Nice and the Cote d’Azur
Introduction
The Côte d’Azur, also referred to as The French Riviera, is a sun-drenched area in the Alpes Maritime Department of the Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur Region in the southeast of France. It is a long stretch of Mediterranean coastline that starts at the Italian border and goes all the way to Saint-Tropez. Typically it is considered a rather glamorous holiday destination, it does attract the uber-wealthy and many celebrities, but they rarely get in the way of the real traveller wishing to experience the Cote d’Azur.
Access to the area via plane from Heathrow to Nice takes about 1hour 45 minutes. Antibes, Cannes and Monaco are all easily accessible from Nice using public transport. Whilst St Tropez ideally requires a hire car.
There are many major events that happen every year which you might wish to attend. Chief among these are the Nice Carnival in February, The Monaco Grand Prix and the Cannes Film Festival both in May. Unless you are specifically attending any of these events, it is probably best not to visit the area at these times. Travel and accommodation prices will be higher, and it will be more than a tad busy!
Nice
Nice represents everything you might want as a destination that can be visited multiple times over, and you will always be rewarded with new sights to see, new cafes and restaurants to try, and new friends to make. Nice became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2021. It has a population of c. 340,000, making it the 5th largest city on France.
With 320 days of sunshine every year, the most extraordinary light early in the year, the vibrant colours, the excellent food and wines, and the rich surrounding countryside, revealing beautiful mountain villages it is, in my view, tough to beat.
You will find many excellent museums and galleries. The Matisse and Chagall Museums are in the Cimiez area; The Museum of Naïve Art and the Fine Arts Museum are close to The University; and The Charles Nègre Museum of Photography and The Museum of Modern Art are both more centrally situated. There are others …
The Old Town (Vieux Ville) is worthy of frequent visits, it changes character depending upon the time of day, and it will take you a while to navigate your way around the narrow streets. The street signs here are in French and Nissart. Nissart is a dialect of Provencal which in turn has much in common with Catalan. Although it is unlikely you will encounter Nissart being spoken, you will encounter a very guttural form of French, from time to time, which can be difficult to understand.
The port (Port Lympia) serves just about every type of vessel. It has colourful small fishing boats, the obligatory collection of large motor yachts, diving services, local sight seeing trips, even a service to and from Monaco, etc. It is surrounded by small cafes and restaurants.
The market in Cours Saleya offers flowers, fresh fruit and vegetables and a lot more 6 days a week until midday-ish. On Mondays this becomes a Flea Market. The Cours Saleya is surrounded by cafes and restaurants, many open until late in the evening. Whilst it has a number of good restaurants and some excellent market stalls, it is fair to say it targets the tourist primarily. The market in Liberation is much more authentic, and offers much better value for money. There are numerous fruit and vegetable stalls and a large area solely for fish.
The Promenade des Anglais which stretches about 7 kilometres was financed by the English Aristocracy who followed Queen Victoria to over winter in Nice because of the climate and perceived health benefits. Today it is an essential part of the city and affords an insight to all aspects of life in Nice.
l’Arrière Pays
Literally “the land behind the coast”, this is where you will find countless mountain villages, often nestling in rugged countryside, and often inaccessible on public transport. This is where you will discover the most incredible scenery, numerous small studios where artisans of every type create their works ranging from artists and sculptors, to potters and glass blowers, and many perfumers.
You will be warmly welcomed in the small bars and restaurants, and it will be difficult to leave without some local produce or artworks.
There are so many of these delightful villages it is difficult to know which to recommend, and on each visit to the region new ones are discovered. However some of my favourites are Gourdon, Tourettes-sur-Loupe, Vence, St. Paul de Vence, St. Jeannet, and St.Agnes.
A visit to Grasse is also a must. It is renowned worldwide for its flowers and perfumes, and is recognised by UNESCO for its perfumery know-how.
Returning to the coastal area, there are some fabulous small towns. Villefranche, Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Eze, Biot, Mougins and Cagnes sur Mer, all being worth a visit. A visit to St Jean Cap Ferrat is very worthwhile. A walk along the costal path is quite spectacular and you should definitely visit Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, and possibly Villa Kerylos.
Other Destinations
There are many other great places to visit on the Cote d’Azur. For the moment I am just going to offer a brief overview of the most notable of these.
Antibes
The Antibes “Port Vaubon” is the largest yachting port in the entire Mediterranean, and berths an amazing array of motor yachts of every size. Whether you are an enthusiast, or not, there are endless photographic opportunities here.
The town is also worthy of exploration, the old town having the ramparts of the star shaped Fort Carre, a Provencal market, and the Picasso Museum.
Cannes
Renowned for its high end hotels and designer shops which stretch along the “Boulevard de la Croisette” and, of course, the Cannes Film Festival. The old town is relatively small but quite interesting. The isles of Lerins, are well worth a visit. Sainte-Marguerite has wonderful walks in forested land, and this was where the Man in the Iron Mask was imprisoned. Saint-Honore is home to Cistercian Monks who busy themselves making wine and liqueurs, available for tasting on nominated days throughout the year.
St Tropez
For lazy days on the beach and a vibrant night life, this is the place to visit. The old town is good to explore, as is the Citadelle de Saint-Tropez which affords some great views and houses a Maritime Museum.
It is a very expensive town, and can be extremely busy.
The Principality of Monaco
Surrounded by French territory, Monaco is built on 2 hills on either side of the Port Hercule. Monte Carlo houses the Casino, designer shops and every high end car you can imagine. The nearby coffee shop, ideal for people and car watching, competes with Caffe Florian in Venice on price, but without the music element.
The harbour is quite modest when compared to Antibes, but the berths will contain some of the most luxurious yachts you are ever likely to see.
The old town is home to the Royal Place, and the Oceanographic Museum, both are well worth visiting.
If you are a F1 enthusiast you will find many opportunities to buy Ferrari souvenirs, in particular, at eye watering prices, or you may choose to walk part of the circuit.
