Make a Memory With Me: village-hopping in the French Riviera

Cinema has always had the power to transport me somewhere else, and nowhere was that more true than on my trip to the South of France. One of my earliest memories is watching Louis de Funès in The Troops of St Tropez. For many, it’s a classic of French cinema that deserves at least one viewing. For me, it was a preview of everything the South of France promised – charming villages worthy of multiple Pinterest boards and a world of effortless glamour.

Growing up, my enthusiasm for cinema naturally evolved into a love of photography. The South of France became somewhere I wanted to experience not only through film, but through my own lens. I didn’t visit until my mid-twenties, yet I always knew it would be special. Few things are more rewarding than visiting a destination that has lived in your imagination for years and discovering it is every bit as captivating as you’d hoped.

The journey

For my base I chose Nice. It’s remarkably easy to reach from the UK and perfectly placed as a gateway to explore the Côte d'Azur, with a string of villages waiting to be explored along the coast. First on my itinerary was Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. One of the highlights was the train journey itself, a ribbon track tracing the coastline, with uninterrupted Mediterranean views and colourful seaside towns drifting past the window.

I arrived at Beaulieu-sur-Mer and chose to walk the rest of the way to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. It’s a beautiful route and an ideal introduction to the peninsula. Along the way, I found myself drawn to the Belle Époque villas tucked behind wrought iron gates, citrus trees heavy with fruit, flashes of turquoise water between umbrella pines and boats gently bobbing in the harbour. One of the town’s highlights is Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, known for its pink facade, immaculate gardens and sweeping views. I’d recommend visiting in the morning before the crowds arrive, when the light is soft and the gardens feel at their most serene.

From there, I followed the coastal path down to Paloma Beach. You may recognise it from films and TV shows such as Fifty Shades Freed and, more recently, Emily in Paris – a personal favourite of mine. It was here that I found the perfect spot to photograph the bay before making my way down to the beach itself. Few places have matched the feeling of seeing a scene through my camera and finding the reality every bit as striking. Nearby, the medieval village of Èze is well worth a visit for its elevated botanical garden and dramatic sea views, as is the colourful fishing village of Villefranche-sur-Mer.

The following day, I headed to Saint-Paul-de-Vence, one of the region’s most beautiful hilltop villages. Set high above the coastline and wrapped by rolling greenery, with glimpses of the Mediterranean in the distance, every street feels worthy of a photograph. Of all the places I visited, this was where I spent the most time behind the camera, constantly pausing to capture another detail.

My favourite photograph from the trip was of a jasmine-covered corner house in the village, which, as it turns out, is an Airbnb you can actually stay in. Flower-filled alleyways, honey-coloured stone buildings, quiet courtyards and centuries-old architecture bathed in warm light invited slow exploration. Saint-Paul-de-Vence is also celebrated for its artistic heritage, having attracted some of the world’s most renowned creatives, including Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso.

What I enjoyed most was simply wandering without a plan. From narrow passageways and artisan boutiques to bustling village squares, every turn offered something worth lingering over. Even after a full day exploring, I felt I had barely scratched the surface – and La Colombe d'Or Hotel and its acclaimed collection of artwork was still on my list. It’s a village that I could return to time and again and no doubt discover something new on each visit.

Turning the photos into a Popsa Photo Book

Wanting to make the experience even more meaningful, I decided before I left that I would turn the journey into a photo book. Returning home with hundreds of images – Belle Époque villas, jasmine-draped doorways, the bay at Paloma caught in the perfect light – I wasn’t quite sure where to start. I combed through every frame, slowly whittling down to the ones that truly captured how the trip had felt, not simply what it had looked like.

From there, creating the book was the easy part. I arranged the pages in the order I’d travelled, so that flicking through it would feel like retracing the route village by village. I kept the layouts simple to allow the photographs to breathe, reserving full-page spreads for the moments that had stopped me in my tracks.

The result

In a world where thousands of images can sit forgotten on our phones, turning my South of France photos into something tangible gave them a life beyond the screen. Rather than existing as another neglected folder on my phone, those memories became something I could pick up, revisit and share. Years from now, I know I’ll still be reaching for this Popsa Photo Book as a reminder of a journey that lived in my imagination long before I experienced it for myself.