Discovering the Côte d'Azur: a practical guide
The Côte d'Azur is not just the seafront. Behind the beaches, the hinterland offers hilltop villages, deep gorges and mountain lakes. In a single day you can go from the sea to the mountains.
This practical guide helps you choose your stops and organise your trip. Underlined site names link to their detailed pages.
Understanding the Côte d'Azur
Var, to the west, is wilder, with the La Presqu'île de Giens, the Plaine des Maures, Plage de Pampelonne and the Parc National de Port Cros. Alpes-Maritimes, to the east, has Eze, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, the nearby Palais princier de Monaco and a mountain hinterland with Saorge and Sainte-Agnès.
Traffic is heavy along the coast, especially in summer. The coastal train is a good alternative for getting between the towns.
- Take the train between Nice, Antibes and Menton.
- Avoid the coast road at rush hour.
- For the hinterland, plan on having a car.
Eze
Located just after Nice, going towards Menton, Èze stretches along the sea from Cap Roux to the Pointe de Cabuel. Perched like an eagle's nest at the top of an imposing and superb cliff, you will see the village and its pale ochre church from afar.
Saint-Paul-de-Vence
A fortified village become a high place of modern art, Saint-Paul-de-Vence has drawn artists and galleries for a century into its cobbled lanes perched above the Baie des Anges.
Saorge
Saorge, at 550 m altitude, impressively overlooks the Roya valley, with a concentration of houses huddled against each other, several storeys high, and tiered on several levels.
Sainte-Agnès
You reach this village by the hairpins of a narrow road crossing a terraced landscape planted with olive trees and mimosas.
Culture, history and heritage
Museums are numerous: Musée Picasso (Antibes), Villa et Jardins Ephrussi de Rothschild, Villa Grecque Kérylos, Musée International de la Parfumerie, Musée des merveilles, Musée des Arts asiatiques. Castles and palaces such as Château de Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Château de Nice, Palais des ducs de Savoie and Château de Hyères tell the story of the region.
On the maritime side, the Musée National de la Marine and the Musée de la Gendarmerie et du Cinéma de Saint Tropez are good stops. The Musée de la Préhistoire Régionale in Menton recalls the first inhabitants.
- Check museum closing days.
- Book villas in advance in summer.
- A museum pass can save money if you visit several.
Villa et Jardins Ephrussi de Rothschild
The Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, also called Villa Île-de-France, is one of the most beautiful Renaissance-style palaces of the Côte d'Azur, built on the summit of Cap Ferrat between 1905 and 1912 at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat by Baroness Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild (1864–1934).
Villa Grecque Kérylos
Between Nice and Monaco, the Villa Kérylos is the reconstruction, unique in the world, of a sumptuous palace of Ancient Greece, entirely furnished and decorated.
Musée Picasso (Antibes)
Founded on the old acropolis of the Greek town of Antipolis, a Roman castrum and residence of bishops in the Middle Ages, the château Grimaldi has been inhabited since 1385 by the Monegasque family that lent it its name.
Palais princier de Monaco
Official residence of the princes of Monaco since 1297, this palace perched on the Rock hosts the changing of the guard every noon, one of the most-watched attractions in the Principality.
Food and local produce
Côte d'Azur cooking is Mediterranean: socca, pissaladière, salade niçoise, ratatouille, grilled fish, olive oil and tapenade. In Var, Provence wines, especially rosés, take pride of place.
Markets in towns and villages are good places to taste. In the hinterland you will also find honey and goat's cheese.
- Try socca in the streets of Old Nice.
- Book seafront restaurants in summer.
- Nominate a driver for rosé tastings.
Eze
Located just after Nice, going towards Menton, Èze stretches along the sea from Cap Roux to the Pointe de Cabuel. Perched like an eagle's nest at the top of an imposing and superb cliff, you will see the village and its pale ochre church from afar.
Saint-Paul-de-Vence
A fortified village become a high place of modern art, Saint-Paul-de-Vence has drawn artists and galleries for a century into its cobbled lanes perched above the Baie des Anges.
Sainte-Agnès
You reach this village by the hairpins of a narrow road crossing a terraced landscape planted with olive trees and mimosas.
Nature and wide open spaces
The hinterland is spectacular: Canyon du verdon, Les Gorges de Daluis, Les Gorges du Cians, Gorges de la Vésubie, Gorges de Saorge, La Clue de la Cerise. The Lacs de Vens and the Cascade de Vens are hiking goals. The Le Lac de Sainte Croix du Verdon is ideal for swimming.
In Var, the la cascade de Sillans is a lovely stop. On the coast, Plage Notre-Dame (Porquerolles) is one of the most beautiful beaches in France. For children, the Zooparc du Cap Ferrat is a popular outing.
- For the gorges, bring good shoes.
- Mountain lakes are only accessible in summer.
- For Porquerolles, book the boat crossing.
Canyon du verdon
A famous canyon with limestone walls. Above all see: the Point Sublime (400 m high), the Barre de l'Escalès (cliff), the Baume aux Bœufs tunnel cave, the St-Maurin waterfalls...
la cascade de Sillans
Between Sillans-la-Cascade and Salernes lies the Sillans waterfall, 42 metres high. It is the highest waterfall in the Var.
Les Gorges de Daluis
The red gorges: the name Daluis comes from the name of a commune on the right bank of the Haut-Var, downstream of the magnificent gorges of red Permian schists that make this tourist circuit world-famous. Of the same nature as the Cians gorges, the Daluis gorges are...
Plage Notre-Dame (Porquerolles)
White-sand beach on the island of Porquerolles, often cited among the most beautiful in the Mediterranean.
When to go and how to plan
Spring and autumn offer mild weather and fewer people. Summer is very busy, especially on the coast: book early. Winter is mild, and the hinterland remains pleasant.
A five-day trip can combine the coast (Nice, Antibes, Monaco), a hilltop village and a day in the hinterland, then Var and its beaches. A car is useful, but the coastal train is enough for the towns.
- Book accommodation in advance, especially in summer.
- Park the car at the entrance to hilltop villages.
- Start early to avoid the crowds.
Château de Montfort-sur-Argens
This château, whose façade is on the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments, is the only one the Templars owned in Provence.
Palais des Comtes de Provence
This 12th-century palace, former summer residence of the Counts of Provence (13th to 15th century), houses the museum of the Pays Brignolais, created in 1945 by André Jaubert.
Le Vallon et la Cascade des Carmes
The Heart of Nature of the Vallon des Carmes is a natural area of 31 hectares, a true oasis of greenery and coolness shaped by the water of the Fauvery in the heart of green Provence.
Going further
Explore the départements of this area: