The South of France in September: Everything You Need to Know!
Want to know what its like visiting the South of France in September? It may not be “European Summer,” but shoulder season can be even better!
The French Riviera is unbelievably gorgeous, probably year round. But I do think it needs to come with warmth and sunshine. Can you get that in September?
The beauty of South of France brings people from all of the world. Will all those people be there in September?
The South of France is infamous for its expensive prices and known for its luxury. Is September more affordable?
Here is everything you need to know about visiting the South of France in September!
- Why Visit the South of France in September?
- Weather in the South of France in September
- Crowds in the South of France in September
- Prices in the South of France in September
- Festivals & Events in September
- Final Thoughts on Visiting the South of France in September
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Why Visit the South of France in September?
The South of France is an incredible place; colorful, sunny, relaxing, GORGEOUS. All of these make it an epic European summer destination!
But, with a popular European summer destination comes some downfalls. The crowds can be intense and the prices can be high all while sweating your butt off while exploring.
However, September in the South of France has much milder temperatures, but not so mild that you can’t enjoy a beach. It has crowds, but not so many that you can’t find a seat on a train or reservation at a restaurant.
So September in the South of France kinda feels like a cheat code. You can grab up the sunshine and end-of-summer vibes, but with some great perks!
The French Riviera in September ⬇️😍
Weather in the South of France in September
The weather in September can be amazing! It may not be the hot and toasty weather you want when jumping in the water, but it is incredible weather for exploring cities! And not to worry, there were plenty of people enjoying the end of the summer sun on the beach too!
Temperatures In September:
- Average Lows: Low 60s F (15 degrees c)
- Average Highs: Mid 60s to low 70s F (18 to 23 degrees C)
But what does that mean?!
The South of France has low humidity in September. So if you have 65 degree weather and sun, it can feel like a WARM summer day! You can wear your short sleeves and lay out on the beach comfortably.
BUT. If you get 65 degree weather with cloud coverage and wind (which we also experienced!) it can be chilly! You may need pants as well as long sleeves in order to be comfortable!
Rain? Though September does have a higher yearly rainfall than the summer months, it is still quite rare and typically doesn’t last long when it does. In our 6 days in the French Riviera, we didn’t experience any rain!
Overall, expect that mornings and evenings will be a little chilly and will likely require at least some sleeves. But by late morning/early afternoon you will be stripping your layers and applying the sunscreen!
Want some help on packing? Here is what to wear in the South of France in September!
Crowds in the South of France in September
The French Riviera (and Europe in general) is known for the mass-influx of visitors in the summer months (especially July and August.) Do they disperse by September?
I can’t compare September to July, because I haven’t visited in both months. But here was our September experience!
Restaurants: We didn’t make any reservations and were able to find a dinner spot without waiting every night.
Beaches: Still pretty crowded. People were soaking up the last of the summer sun! However, you could easily find a spot to lay at all the beaches we visited.
Trains: Varied. Some rides were quite empty, but our train from Antibes to Menton was standing room only for MOST of the ride. However, we didn’t have any problems with trains getting full and having to catch the next train though!
Overall, we definitely weren’t the only ones that found affordable flights to Nice in September, but the crowds felt manageable for sure!
Prices in the South of France in September
The French Riviera is known for its luxury and higher prices (though I always think you can make a trip as expensive as you WANT to make it.) So were the prices better in September compared to July or August?
Honestly, we visited the South of France for MUCH cheaper than I would ever have thought.
We chose to visit the French Riviera due to finding round trip flights from Little Rock, Arkanas to Nice for only $556! So, that in itself is cheaper than summer prices for sure.
But were the prices IN the South of France better?
Here is a price breakdown of how much we spent for 6 nights in the South of France in September:
- Flights (RT from Little Rock, AR to Nice): $556
- Hotels: $868 ($434 per person)
- Food+ Transportation: $925 ($472 per person)- I don’t have a breakdown of these because they were on my travel partners card. But all food and train tickets were purchased by her and this was the total.
- For More Perspective:
- We took around 10 train rides plus 1 bus and one Uber to the airport
- For food, we typically grabbed a small snack for breakfast and grabbed grocery store food or found a sandwich shop and then splurged for nicer dinners.
- For More Perspective:
- Total: $1462 per person
As a mid-budget traveler, I thought this was reasonable for a week in the South of France!
How Does This Compare to the Summer?
Flights, as I said, are going to be more. Unless you track flights and luck out on a drop in prices, you will probably pay between $700-$900 for round trip flights from the US (especially for us Arkansas residents or anyone without an international airport nearby) during the summer months.
- But this isn’t a guarantee! I did see flights at the end of August when I booked for September that were still in the $500’s!
Hotel prices are going to depend on how far in advance you book. In general, the more hotels book up, the higher the prices get. So, if you don’t wait too last minute, you can likely get a decent price on a summer hotel.
- Our hotels averaged $145 a night, but I expect you can get hotels in the summer at an average of around $160 if you book in plenty of time.
Train prices increase by demand and there is high demand in summer. Prices during peak travel season at peak travel times are going to be more expensive than in September.
Your best option to avoid a lot of inflation is to book your train tickets in advance, or, of course, travel during shoulder season.
Festivals & Events in September
I’ve learned this lesson the hard way when booking cheap flights to Amsterdam during a huge music fest. Watch for festivals and events that may increase prices of hotels!
A few notable events and festivals in the South of France in September are:
- Cannes Yachting Festival– Early to Mid September (accidentally ran into this one)
- Monaco Yacht Show– Mid September
- Nice Triathlon– Mid September
- The Voiles de Saint-Tropez– End of September
- The Vendanges Étoilées in Cassis– End of September
This isn’t a comprehensive list, but gives you can idea of some of the bigger festivals that occur in September. Once you have an idea of which cities you want to go to, you may consider double checking on activities happening. Maybe you want to attend, or maybe you want to avoid the crowds!
Lavender Fields in September?
The lavender fields of the South of France bring in loads of crowds each year to experience the fields of beautiful and amazing-smelling flowers.
However, if you are wanting to visit in September to avoid the crowds, you will also avoid seeing flowers 🙃
Lavender fields usually begin to bloom in June and last until August. By September, the crops will likely be harvested and you will be hard-pressed to find ANY flowers, much less fields and fields of them.
So, if your primary reason to visit this region is to see the lavender fields, but you still want to avoid LARGE crowds, consider going at the very beginning of July.
The flowers probably won’t be done blooming in June (just starting) and by the end of July and August, the crowds will be rolling in!
Final Thoughts on Visiting the South of France in September
Despite one really chilly morning with wind and clouds, we LOVED visiting this part of France in September! The crowds were maneable and we felt like it was a great end to the summer!
Plus, I think its super helpful to know that you can visit the beautiful French Riviera without being a millionaire!
Here is a great way to spend 6 nights in the South of France!
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