French Riviera

On trips to France, the French Riviera, also known as the Cote d’Azur is one of the most famous coastlines in the world and rightly so. It is sandwiched between the Alps and the Mediterranean Sea and is so extensive that there are many large and small resorts to choose from on a France vacation, all extremely scenically attractive and alluring. The climate is very pleasant all year round with an average of 320 days of sunshine annually with hot, dry summers and mild winters. It stretches from just east of Marseilles to the Italian border, a distance of 120 kilometres/ 75 miles. 

Nice is the Grande Dame of the Riviera and the largest city. The extensive Promenade des Anglais is a great place to stroll along with its grace and elegance plus it is a great place to observe spectacular sunsets on France tours. There is also an old quarter to explore called Vieux Nice. For museum buffs, the Chagall Museum with the world’s largest collection of his works should not be missed nor the Matisse and Picasso Museums. There are several other notable museums dedicated to well-known artists’ paintings.

Cannes is probably best known for its yearly film festival but it is also a fashionable, sophisticated resort where the rich and famous gather. La Croisette is an elegant palm tree-lined waterfront promenade with designer boutiques, cafes and deluxe hotels fronted by a sandy beach excellent for swimming. Le Suquet is an old town which contains a fortified tower and a Russian Orthodox Church. 

Monaco, although in some respects a separate country, is still an essential part of the Riviera on a France vacation. It is known for its casino, yacht-filled harbour and the prestigious Grand Prix motorcar race through its streets. Most streets in Monte Carlo, which sits on a rocky promontory, are pedestrian-only. Other attractions in Monaco are St. Nicholas Cathedral, an opera house, exotic gardens and several interesting museums.  

Another fashionable resort is St. Tropez with its excellent beaches. However, it is much smaller than most resorts on the Riviera and has some attractive narrow streets and local markets. The Citadel here dates back to the 17th Century with its ramparts and spectacular views of the bay. Juan-Les-Pins is a resort popular with jet-setters with its casino, nightclubs, several museums, an annual jazz festival and sandy beaches. The town of Saint-Raphael is backed by magnificent red rock mountains. Again, it boasts large sandy beaches, a yacht marina and good restaurants  Antibes is a resort built in the 19th Century around a 16th Century town on top of the Greek city of Antipolis. Here you can find ancient artifacts in the Archaeology Museum discovered from local excavations. There is also a Picasso Museum, a Naval Museum with a collection of Napoleonic memorabilia and some beautiful exotic public gardens. With views stretching as far as Corsica and being a perfume-manufacturing town, Eze is a special medieval village with a history dating back to 2000 BC. It has a good selection of shops, art galleries and restaurants to be enjoyed on trips to France. 

Inland are two towns worth making a detour for on a France vacation. Up in the hills to the north of Nice is the quaint town of Grasse which has been the centre of the French perfume industry since the 16th Century. Today, there are over 30 perfume factories. Naturally, there is the International Museum of Perfume housed in an 18th Century mansion, detailing the history of perfume over 3000 years. Vence is a historic and medieval walled village offering some interesting sights and monuments. There is a castle, a modern art museum, a 4th Century Cathedral with a mosaic by Chagall and an attractive square with cafes and restaurants.