Engagement and Photoshoot on Coco Beach, Nice

Golden hour sunset photos on the French Riviera

One of my favourite sunset photoshoot locations for couples and engagement photoshoots in Nice is Coco Beach.

This place isn't a beach in the traditional sense, but a rocky, rugged coastal path that winds around the coast to the east of Nice's Port Lympia (which has a tram stop, Port Lympia, on Line 2, or T2). It's dramatic cliff and rock formations, beautiful blue water, and expansive view to the west (which includes the Promenade des Anglais), where the sun sets, means this is an amazing, dramatic landscape which enjoys the full benefit of golden sunlight during sunset.

With much of the Nice and the French Riviera suffering from overcrowding, Coco Beach close enough to Nice to be convenient without being so accessible that it becomes over-crowded. For the most part the only people there are locals, with tourists sticking to the promenade and the beaches at nearby Villefranche if they choose to go bathing. While there are always people there, I've never had a problem on a photoshoot finding opportunities to get the photographs I want, and if people are occasionally in the frame, they're quite easy to photoshop out due the relative uniformity of the background.

With places for surprise proposals in the French in relative short-supply during tourist season, I've been experimenting more and more with Coco Beach as a surprise proposal location...

Coco Beach as a Proposal Location Option

Planning a surprise proposal here on the French Riviera can be difficult due to the inevitable trade-off between accessibility and a clean, tourist-free, background.

Of course it's possible to hire a private space at a venue such as a hotel, but this can be expensive, with, for example, a non-private time slot and permission to photograph at Villa Ephrussi costing around 600 Euros. Often, venues like this seem to forego the element of surprise in place of creating a desired ambiance and aesthetic.

One partner is usually led to a reserved private balcony or space adorned with candles, flowers, with petals spread on the floor, meaning that in those moments the partner being proposed to will likely deduce what's about to happen before the proposal itself. Of course, there's nothing wrong with this, it depends on priorities, people's vision, and their personalities.

For open, public, panoramic views, there are places like Mont Boron, but it gets very touristy there around summer (especially Sunday mornings), and the temperature during July and August is stifling, meaning you'd have to take an Uber or a bus up the mountain (perfectly feasible, but could one suspect something a proposal is coming en-route?).

I like Coco Beach because there's every reason to go there anyway due to the beautiful coastal walk, the sunset, and the nearby popular restaurants (notably La Reserve de Nice and La Plongeoir) that can be included in your evening plans as they're only 200 yards away. Walking to the entry point of Coco Beach on Av Jean Lorrain from the tram stop takes about 20 minutes, maybe slightly longer in the summer heat. There is also the 98 bus, which will take you there from Nice old town.

In summer 2024 I've photographed here numerous times and at the moment it's my favourite place in Nice due to its stress-free ambiance, ease of access, and spectacular results.

If you pay this place a visit, one piece of advice is not to wear high heel shoes as the rocky path will be difficult to traverse. Other things to know are that if the sea is stormy or more choppy than usual, the French police will descend onto Coco Beach very quickly to seal it off. Having been on the path during these conditions, I can see why. I'll be updating my blog with more photoshoots from this location in the coming months.