Itinerary: The South of France

I spent about two weeks backpacking through the South of France, focusing my travels in Provence and the Cote d'Azur.  I flew out of London directly to Nimes Airport.  I didn't rent a car.  I made good use of the comprehensive train and bus systems in France, trying to get out of the major tourist spots as much as possible.  In order to keep this trip as headache-free as possible, I made Arles my home base in Provence and Nice my home base in Cote d'Azur.  I made day trips to surrounding towns.  This allowed me to sleep in as I pleased and not have to change lodging every night.  Here's my itinerary:

Day 1:  Depart London on Ryan Air; Arrival into Nimes Airport; took the shuttle bus to Nimes train station; took the train to Arles

Day 2:  Day trip to Nimes; traveled by train

Day 3:  Day trip to Marseille; traveled by train

Day 4:  Day trip to Avignon; traveled by train; Explored Arles

Day 5:  Day trip to La Camargue; traveled by bus

Day 6:  Day trip to Montpellier, traveled by train

Day 7:  Day trip to Aix-en-Provence; traveled by bus

Day 8:  Checked out of Arles Hostel; took the train to Nice

Day 9:  Day trip to Antibes and Cannes; traveled by train

Day 10: Explored Nice

Day 11: Carnaval festival in Nice

Day 12: Day trip to Monaco; traveled by bus

Day 13: Day trip to St-Paul de Vence; traveled by bus

Day 14: Day trip to Menton, traveled by train

Day 15: Day trip to Eze Village; traveled by bus

Day 16: Explored Nice

Day 17: Explored Nice

The only things I would change about this itinerary is to spend more time in Marseille and less time in Nice.  On the day trip to Antibes and Cannes, I would have gone to Cannes first as there's less to see and do there, then spend the remainder of the day and evening in Antibes.  Also, I wouldn't have gone to Monaco on a Sunday as it was really quiet that day.  Here's what I would recommend if you are considering a similar trip:

Day 1:  Depart London on Ryan Air; Arrival into Nimes Airport; take the shuttle bus to Nimes train station; take the train to Arles (overnight in Arles)

Day 2:  Explore Arles (overnight in Arles)

Day 3:  Day trip to Nimes; travel by train (overnight in Arles)

Day 4:  Day trip to Avignon; travel by train; side excursion to Pont du Gard and Uzes (overnight in Arles)

Day 5:  Day trip to La Camargue; travel by bus (overnight in Arles)

Day 6:  Day trip to Montpellier, travel by train (overnight in Arles)

Day 7:  Day trip to Aix-en-Provence; travel by bus (overnight in Arles)

Day 8:  Check out of Arles; travel by train to Marseille (overnight in Marseille)

Day 9:  Excursion to Chateau d'If; explore Marseille (overnight in Marseille)

Day 10: Check out of Marseille; travel by train to Nice (overnight in Nice)

Day 11: Carnaval festival in Nice (overnight in Nice)

Day 12: Explore Nice (overnight in Nice)

Day 13: Day trip to Cannes and Antibes; travel by train (overnight in Nice)

Day 14: Day trip to Monaco and Eze Village; travel by bus (overnight in Nice)

Day 15: Day trip to St-Paul de Vence; travel by bus (overnight in Nice)

Day 16: Day trip to Menton, travel by bus (overnight in Nice)

Day 17: Check out of Nice