What’s New in the South of France this Summer: Where to Stay, Eat, Shop & Explore

Call it a petite renaissance, or a fresh wave of reinvention sweeping across the coast. This spring, the French Riviera is dusting off some of its secret, storied—and sometimes forgotten—seaside hideaways to make way for a new generation of luxe hotels. Whether it’s an entirely resurrected private island or new suites in a landmark Belle Époque palace, this range of openings extends well beyond hospitality, with Michelin-adored chefs, rising culinary talents, wellness retreats and contemporary art destinations reshaping the region’s landscape. On the Côte d’Azur, glamour is evolving into something quieter, more private—and this season’s Riviera reimagined comes with the promise of discovery.

On the stretch of coastline between Marseille and Toulon, a seven-minute electric boat ride from the port of Bandol takes you to Zannier Île de Bendor. Five years in the making, this 93-room neo-resort was inaugurated in May on the rocky islet purchased in 1950 by pastis magnate Paul Ricard. This once-private 17-acre retreat is now divided into three hotels—the 60s-inspired Delos, the revamped, more contemporary Soukana and the fisherman-style Madrague houses—along with a holistic wellness center, café, ice cream parlor, crêperie and three restaurants headed by Michelin-lauded chef Lionel Lévy, plus an artisan village and curated contemporary art gallery. The idea is to recreate a sense of village life, but there’s no forgetting you’re on an island; beyond the pools, the real draw for aquanauts is a kayaking club and diving center already out at sea.

Further east, set back behind the beach between Grimaud and Saint-Tropez, is another hidden corner of Belle Époque splendor: COMO Le Beauvallon, a 1914-built palace set within nearly 15 acres of manicured gardens that once drew a guest list including Colette, Churchill and Audrey Hepburn. Long shuttered, this terracotta-hued landmark is now run by COMO, whose relaunch includes a 1920s-style private beach club with a restaurant at the water’s edge, styled by Paris-based designer Dorothée Delaye. Add to that an Asian-inspired menu by star chef Yannick Alléno, a glittering mosaic-tile pool, an eclectic contemporary art collection and 42 expansive rooms and white-on-white suites (with sleek transparent bathtubs and old-fashioned telescopes) that invite reverie, starting with sweeping views of the coast. Another highlight: the eight-minute, beat-the-traffic shuttle across the Gulf of Saint-Tropez to the Ramatuelle beaches.

Opening this July, Nordelaia Sur Mer will bring a fresh note of understated luxury to Beaulieu-sur-Mer, with the transformation of a 1960s brutalist seafront building into a 33-room minimalist retreat (including two cottages for families), with interiors by Yakusha Studio. Set near Beaulieu’s marina, the much-anticipated restaurant—with the town’s only rooftop terrace and sea views—features a Piedmont-inspired menu, a nod to its sister property in Italy.

On a more intimate scale, Riviera reinvention continues through elegantly renewed spaces. At the seaside La Réserve in Beaulieu—one of the few family-owned palaces on the Côte d’Azur—the hotel’s extensive refurbishment includes the spacious private villas, Mistinguette and Victoria, where Queen Victoria once slept (she called this tiny town “a paradise on earth,” and even today, it retains a village feel).

Over in Nice, there’s nothing quite as grand as Le Negresco’s recently inaugurated Jeanne & Paul Penthouse Suite—the iconic pink dome that was once Madame Augier’s private quarters—transformed into an entire floor filled with museum-quality art, from a Rubens and Aubusson tapestry to restored chandeliers, silk wall coverings and upholstery by French heritage artisans, plus a sprawling patio and Jacuzzi overlooking the Promenade des Anglais. And speaking of legendary haunts, this summer also marks the unveiling of the newly refurbished Palais de la Méditerranée—a 1929-built Art Deco casino emblematic of the Jazz Age—now part of the Unbound Collection by Hyatt, with luminous suites in sea-washed hues by London-based designer Linda Boronkay.

On the Cap d’Antibes, set back in a garden behind Plage de la Garoupe (immortalized in Fitzgerald’s Tender is the Night), the deeply comfortable 35-room Provençal-style Villa Miraé opened last summer—a luminous reinvention of the former Hôtel Impérial Garoupe, designed by Oscar Lucien Ono of Maison Numéro 20. Soft beachy shades, mosaics and Murano glass fixtures are only part of the draw. Add to that two restaurants, Amarines and Miraé—one gastronomic, the other a bistro—overseen by chef Mauro Colagreco (of three-Michelin-starred Restaurant Mirazur). Coming soon: three private suites in an adjacent restored Belle Époque villa, facing the same stretch of sand where the Murphys, Scott and Zelda, Picasso and friends once picnicked.

Predictably (even before the 2027 broadcast of HBO’s season four of The White Lotus, filmed at Château de la Messardière this spring and fall), Saint-Tropez is already humming, with new additions across town. At Hôtel Byblos, the ever-evolving Mediterranean hamlet-style palace, expect eight new suites, including three duplexes by designer Laura Gonzalez, in a palette of cerulean blues with handpicked vintage pieces and bespoke furniture. Down the road, the boutique hotel AREV—a nautical-inspired bolthole with jaunty red, navy and blue stripes—has opened a new alfresco restaurant in its Provençal-style “village square,” along with a family-friendly 11-room annex (including a villa) and a small pool for kids. While you’re in town, don’t miss the newest boutique across from Rondini—the sandal shop where leather Tropéziennes have been crafted since 1927—where artisan Alain Rondini has launched a line of leather accessories, from butter-soft tote bags to dressier sandals and belts. Over in Ramatuelle, the long-established Villa Marie (Maisons et Hôtels Sibuet), set across a seven-acre garden property, reopens with the Sibuet signature décor in the refurbished rooms—think canopy wrought-iron beds and a boudoir-style bathroom concept—along with a three-night Pine & Pure Altitude wellness retreat, including sunrise yoga and restorative treatments.

Moving inland to Provence, photography lovers (the annual summer festival Les Rencontres d’Arles is a must) and contemporary art enthusiasts will find themselves at the heart of the action at the newly reopened Grand Hôtel Nord-Pinus, a 25-room landmark on the central Place du Forum, where Hemingway and Picasso once caroused after the bullfights. Now under the direction of arts patron Maja Hoffmann (of the LUMA Foundation), the hotel—from its restored Roman-columned façade and 18th-century staircase to Nigerian-British designer Duro Olowu’s custom furniture—still channels the spirit of this arty former toreador enclave.

Over on the tranquil peninsula of Giens in Hyères, the longtime family-run Hôtel Le Provençal, restyled by designer Rodolphe Parente—who added four new suites—still feels like its own little village, set within a pocket of unmanicured Mediterranean vegetation. A seawater pool carved into the rock, along with summer barbecues and jazz concerts in the two-hectare gardens, all contribute to a relaxed, slightly apart-from-it-all feel—one that will particularly appeal to families, with Porquerolles just across the water.

Hidden away on a storied ultra-private peninsula estate in Èze-bord-de-mer, La Table du Cap Estel serves precise modern dishes in one of the dreamiest settings on the coast; it’s helmed by chef Kevin Garcia and was just awarded a Michelin star. It’s also an address to watch: Bernard Arnault quietly acquired this legendary hotel in July 2025 (its guest book runs from Greta Garbo to the Beatles) for 200 million euros, with a LVMH rebrand in the works, though no date has been set.

Don’t skip a stop in Nice to explore the city’s effervescent culinary scene near the port, starting with Épicentre, newly awarded a Michelin star and headed by chef Sélim M’Nasri; this intimate bistro is built around spices and a “surprise” seven-course nightly menu. For family-style Italian dishes, head to Tina Trattoria, where Argentinian chef-couple Florencia Montes and Lorenzo Ragni reinterpret their Italian grandparents’ recipes (save room for the tiramisu). For an Asian twist on Provençal flavours, Zenirō, tucked behind Place Garibaldi, is a three-story eatery with a stylish urban feel and a breezy rooftop for summer evenings. And from the Michelin-winning team behind Les Agitateurs comes Magma, a small, affordable spot for creative Japanese-inspired small plates.

Come September, the ultimate splurge is Sunday brunch at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, a cornucopia of dishes and desserts overseen by Michelin-star-winning chef Sébastien Broda and Tarek Ahamada. Meanwhile, up in the hills of Vence, new executive chef Romain Antoine at Château Saint-Martin & Spa is serving refined terroir-driven cuisine at both the summer restaurant L’Oliveraie and the gastronomic Le Saint-Martin.

In Cannes, ça bouge. The city is having a moment, with a surge of lively dining spots, from the Anatolian restaurant Rüya at the Carlton to the newly opened Beefbar at Hotel Barrière Le Majestic Cannes. Down at the tip of La Croisette, the 1929 Art Deco Palm Beach complex—a lavishly reinvented mix of casino, cabaret, boutiques and restaurants—now includes Flash, a speakeasy by architect Hugo Toro hidden behind a secret door inside the Italian restaurant Il Grande. To escape the crowds, head to the Spa Villa Belle Plage, a restored Belle Époque gem, followed by lunch or dinner at Shiso, its palm-shaded garden Japanese restaurant.

There’s always something happening at Château La Coste, near Aix-en-Provence, and this year, newly arrived Michelin-honored chef Florent Pietravalle (of La Mirande) is at the helm of Villa La Coste’s gastronomic jewel-box restaurant, Louison, with a menu of precise, highly personal dishes built around Pietravalle’s own take on Mediterranean cooking.

Americans on the Riviera—color, nostalgia and fashion—intermingle this summer. While you’re at Château La Coste, don’t miss its summer-long exhibitions, starting with “Julian Schnabel” (April 25–August 15, 2026), followed by “Rashid Johnson, Sheree Hovsepian and Friends” (July 5, 2026–January 31, 2027).

Take a water taxi or ferry to the island of Porquerolles for “Sea, Pop & Sun” at the Villa Carmignac, a luminous indoor-outdoor art space set within the forest (April 25–November 1, 2026).

In Nice, the Matisse Museum presents “Le Beau, La Mode et le Bonheur,” a dialogue between Matisse and Yves Saint Laurent (June 17–September 28, 2026). At the Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, “Le Temps Courrèges,” photographed by Peter Knapp (May 14–November 1, 2026), is followed by a tribute to Ellsworth Kelly, “At the Edge of Water” (June 27–November 14, 2026).

In the historic village of Mougins, near Cannes, Femmes Artistes du Musée de Mougins (FAMM) opened in 2024 as Europe’s first fine arts museum exclusively dedicated to women artists. Inside, visitors will find treasures from such icons as Berthe Morisot, Leonor Fini, Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell, Frida Kahlo and Louise Bourgeois. This May, the museum has unveiled more than 70 new works added to the collection, as well as a major rehang of the permanent galleries.

In early 2027, among the most anticipated openings: Les Grands Carmes, a restored convent in the centre of Aix-en-Provence by the Fontenille Collection; in Menton, the 11-suite Mirazur Hotel, Mauro Colagreco’s garden retreat overlooking his celebrated restaurant; and in Ramatuelle, the 78-room Mas Bellevue St. Tropez—a luxe Provençal hamlet from the Oetker Collection—further proof that the Riviera isn’t about to go out of style anytime soon.