Travel guide – cte d'azur
Go back to travel guide home
Overview
The French Riviera is renowned the world over for its glamorous nightlife, glorious beaches and gigantic gin-palaces; the chic resorts of Cannes and St Tropez have for long attracted Europe's most affluent, from Russian Tsars to the Hollywood stars. Along with neighbouring Monaco, the Côte d'Azur retains its reputation as the playground of the rich and remains one of the most desirable Mediterranean destinations.
The beauty of the hills and the lively towns has inspired several great artists and the area has wonderful museums displaying their works. The quaint Provence hill villages abutting the coast, that once attracted Picasso and Matisse, now draw French and international tourists by the planeload.
Centre of the Riviera is the pleasant city of Nice; like all the resort towns that run into each other along this over-developed coastal strip it is packed with holidaymakers jamming its restaurants, bars and beaches during July and August. Visitors are drawn just as much by the wish to see and be seen in this desirable location as by the sultry sunshine, bright blue sea and luxurious facilities.
Today it is hard to imagine that the quintessential glamorous French Riviera resort of Cannes was for centuries a simple, sleepy fishing village whose only visitors were monks and wealthy pilgrims who came to visit the monastery on the nearby Island of St Honorat. All this changed in 1834 when Lord Henry Brougham, former British Chancellor of the Exchequer, arrived and established the city as a popular up-market holiday resort for the British upper classes. Soon the French and later the Russian aristocracy also flocked to Cannes to while away their summers. Each May the world’s press flocks to Cannes for it's annual Film Festival, which draws the world's celebrities and super-stars along with the paparazzi and expectant fans hoping to glimpse the rich and famous at the Palais des Festivals. Cannes may be synonymous with the annual Film Festival, however hundreds of less exceptional international conferences take place here each year, making rooms hard to find and restaurants hard to book for much of the year. Cannes is busy all year round, frequented by hosts of business travellers off-season and besieged by tourists in the summer, when the long sandy beaches, glitzy nightclubs, chic shops and the famous promenade are abuzz with beautiful people flaunting the latest designer wear. Despite the city's pretensions and massive over-development, Cannes is still an international city of charm and good cheer.
Things to do and see in or around Cannes
La Croisette
The long, shop-studded promenade of La Croisette, and its seven miles (11km) of beach, is Cannes' major attraction. Palatial hotels line this strip each with their own private beach and this is where you are most likely to spot a familiar face, or topless hopeful, especially during the film festival, though you'll be lucky to see further than the sweating backs of the paparazzi. La Croisette is best viewed from the highest point of Cannes' Old Town, Le Suquet, where the remains of the fortified tower still stand, along with the 12th-century Chapel of St Anne. Le Suquet is a lovely place to stroll, with its winding streets, small boutiques and restaurants. At the end of La Croisette is the Palais des Festivals, whose endless Allées des Stars is imprinted with handprints and signatures of the famous. Just beyond is the atmospheric Vieux Port, with its odd medley of luxury yachts and tiny fishing vessels, and the rows of palm trees and fragrant flower market of the Allées de la Liberté. Further west along the seafront are the free beaches (where the locals go), along the Plages du Midi.
Ile St Honorat & Ile St Marguerite
The two islands of Lerins - Ile St Marguerite and Ile St Honorat lie within a 20-minute boat ride from Cannes. Ile St Honorat is a tiny forested island, the smallest and most southern of the Iles de Lerins. It has been the site of a monastery since the 5th century and today the Cistercian monks are the only inhabitants on the island. Much of the monastery is surprisingly modern, with the exception of the ruins of the 11th-century monastery on the sea’s edge. The monks organise tours of the island and try to sell their produce to tourists including homemade wine, honey and lavender oil. The monastery also welcomes visitors for week-long retreats. On the neighbouring Ile St Marguerite is the fortress where the man in the "iron mask" was imprisoned.
Telephone: (04) 9299 5400 or 9298 7138 (boat trips) ; 8am to 6pm (summer); 8am to 5pm (winter)
Antibes
Antibes is a pleasant excursion a few miles east of Cannes. It has one of the best markets on the coast and an excellent Picasso museum in its ancient seafront castle, the 16th-century Château Grimaldi. Picasso was lent a room in the castle to use as a studio in 1946. Several extremely prolific months followed before he moved to Vallauris, leaving all his Antibes output to what is now the Musée Picasso. Although Picasso donated other works later, most of the collection dates from this one period. The best known work is Ulysses and his Sirens. There are also works here by some of Picasso's contemporaries including Nicholas de Stael. Picasso himself is the subject of some of his paintings. Alongside the castle is a cathedral which dates from Medieval times; only the choir and apse survive from the original Romanesque building, the nave and magnificent facade are Baroque. Nearby is a market which is open every morning over the summer and overflows with local produce.
Muse Picasso open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 6pm (June to September); rest of year 10am to 12pm and 2pm to 6pm
An independent state at the west of the Côte d'Azur, the Principality of Monaco is the playground of Europe’s celebrities and idle rich. They are drawn by the sun, glamorous lifestyle and, most importantly, tax-free income, not to mention being in close proximity to one of the world's most publicised and famous Royal families. Many of the elite have made the principality their home, with true 'Monagasques' making up only about 15 percent of the population of this tiny country that is jam-packed with opulence, wealth and the world's most expensive real estate. As anyone who has seen the legendary Grand Prix will know, Monaco and its capital Monte-Carlo aren’t as good looking as its sleek residents and visitors; most of the buildings are unattractive monstrosities, and the tiered urban jungle is cut off from the shoreline by sweeping roads: the roads on which Formula 1 racing cars screech during the annual Grand Prix in the second week of May each year. If its open spaces you are seeking, go elsewhere (apart from a few ornate parks); likewise, if your wallet is light, stay away, unless you want to try your luck at filling it in Monaco's landmark Roccoco Casino.
Things to do and see in or around Monaco
Palais du Prince
Established in the 13th century, Monaco's royal palace has been the residence of the ruling Grimaldi family ever since. The most famous resident was Grace Kelly, who was married to Prince Rainier III. Every generation has left their mark on the place, and as a result this is not one of Europe's most elegant castles from the outside. It is worth taking a look inside though - 15 rooms, including the Throne Room, are open to the public. In the south wing of the palace is the Musée des Souvenirs Napoléoniens, which contains a collection of Napoleon's memorabilia. The changing of the guard takes place in front of the palace every day, it starts at 11.55am and is over in two minutes, so take care to be on time.
State apartments: From 1 June to 30 September, 9.30am to 6.30pm. During October from 10am to 5pm.
With an international airport and the fast train from Paris, Nice is the first experience of the renowned Côte d'Azur for many tourists. The city was established by the Greeks and named for Nike, goddess of victory, but the Romans started the tourism industry here when they popularised their mineral baths on Cimiez. British and Russian aristocrats favoured Nice in the 19th century, but today it is more of a commercial centre and not as fashionable as its smaller neighbouring resorts. Nice still has excellent connections, but these are in the mode of transport options rather than the pedigree of its visitors. In spite of modernization, the city retains its medieval heritage in the Vieille Ville (old town), with its closely-packed red-tiled roofs and narrow winding streets packed with shops and small restaurants. The Cours Saleya has a flower market and food market every morning. There are scores of stands, from large, professionally displayed wares to folding tables set up by family farmers with their produce directly from the farm. Separating the Cours Saleya from the sea is a strip of low buildings. Once the repository for the fishermens' catch, they have given way largely to seafood restaurants. The other side of the Cours Saleya is lined by terrace cafés in lovely old buildings. Nice's beaches are shingle; only from the peninsula at Antibes do they become sand. The Promenade des Anglais lines the shingle beaches for about five miles (eight km) and has been a favourite for leisurely strollers since Victorian times.
Things to do and see in or around Nice
Muse Matisse
Matisse spent the last few years of his life in Nice and he is honoured by this museum. The museum has several permanent collections, mostly painted in Nice and many donated by the artist and his heir. The better known paintings include Nude in an Armchair with a Green Plant (1937), Nymph in the Forest (1935/1942) and Portrait of Madame Matisse (1905). There is also an ensemble of drawings including The Créole Dancer (1951) and Blue Nude IV (1952). Seeing his nude sketches today, you'll wonder why early critics denounced them as 'the female animal in all her shame and horror.'
Telephone: (0)4 9381 0808 ; Daily except Tuesdays 10am to 6pm
The Chteau
With wonderful views over the rooftops and gleaming mosaic tiles of Old Nice, along the sweep of the promenade des Anglais and out to the Mediterranean, the Château park is good place for visitors to orientate themselves with the city. The Château has long gone but with cool walks in the shade of the trees, a large grassy park, Roman ruins and a waterfall it is a great place to spend an afternoon. To reach the park, visitors can either climb the steps at the front, from the Quai des Etats Unis, or for those who aren't up to it an elevator is available.
Phoenix Parc Floral de Nice
Outside Nice, near the airport, this vast tourist attraction includes a botanical garden and a bird and insect zoo where visitors can tour a greenhouse full of wonderful butterflies. There is also a tacky theme park with automated dinosaurs and mock Mayan temples but the highlight of the park is the Musée Départemental des Artes Asiatiques, which houses a collection of ethnographic artefacts, including silk goods and pottery, as well as traditional and contemporary art.
Telephone: (0)4 9229 7700 ; Museum 10am to 6pm (May to September), 10am to 5pm (October to April); closed Tuesdays. Park 9am to 7pm (March to October), 9am to 5pm (November to April)
Muse des Beaux-Arts
Housed in the former residence of the Ukrainian Princess Kotchubey is a fine collection of 19th- and 20th-century art, including works by Boudin, Ziem, Raffaelli, Renoir and Monet. The gallery also includes great sculptures including works by J. B. Carpeaux, Rude, and Rodin. There's an important collection devoted to the masters of the Second Empire and Belle Epoque.
Telephone: (0)4 9215 2828 ; Daily except Mondays 10am to 6pm
Cimiez
In a residential area in the hills above the hustle and bustle of the city, the grounds of 'Cimiez' include a large park set amidst olive groves, the Archaeology Museum, Matisse Museum and the Franciscan Museum and Monastery. Also within the gardens the Musée National Message Biblique Marc-Chagall displays some 450 of the artist's oils, drawings, pastels, lithographs, sculptures, and ceramics. During a couple of weeks in August, Cimiez is the site of the Nice Jazz Festival, with music being played every day until midnight and performed on three stages, in the olive groves and the Roman Amphitheatre. It is an hour's walk, or a short bus ride from the town centre.
St Tropez has long held the reputation of being the "black sheep" of the renowned French Riviera resort towns, where anything goes, the more sinful the better. Sexy starlets were flaunting themselves topless here back in the 1930s, long before the beautiful people dared disrobe elsewhere, and St Tropez' reputation as a kinky carnival town attracting the more bohemian members of the 'in' crowd continues to this day. The fairly inaccessible fishing village of St Tropez, sited on a peninsula, was 'discovered' late in the 19th century by a bunch of reprobate writers and artists, and its reputation as a flamboyant and fashionable resort quickly spread. There is little left of the medieval Provencal atmosphere of the original town, but behind the rows of yachts fronting the terraced cafes of the waterfront are some narrow, picturesque streets full of shops. The hub of the town is the Place aux Herbes, a busy enclave of fish, fruit, vegetable and flower stalls, where the tourism office is located.
Things to do and see in or around St Tropez
Beaches
People don’t just come to St Tropez for the nightlife, it also has some of the best beaches in France. Most are away from the centre; although the family beaches, Plage des Graniers and Plage des Cannebiers, are within walking distance. The most serious collection of beaches are along the Baie de Pampelonne, south of St Tropez, the best known is the Plage de Tahiti which has long been favoured by exhibitionists wearing next to nothing. All beaches are lined with restaurants and shops selling endless gifts or items to prove you've been there.
Around St Tropez
The area immediately around St Tropez is pretty grim; congested roads are lined with billboards and neon signs. But the surrounding hills are almost uninhabited and make for a welcome excursion from the masses and the mayhem. The best view of this richly green and flowering countryside is from the hilltop village of Gassin, its lower neighbour Ramatuelle, or the tiny road between them, the dramatic route des Moulins de Paillas, where among the vineyards are three ruined windmills that were once powered by the dreaded winter mistral. Several vineyards offer wine tasting. Along the coast there are a number of good walking trails. Maps are available at the tourist office.
The town centre
Behind the cafés, the small streets and old buildings of St Tropez form a picturesque scene, but they are popular venues for their multitude of shops and restaurants rather than their historical significance. Place aux Herbes is a lively square that has been a centre of activity for centuries; today it is a busy enclave of vegetable, fruit and flower stalls. Every May the town centre bubbles to life with the St Tropez bravade, a colourful festival dating back to the 15th century. It originated as a procession in honour of the town's patron saint - whose bust is carried through the town, accompanied by a guard of honour with gun salvos, and Provençal singing and dancing.
Climate
A Mediterranean climate prevails along the coast of the French Riviera, with long hot summers and mild winters. The region enjoys a pleasant, warm climate throughout the year. Strong winds, known as la Mistral, can occur particularly during winter and spring (November to April).
Health
French hospitals and health facilities are first class. British, and visitors from other EU countries, are entitled to heavily discounted medical treatment and medicines on presentation of a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Otherwise doctors and hospitals often expect immediate cash payment for health services. Medical insurance is advised. Pharmacies will provide some first aid, but charge for it. There have been increased reports of hantavirus (caused by rodents) in the Ardennes, Aisne and Jura regions. Rabies also occurs occasionally. In February 2006, France confirmed its first cases of bird flu; all affected birds have been culled and precautionary measures taken. The risk is low for travellers, but close contact with domestic, wild and caged birds should be avoided, and all poultry and egg dishes well cooked.
top of page