Promenade des Anglais - Nice

Before Nice was urbanized, the coast at Nice was just bordered by a deserted band of beach covered by large pebbles. The first houses were located on higher ground well away from the sea. Starting in the second half of the 18th century, the English took to spending the winter in Nice, enjoying the panorama along the coast.

Lavender fields

Close your eyes and breathe deep - your senses tell you that you are in Provence ! The Provence of lavender fields in blooming ! The heady scent of lavender is strongest in the heart of the summertime, from mid-June to early August is when the fine stalks wave in the wind, blue prairies stretched as far as the eye can see.

Watersport at the beach - Nice

When a particularly harsh winter up north brought an influx of beggars to Nice, some of the rich Englishmen proposed a useful project for them: the construction of walkway along the sea.

The flower man in Nice

The Hotel Negresco - Nice

The Hotel Negresco on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice was named for Henri Negresco who had the palatial hotel constructed in 1912. In keeping with the conventions of the times, when the Negresco first opened in 1913 its front opened on the side opposite the Mediterranean. The hotel was sold to the Augier family in 1957.

The Hotel Negresco at night - Nice

Madame Jeanne Augier reinvigorated the hotel with luxurious decorations and furnishings. In 2003 the Hotel Negresco was listed by the government of France as a National Historic Building and is a member of Leading Hotels of the World. The Negresco has a total of 119 guest rooms plus 22 suites.

The beautiful beach in Nice

Many tourists travel to Nice to enjoy its warm, dry weather and long beaches. The pebble beach in Nice stretches for miles along the French coastline. Restaurants can be found along the Mediterranean seaside and offers wonderful seafood, French wines and Italian and French cuisine.

The beach in Nice

The beaches of Nice consist entirely of large flat stones ("gallets"). A few private beaches have added a layer of sand, but the free public beaches are a stony experience. Although the beaches are mainly pebbles it is important to note that many visitors enjoy the beautiful light blue sea for a swim.

Nice

Côte d'Azur

Many visitors enjoy the spesial and beautiful blue sea - Côte d'Azur.

Nice

The port of Nice

The port of Nice is also known as Lympia port. This name comes from the Lympia source which fed a small lake in a marshy zone where in 1745 work of the port was started. It constitutes today the principal harbour installation of Nice. Fishing activities remain but the number of professional fishermen is now lower than 10. Nice, being the point of continental France nearest to Corsica, has ferry connections with the island developed with the arrival of NGV or navires at high speed.

Antibes

During the summer, Antibes is packed, primarily with French families. In the evenings, everyone is out at the many outdoor restaurants in the old part of Antibes and in Juan les Pins. Antibes is a fun place for a relaxed vacation.

Antibes

Antibes was founded by the Greeks over 2000 years ago with the name Antipolis. Shortly afterwards it was incorporated into the expanding Roman empire when it was known as Antiboul. With the fall of the Roman empire Antibes was a target of pirates and raiders until the growing power of Genoa removed most of these menaces.

Antibes

Juan-les-Pins

Juan-les-Pins is a town next to Antibes.It is a major holiday destination popular with the international jet-set, with casino, nightclubs and beaches, which are made of fine grained sand.

Juan-les-Pins

Situated west of the town of Antibes it had been an area with lots of stone pine trees (pins in French), where the inhabitants of Antibes used to go for a promenade, for a picnic in the shadow of the stone pine trees or to collect tree branches and cones for their stoves.

Cap d'Antibes

Saint-Tropez

Saint-Tropez is known for its famous and extremely wealthy summertime guests. It has been dubbed the 'playground to jetsetters, fashion models, and millionaires', and it is most-enduringly known as the place where the iconic Brigitte Bardot was "discovered" and for its role in the liberation of southern France during World War II.

Saint-Tropez

Saint-Tropez has had a varied history. It was a 15th-century military stronghold, an unassuming fishing village at the beginning of the 20th century, and the first town on this coast to be liberated during World War II. After the war, it became an internationally-known seaside resort.

Saint-Tropez

Monaco

Monaco is the second smallest independent state in the world (after the Vatican) and is almost entirely urban. Monte Carlo is not the capital of Monaco but a government district.

Monaco

With no natural resources to exploit other than its location and climate, the principality has become a resort for tourists and a tax haven for businesses. Monaco is six times the size of the Vatican and the world's most densely populated independent country.

Monaco

The state has no income tax, low business taxes, and is well known for being a tax haven. Monaco also has the world's highest life expectancy at nearly 90 years, and the lowest unemployment rate at 0%.

Monaco

Monaco has the world's most expensive real estate market, at $58,300 per square metre and the highest number of millionaires and billionaires per capita in the world.

Cannes

Once a small fishing village, Cannes is now a glamorous and expensive seaside town considered to be one of the social hubs of Europe. Its moment to shine arrives in May as the venue for the Cannes Film Festival, entertaining the rich and famous.

Villefranche-sur-Mer

Villefranche-sur-Mer is a small town situated about 6 km east of the city of Nice on the French Riviera with a population of just under 7,000. The bay (rade) of Villefranche is one of the deepest natural harbours of any port in the Mediterranean Sea and provides safe anchorage for large ships.

Villefranche-sur-Mer

Built on terraced hills overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, The Old Town is an intricate labyrinth of steep paved streets and lanes with limited automotive traffic access.

Villefranche-sur-Mer

Villefranche-sur-Mer

Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild

Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild is a French seaside palazzo constructed between 1905 and 1912 at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat by Baroness Béatrice de Rothschild (1864–1934).

Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild

A member of the prominent Rothschild banking family and the wife of the wealthy Russian-Jewish banker Baron de Ephrussi, Béatrice de Rothschild built her rose-colored villa on a promontory on the isthmus of Cap Ferrat overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

Eze village

Eze village which is one of the most picturesque spots in the region. In spite of the crowds, it's a "must-see" for visitors...

Eze village

Your jaw will drop at the gorgeous view of the Mediterranean from Eze, a charming hilltop town on the Cote d’Azur. It’s beautiful cobblestone streets and hot-pink bougainvillea are a far cry from the glamour of Cannes or St-Tropez—and for travellers who could care less about celebrities and mega yachts, that’s quite appealing.

Eze village

There is also a exotic botanic garden, situated in the village, where an impressive collection of cactus, plants and rare vegetation surrounds the remains of an ancient chateau. At an attitude of 400 m, the summit of the cliff over-looks the sea. It's fantastic!

Eze village

Small narrow roads, archways and superbly restored stone houses, shady squares, refreshing ancient fountains... you will soon be seduced by the marvels of Eze. The village is so beautiful, it's hard to believe you have not stumbled onto a movie set... !

Eze village

Eze village

Tourrettes-sur-Loup

14 km from the coast, between Nice and Cannes, Tourrettes sur Loup is a charming medieval village which is really worth a detour. Perched on a rocky outcrop surrounded by superb landscapes where prickly pears grow naturally, the village of Tourrettes sur Loup seems to conquer all beneath it with its tall houses built along its ramparts.

Tourrettes-sur-Loup

It's not called "Violet village" for nothing because for over a century this shy pretty flower has been grown in the village. Even today it's one of the main activities in the village. The flower is honored each year in March with a flower festival, decorated floats and a flower battle.

Tourrettes-sur-Loup

In the "Grand' Rue", the heart of the historic center of the village, more than 30 artists' workshops, galleries and crafts workshops galleries come together. Here they can find the calm and quality of life suitable for the pursuit of their creative talents. You'll find, painting, sculptures, fabrics, jewelery and pottery ...etc

Saint-Paul-de-Vence

Built on its rocky outcrop and surrounded by its ramparts built on the orders of Franoois Ith, St Paul is certainly one of the most beautiful villages in Provence. The beauty of the surrounding area, quality of life and exceptional light has inspired numerous famous artists, painters, writers and poets, some of whom took up residence in the village.

Saint-Paul-de-Vence

Lose yourself in the maze of charming streets, the floral exuberance of the gardens, the little shady squares, ancient fountains, gateways and porches, or wonderful windows and you'll see why St Paul is a favourite subject for photographers.

Saint-Paul-de-Vence

Gourdon, Alpes-Maritimes

Gourdon clings to the summit of a breathtakingly steep cliff at a height of 760 m and offers an unobstructed view of the Gorges du Loup and the Mediterranean. Clustered behind an imposing castle surrounded by gardens that were designed by Le Nôtre, the old houses have been well preserved and restored in this lively village where craftspeople are a driving force.

Gourdon, Alpes-Maritimes

In the distant past, this isolated rock was used as a place of refuge and defense. Gourdon, as it appears to us today, gives a good example of a Feudal village. It is built on a peak whose impressive slopes will, after many hundreds of rock falls, end their days in the Loup River.

Gourdon, Alpes-Maritimes

There is only one entrance, from which you can access the main street. In former times, it was defended by a simple and harmonious Roman gate, that has been demolished at the beginning of the century. Thick, high ramparts close off the North side, which is the only point from which the village can be approached.

Bauduen Sainte-Croix

The Lake of Sainte-Croix (French: lac de Sainte-Croix) is a man-made lake that was formed by the construction, between 1971 and 1974 (when it was put into service) of a reinforced-concrete arch dam by the name of Dam of Sainte-Croix.

Lac de Sainte-Croix

Lake of Sainte-Croix

Sainte-Croix de-Verdon

Ste. Croix du Verdon is without a doubt one of the nicest places of the Verdon region, and is appreciated by many visitors. Its 87 permanent residents are very busy in the summer.

Lake of Sainte-Croix

Sainte-Croix de-Verdon

Lake of Sainte-Croix

Verdon Gorge - Grand canyon du Verdon

The most impressive part of the Verdon Gorge lies between the towns of Castellane and Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, where the river has cut a ravine up to 700 meters down through the limestone mass. At the end of the canyon, the Verdon river flows into the artificial lake of Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon (in this images).

Verdon Gorge - Grand canyon du Verdon

The Verdon Gorge is a river canyon that is often considered to be one of Europe's most beautiful. It is about 25 kilometers long and up to 700 meters deep.

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie is one of the "Most beautiful villages of France". The village clings a hundred or so meters up the side of a limestone cliff. A spring flows out of the cliff, creating a waterfall directly out of the center of town.

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie

Above the town, a gold painted star hangs on a 225m long chain suspended between two cliffs.

Castellane

The town of Castellane is a very old city located upstream of the Gorges du Verdon. The city is 724 meters above sea level. The Roc (view on the image), or Notre Dame overlooking the city is 184 meters above the city. The historical site has been occupied since the High Middle Ages.

Tourtour

Called "the village in the sky of Provence", Tourtour overlooks a large part of Provence from the town of Fréjus along the Mediterranean coast in the east to the Montagne Sainte-Victoire, a favorite subject of the painter Paul Cézanne, in the west.

Menton

Menton is the "The Lemon Festival Capital of the World", located very close to the border of France and Italy and in many ways is more Italian than French. It has its own microclimate, generally milder than the rest of the French Riviera, and became in the late Nineteenth Century a place where Northern Europeans with TB came to either regain their health or to die.

Menton

The old town is largely pedestrianized which adds to the charm of this sedate resort.

Menton

Menton

Port Grimaud

Port Grimaud began to rise out of the sand dunes around the marshes of the river Giscle on the north shore of the Golfe de Saint-Tropez in 1966. This extraordinary architectural experiment was the idea of François Spoerry who envisioned a town built in the manner of Venice with channels of water and traditional French fisherman's houses, each with a personal boat mooring space at the end of the garden.

Port Grimaud

Port Grimaud today is a charming village with an extended development history encompassing attractive Provençal-style houses on a network of canals. Known as the 'Venice of Provence' and arranged into four little islands, the colorful houses are linked by bridges over the waterways and surrounded by gardens.

la Napoule