunks of the cliffs that fell during a mudslide way back in the Jurassic period and contain loads of fossils…? No? Neither did we until recently.

This section of the Sentier is a very smooth well-maintained path that could easily be done with little ones and maybe even with a pushchair (too narrow in sections for a pram though). Splendid villas line the way, including The Rock which was a favourite hideaway of the famously-reclusive actress Greta Garbo.

Continue west and when the path meets a locked gate follow the blue hiking signs up the staircase and on to the road above. Keep a keen eye out for the slightly overgrown path after 100m or so on the left that drops down to another staircase leading to Plage Mala. This is one of the Cote d’Azur’s best kept secrets and I’m loathe to share it… Small and secluded with gentle waters and two excellent restaurants, Plage Mala is a little haven tucked away beneath the Pissarelles cliffs.

After a dip and maybe a bite to eat at Plage Mala, there is the small matter of 100-or-so steps to climb to get back up to the main road where you can pick up the 100 bus back to Nice from Edmond’s.

You can do the Sentier Littoral in its entirety in about an hour and a half, or you can do it in sections. Cap d’Ail train station is just a couple of minutes walk from La Pinede, so you could use that as your start or end point and just do the Plage Mala or Plage Marquet section.

We recommend you do both at some point though, as it is a truly beautiful walk from beginning to end!