GROUND-ONLY, SELF-DRIVE WITH THE CAR ABOARD
Two Dave Thomas courses, and the boot still packed from home.
French Riviera golf holidays
Load the clubs, take the tunnel and drive down to Tourrettes, where Terre Blanche's Le Château and Le Riou run through the Pays de Fayence hills. Down the road at Saint Endréol there's a par three that drops to a green ringed by the river. The crossing for your car is part of the price, and your week is yours to shape.
4.9 from real golfers
· 9 courses · from
Golf on the French Riviera sits within easy reach of the coast at Cannes, with courses pushed back into the wooded hills behind Mougins, Valbonne and Tourrettes. It pairs warm, dry golf for much of the year with somewhere proper to eat and stay afterwards.
We have been arranging tailored golf trips to France since 1981. We plan the hotel, book the tee times, sort the transfers and put together each round, so you arrive with the week already worked out rather than a list of numbers to call.
Why play golf in French Riviera
The standout here is Terre Blanche at Tourrettes. It has two full 18-hole courses, the Château and the Riou, both designed by Dave Thomas, which gives you 36 holes of varied, hilly golf on one estate. The contouring and the elevation changes make it a real test, and having two distinct courses side by side means a short trip never feels repetitive.
Closer to Cannes, Royal Mougins is the other name worth building a trip around. It is a tighter, more enclosed layout where placement off the tee matters more than length, and it suits players who like to think their way round rather than simply hit driver.
The courses you’ll play
The marquee golf on the Riviera is at Terre Blanche, Tourrettes, where the Château et Riou Golf Clubs give you two Dave Thomas courses totalling 36 holes. That is enough variety for a long weekend without leaving the estate.
Several of the hotels we use are golf resorts in their own right, so much of your golf can sit on the doorstep of where you sleep:
- Royal Mougins Golf Resort, Mougins, for a compact, strategic round near Cannes
- Domaine de Saint Endreol Golf & Spa Resort, Le Muy, a resort course set in the hills inland
- Najeti Golf Hotel de Valescure, Saint Raphael, with golf attached at the eastern end of the coast
We can route a week around these so the driving between rounds stays short.
Where you’ll stay
For value, the Château de la Begude near Valbonne starts from
In the mid range, Royal Mougins Golf Resort at Mougins (from
At the top end:
- Terre Blanche Hotel Spa Golf Resort, Tourrettes, from
£895 (≈ €1,025) (≈ $1,175) (≈ CA$1,665) (≈ AU$1,685) (≈ NZ$2,045) (≈ CHF 945) - InterContinental Carlton, Cannes, from
£1,460 (≈ €1,675) (≈ $1,925) (≈ CA$2,725) (≈ AU$2,745) (≈ NZ$3,345) (≈ CHF 1,545)
Best time to play golf in French Riviera
Spring and autumn are the sweet spots. April to June gives you warm, settled days and courses that have come through the winter in good order, while September and October hold onto the heat with fewer crowds than high summer.
July and August are reliably hot, which suits some players but makes a midday round hard work, so early or late tee times are worth booking. Winter golf is possible on the coast and the rain stays infrequent, but days are shorter and the hill courses can be cooler and wetter than the seafront suggests.
Getting there
Most UK golfers fly into Nice, which is close to Cannes and the courses inland, and flights are an ATOL-protected add-on we can book for you rather than something built into the price. We arrange transfers from the airport to your hotel and between rounds so you are not navigating the coast road with clubs in a hire car unless you want to.
The Riviera is also reachable by self-drive from the UK if you would rather take your own car and clubs. It is a long two-day haul down through France, so it tends to suit longer stays, and we are happy to plan the trip around that if it is how you prefer to travel.
Good to know
One honest caveat: this is a compact region for golf rather than a sprawling one, with a small number of strong venues clustered behind Cannes, so a trip here is about playing a few good courses well rather than ticking off a long list. The courses sit up in the hills, which means some transfer time between the seafront hotels and the first tee, and the better-known resorts get busy in peak summer, so booking tee times ahead matters. We confirm green fees, tee times and transfers in writing before you travel.
The courses you’ll play in French Riviera
Golf resorts — stay & play on-site
Hotels — play the area’s courses
Ready to play French Riviera?
Tell us your dates and group — we’ll build a tailored itinerary and hand-priced quote, usually within 15 minutes.
Plan my French Riviera trip →Talk to a specialist · 01277 284284ATOL & PTS protected · Tailor-made since 1981
Frequently asked questions
Golf holidays in French Riviera — answers to the questions our golfers ask most.
How long is LeShuttle crossing time to France
The Eurotunnel LeShuttle from Folkestone to Calais takes about 35 minutes, which makes a self-drive trip genuinely easy for the Northern France golf resorts. Le Touquet, Hardelot and the courses around the Somme are roughly two to three hours on from Calais, so you can load the clubs, drive on and be on the first tee the same day, and on those breaks we can include the crossing in the price. For the south and southwest, such as Biarritz, the Riviera and Provence, most golfers fly into Nice, Marseille, Biarritz or Bordeaux and we arrange transfers on the ground.
How much does a golf holiday in France cost?
Golf holidays in France start from
When is the best time to play golf in France?
May, June, September and October are the best months, with comfortable temperatures and courses in peak condition. The south of France stays playable into late autumn.
Where should I play golf in France?
There are more than 700 golf courses in France. As first steps we would recommend Northern France. There are ten great courses here. Chat with us about the various choices if you wish to venture further afield.
How many golf courses are there in France?
We feature 130 courses and 102 resorts across France including Saint Malo Golf Club and Sept Tours Golf Club. Your specialist matches the courses to your group's standard and budget.
Is it easy to get around in France?
Getting around France is straightforward. Self-driving is the most popular option — if you've come via Le Shuttle, you already have your car. Trains are excellent for city-to-city travel, particularly from Paris to Bordeaux (2 hours on the TGV). Within golf regions like the Algarve or Brittany, a hire car gives you the freedom to explore at your own pace. We include all airport or station transfers in our packages and can arrange inter-course transfers, so you're never left without options.
Still have a question? Ask our golf travel team — a free, no-obligation quote, no call centre.