France

Weather and temperature

Winter temperatures are moderated by the Mediterranean; days of frost are rare. The average daily low temperature in Nice in January is 5.4°C (41.7°F); the January average daily low temperature in Toulon is 6.2°C (43.2°F)}. The average high temperature in August in Nice is 28.6°C (83.5°F); in Toulon the average daily high temperature is 29.7 °C (85.5°F).The Côte d’Azur receives more rainfall than Paris annually (803.3 mm annually in Nice and 684.8 mm in Toulon compared with 649.8 mm in Paris), but the rainy days are much less frequent; 111 rainy days a year in Paris compared with 61 days in Toulon and 63 in Nice. Toulon has 2,793 hours of sunshine a year, Nice has 2,668 hours.

Average temperature Nice Cote d'Azur

Micro-climates exist in these coastal regions, and there can be great differences in the weather between various locations. Strong winds such as the Mistral, a cold dry wind from the northwest or from the east, are another characteristic, particularly in the winter.
Villefranche, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Beaulieu, Eze-bord-de-Mer, Cap d’Ail, Monaco and Menton across all the French Riviera is distinguished by its microclimate.

These towns are on the seashore, and the mountains of Alps are just behind them, they forms the barrier for the cooler air in mainland. Even in the coldest days of the year, these spots keeps a few degrees above the average air temperature of the coastline.

Seasons

Under a Mediterranean climate, in summer temperatures can go up quite high (exceeding 30 °C).
With 300 days of sunshine a year in the Côte d’Azur, rainfall is not a local concern, though when it rains in the south (rather in autumn and spring), it is often violent.
In winter, the temperatures are quite mild.
In the backcountry, the climate is a little less mild, the thermometer falling easily in the winter and climbing rapidly in the summer.
A few snowfalls can occur at more than 800 m altitude in the upper Var. In the Alps, the climate is mountain type and it snows from November to April.

If you really want to enjoy your stay, you should prefer the intermediate seasons, more lenient. The months of May, September and October are the most pleasant and you can easily swim.  In addition, at this time, the terraces are less crowded and the beaches and coves almost deserted.