Both Cannes and Nice are good bases for a wine day on the French Riviera, but they send you to different vineyards. From Cannes, most tours head inland to the Côtes de Provence estates of the Var, the home of Provence rosé. From Nice, you can do the same Provence day — or stay close to town and visit Bellet, a tiny appellation on the hills of Nice itself, about 20–30 minutes from the Promenade des Anglais.
This guide compares the two using the wine tours currently bookable on riviera-todo.com (prices checked in October 2026): where each tour goes, what it costs, how long it takes and when a private tour is worth paying for. If you already know your base, jump straight to wine tours from Cannes or wine tours from Nice.
The short answer
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Choose Nice if you want the most choice (26 wine tours against 10 from Cannes), a half day in the Bellet vineyards or a two-hour tasting in town from €65.
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Choose Cannes if you want a classic full day among Provence rosé estates with a little less driving, or something unusual like the monks' vineyard on the island of Saint-Honorat.
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Group tours cost about €115–180 per person in both cities; private days start around €450–480.
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For one full day of Provence rosé, the experience is almost the same from either city — book from the one you're sleeping in.
Two directions: Côtes de Provence or Bellet
The Riviera's wine map explains most of the difference. Côtes de Provence is the largest appellation in Provence — around 20,000 hectares across the Var and part of the Bouches-du-Rhône — and close to 90% of what it produces is rosé. Its heartland in the Var is roughly an hour's drive from Cannes and closer to an hour and a half from Nice, which is why full-day tours from both cities last eight to nine hours.
Bellet is the opposite: one of the smallest appellations in France (AOC since 1941), with only around 50–60 hectares of vines on the steep hills at the western edge of Nice, above the Var valley. It has its own grapes — Rolle (Vermentino) for the whites, Braquet and Folle Noire for reds and rosés — and production is so small that the wines rarely leave the region. More on the grapes and bottles in our guide to the best local wines of the French Riviera.
Then there is Cannes' wildcard: the vineyard of Lérins Abbey on the island of Saint-Honorat, a short ferry ride from the Old Port, where Cistercian monks still make their own wine.
Wine tours from Cannes
There are 10 wine tours from Cannes on our list. Most are full days, and they fall into three styles:
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Provence estates in a small group. The flagship is a small-group Provence wine tour (maximum 8 people, 8–9 hours) that visits three award-winning estates and pours around 15 wines, with a tasting masterclass along the way. From €179 per person, rated 5.0 from 47 reviews.
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Wine plus hilltop villages. Two cheaper days mix sightseeing with a tasting: Grasse and its perfumeries, Gourdon, Tourrettes-sur-Loup, then a winery to finish. From €125 (7 h 30) and €130 (8 h 30, small group of 8). The second ends at an estate in Saint-Jeannet or at Domaine de la Source — a Bellet winery — so Cannes can reach Bellet too, just not as the main event.
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The monks' wine on Saint-Honorat. A four-hour experience with the return ferry included, a tasting of three of the abbey's wines led by a sommelier among the vines, and free time on the island afterwards. Maximum 10 guests, listed from €644.
Private options from Cannes start at €450 for a private version of the Provence day (5.0 from 41 reviews) and rise to €650–980 for "best crus and castles" itineraries or a day that combines a Provençal market, the countryside and several tastings. All of them, with a side-by-side comparison table, are on our page of wine tours from Cannes.
Wine tours from Nice
Nice has more than twice the choice — 26 wine tours — and far more variety in length and format:
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Provence estates in a small group. The same kind of day as from Cannes: three estates, about 12 wines, maximum 8 guests, 8 hours. From €176, and the most-reviewed wine tour from either city — 4.9 from 410 reviews.
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Bellet in half a day. A 3 h 15 tour of the appellation from €115, with views over the Alps and the sea, back in town for dinner. A semi-private four-hour version (from €350) visits two Bellet estates — one large, one small family domaine — with local olive oil and tapenade; note that its tasting fees, about €25 per person per estate, are paid on the spot.
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Tastings in town, no driving. Two-hour tastings in central Nice start at €65 for organic wines and €77 for a "Tour de France in 8 wines" (4.9 from 247 reviews). A three-hour Old Town food tour with wine costs €110 (4.9 from 121 reviews).
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Wine plus sightseeing. Full days that pair tastings with Saint-Paul-de-Vence (from €155) or with Monaco and Saint-Paul (from €175).
Private tours from Nice start at €470–478 for a full day in the vineyards (the private Provence day has 108 reviews at 4.9) and reach much further than from Cannes: Aix-en-Provence (€1,190), Cassis and its calanques (€1,590) or Château La Coste and its sculpture park (€1,700). Compare them all on our page of wine tours from Nice.
Prices compared
These are the "from" prices of the tours listed on our site in October 2026; they move with the season and availability.
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Tasting or food tour in town: Nice from €65 (2 h) · Cannes from €143 (3-hour food and wine walk).
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Half day at a vineyard: Nice (Bellet) from €115 · Cannes (Saint-Honorat) from €644.
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Full day, small group: Nice €155–176 · Cannes €125–179.
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Full day, private: Nice from €470 · Cannes from €450.
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Premium private days: Nice €1,190–1,700 · Cannes up to €980.
Full-day group tours cost practically the same from both cities. Nice only comes out cheaper if a shorter experience is enough for you — and that flexibility is its real advantage.
Private or group wine tour?
A small-group tour (usually eight people at most) is the best value for one or two travellers: the same estates and the same tasting masterclass for €125–180 each, and good company along the way. The trade-off is a fixed itinerary and fixed pickup times.
A private tour makes sense when:
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you are three or four people — check whether the price is per person or for the whole vehicle: when it covers the group, a €450–480 private day comes close to the group rate per head;
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you want specific estates, lunch at a domaine or a slower pace;
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you are on a cruise and need a pickup timed to your ship;
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you want to combine wine with somewhere further away — Aix-en-Provence, Cassis, Château La Coste — since those itineraries exist only as private tours.
There is also a middle ground: the semi-private format of some Bellet tours, private at the small family wineries and shared with other visitors at the big châteaux.
Practical tips before you book
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Season. Tours run all year. September and October bring the harvest; spring to autumn has the best weather among the vines. In winter some estates shorten their opening hours, so check the tour page for the days it runs.
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Leave the car. Transport is the main reason to book a tour rather than visit alone: the French drink-driving limit is 0.5 g/l (0.2 g/l for new drivers), and a day of tastings goes well past it.
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Read what's included. Most full-day tours include the tastings; lunch is not always included, and a few Bellet tours charge tasting fees on the spot.
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Cruise passengers. Ships anchor off Cannes and tender passengers ashore; around Nice they call at Villefranche or Nice. Pick a tour that picks up at your port, and leave a margin before all-aboard.
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Bring a bottle home. Estates sell at the cellar door. Bellet is hard to find outside the region, which makes it the bottle most worth carrying back.
Verdict: Cannes or Nice?
If you are staying in Cannes, there is no reason to travel to Nice for a wine tour: the full-day Provence tours are just as good and slightly closer to the vineyards, and the Saint-Honorat tasting exists only from Cannes. If you are staying in Nice, you have the widest choice on the Riviera — from a €65 tasting to a Bellet afternoon to a private day in Aix — and the best-reviewed group tour of the two cities.
Ready to book? Browse wine tours from Cannes, wine tours from Nice, or all wine tours on the French Riviera.
FAQ
How far are the vineyards from Cannes and Nice?
The Bellet vineyards are 20–30 minutes from central Nice. The Côtes de Provence estates of the Var are about an hour from Cannes and an hour and a half from Nice, so full-day tours from both cities take eight to nine hours.
How much does a wine tour cost on the French Riviera?
From €65 for a two-hour tasting in Nice, €115 for a half day in Bellet and €125–180 for a full day in a small group. Private days start at about €450.
Can I visit Bellet from Cannes?
Yes, but dedicated tours are rare: one countryside day from Cannes finishes at a Bellet estate. For a proper Bellet visit, the half-day tours leave from Nice.
Is a wine tour worth it outside summer?
Yes. Autumn is harvest season and arguably the best time to go, and in winter the estates are quiet and the tastings more personal. Just check opening days, as some wineries cut back their hours between November and March.
