12 Tourist Traps To Avoid in Southern France for an Authentic Experience

Some of the links might be affiliate links and, at no extra cost to you, we earn a small commission. See our disclaimer for more info.

Southern France has so much to offer tourists. Stunning beaches, long coastlines, mountains, lavender fields, vineyards, beautiful cities, charming hilltop villages – you name it, Southern France has it all. Unfortunately, with so much to offer tourists comes tourist traps. From overly commercialized experiences to highly popularized yet underwhelming tourist sights, Southern France has it all, just like any other loved tourist destination.

If you want value for your money and an authentic traveling experience, you need to know the popular tourist traps and how to avoid them.

Traveling across southern France anytime soon? Here are 12 tourist traps to avoid for fulfilling experiences and value for your money.

Cannes During the Festival

Save this!

We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later.

While Cannes has a lot to offer visitors, one of the things it is known for is The Annual Film Festival it hosts. This glamorous event features red carpets, lots of parties, fancy dresses, and all celebrities’ glitz and flashy lifestyle.

While visiting during the Cannes Annual Film Festival may be tempting, it will likely not be worth it. The town is extremely busy during the festival, and the hotel prices are outrageous. Unless you are a paparazzi, there is little you will experience by visiting Cannes during the festival.

Besides, the Cannes Film Festival Venue (Palais des Festivals et des Congrès) is no big deal, even if you visit outside the festival season. Many tourists spare a lot of time for this venue, only to be underwhelmed. If you plan to visit Cannes, know there is more to this city than the overhyped festival.

Promenade des Anglais, Nice

Just called “prom” in Nice, The Promenade des Anglais is one of the most outstanding attractions in Nice. The 4.5-mile (7-kilometer) stretch, lined with palm trees, offers uninterrupted views of the turquoise sea and the pebbly shore—it is truly a sight everyone wants to experience.

While the area is lovely, it has become highly touristy. It now has very touristy restaurants and souvenir shops that offer inauthentic experiences at ridiculously high prices. During peak season, the promenade gets overcrowded, which makes exploration even more difficult. While this stretch has a lot to see, it is not all that Nice has to offer; see beyond it and dine away from it.

Saint Tropez

You have seen it in “flashy” films like Emily in Paris. That is the energy Saint Tropez is supposed to depict – luxury and the bling lifestyle. Saint Tropez is now known for its high prices and celebrity culture. In the peak season, the city gets overcrowded, busy and extremely expensive, which is the opposite of what the southern France charm is supposed to be.

With the enormous crowds, the hospitality services you get will rarely match the prohibitive prices you will pay.

You also want to steer clear from Pampelonne Beach during the peak season. While it is an absolute stunner, it is often overrun by tourists and celebrities, leading to inflated prices.

Pont du Gard

The Pont du Gard, an ancient Roman aqueduct bridge, attracts thousands of visitors daily, especially during the peak summer months. The large crowds can make it difficult to fully appreciate the bridge’s historical significance and beauty.

Crowds aside, the experience of Pont du Gard is now highly commercialized. From tour buses arriving with massive crowds to gift shops selling inauthentic souvenirs, visiting Pont du Gard may not feel as glamorous as it looks on social media.

Furthermore, guided tours are often rushed when there are crowds, preventing proper exploration and sightseeing. Also, the roads leading to the bridge get highly congested in summer, detracting from the overall experience of visiting the bridge.

Carcassonne

There is no doubt that Carcassonne is a fairytale destination. This hilltop village has watchtowers and high walls that offer stunning panoramic views of the surrounding area. Unfortunately, most of its famous spots are overrun with travelers, something that takes from the medieval charm the village is supposed to depict.

With large crowds and cameras flashing in every direction, Carcassonne feels like a theme park rather than a charming hilltop village in summer. If you would like to enjoy the genuine historic site, visit early in the morning before the tour buses arrive or in autumn or spring.

Lavender Fields Of Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque

Tourist Traps in Southern France_Lavender Fields Of Abbaye Notre-Dame — © Kim / Adobe Stock

Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque is one of France’s best places to see blooming lavender fields. While beautiful, it can be extremely crowded during peak blooming season, leading to traffic jams and difficulty finding parking.

🏨 Explore all your hotel options here

Besides, many tourists who head out to these fields appreciate picture-perfect scenery. Whether you are looking to capture some snaps for memories and Instagram or soak into the beauty of the vast lavender fields, the last thing you want to experience is crowds of people in the background. Unfortunately, the lavender blooming season only lasts 3-4 weeks, and everyone will likely be looking to take advantage of the short blooming season. If you want to experience the best lavender fields, skip this popular destination to Sault in Vaucluse and Digne-les-Bains.

Cassis’s Calanques Boat Tours

One of the best ways to explore the Calanques is via boat tours. Boat tours easily take tourists to the secret beaches of Calanques National Park, the rocky harbors, and the scenic Mediterranean coastline.

Unfortunately, these scenic spots are often overcrowded during peak season, and boat tours can be overpriced and rushed. Usually, some tours include swimming stopovers and detailed guides. However, if the boat traffic is high, you will likely pay more to visit maybe two or three Calanques, all while not having stopovers for sightseeing and swimming.

Avoid peak season if you want to explore the Calanques on boat tours. If you want a more authentic experience during the peak season, consider hiking from Cassis to the Calanques. If you choose to hike, download the Mes Calanques app to guide you through the most scenic spots.

Gorges du Verdon

Dubbed the “Grand Canyon of Europe,” Gorges du Verdon is a land of many offerings when it comes to outdoor activities. Whether you want to go sightseeing, hiking, kayaking, paddleboarding, bungee jumping, rock climbing, or whitewater rafting, you will find your spot in the Verdon Gorge. The gorge attracts vast crowds of tourists from far and wide in summer. After all, it is the biggest gorge in Europe, which is why everyone wants to visit it.

Visiting the gorge later in summer is best when the crowds have thinned out. If you visit during the peak season, be prepared for crowded waters and trails, which detract from this natural wonder’s beauty.

Marseille Old Port

Marseille’s Old Port (Vieux Port) is the city’s heart. It has been the city’s port for centuries but now serves as a cultural and tourist landmark. The quay is lined with cafés, restaurants, and shops. Initially, the restaurants served authentic local cuisines, but that is no longer the case. A good number of them are now primarily geared towards catering to the tourist population that frequents the port. The restaurants, cafes and gift shops along the Old Port have inflated prices compared to restaurants in other parts of the city.

Furthermore, the port hosts many summer festivals, events and street performances that attract large crowds. When visiting, don’t have your expectations high, and also consider dining in other areas of the city.

Les Baux-de-Provence

Southern France is known for its stunning medieval and hilltop villages. Les Baux-de-Provence is one of those picturesque villages that will take your breath away. The ruins of Château des Baux-de-Provence, sitting atop a rocky outcrop, offer panoramic views of the village and the surrounding countryside.

This compact-sized village gets extremely crowded in summer. If you prefer small crowds, try to visit during the other seasons.

You may also want to consider other medieval hilltop villages that do not get as crowded in summer. Saint Paul de Vence is a great alternative.

Antibes’ Port Vauban

Antibes’ Port Vauban is one of the Mediterranean’s most famous and significant marinas. Dating back to the Roman era, Port Vauban is now known for housing some of the world’s largest and most luxurious yachts. Simply put, it is now a playground for the wealthy who are into nautical tourism. A part of the port called Billionaires’ Quay has been specifically designed to accommodate superyachts. With such high-end facilities, experiences like dining around the port are outrageously priced.

With so much focus on luxury and nautical tourism, the authentic charm of Antibes is often overshadowed. Unless you are into yacht-watching, there is little to see at the Antibes’ Port Vauban. Although often listed as one of the must-sees in Antibes, many tourists end up underwhelmed. You would rather spare more time for Fort Carre, a 16th-century fortress overlooking the port, or Antibes’ Old Town, which is full of historic buildings.

Lourdes

On the foothills of the Pyrenees lies a small town called Lourdes, which is famous for being a catholic pilgrimage site. It has been a pilgrimage site since 1858 after a young girl named Bernadette Soubrirous reported visions of the Virgin Mary. Since then, several religious sites have been built, including the Grotto of Massabielle, where the apparitions occurred, the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, and the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Every evening, a candlelight procession takes place, with pilgrims walking through the sanctuary grounds while praying and singing hymns.

Lourdes hosts millions of pilgrims every year, making it one of the most visited pilgrimages in the world. The town gets extremely crowded during major pilgrimage seasons such as Easter, the Feast of the Assumption, and the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. It is also a costly town, right from the gift shops selling religious souvenirs to accommodation.