Grasse
For a different spin on Grasse’s perfume production, plan a trip to this lovely flower farm 7km southeast of the centre of Grasse. Centifolia roses and…
Must-see attractions in Côte d'Azur
Palais des Festivals et des Congrès
Cannes
Posing for a selfie on the 22 steps leading up to the main entrance of this concrete bunker – unlikely host to the world’s most glamorous film festival –…
Musée Escoffier de l’Art Culinaire
Côte d'Azur
Filling three floors of the childhood home of Auguste Escoffier (1846–1935), this charming museum celebrates the life of France's most legendary chef…
Fragonard’s Usine Historique & Musée du Parfum
Grasse
At the entrance to the old town, next to the Jardin des Plantes, this ochre-coloured mansion is where the Fragonard perfumery began in 1926 – though…
Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche's imposing citadel is worth visiting for its impressive architecture. Built by the duke of Savoy between 1554 and 1559 to defend the gulf,…
Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche was a favourite of Jean Cocteau (1889–1963), who sought solace here in 1924 after the death of his companion Raymond Radiguet. Several years…
Grasse
Visitors can admire a fine collection of vintage perfume bottles and learn about perfume ingredients on a self-guided tour of this small museum tracing…
Musée National Picasso 'La Guerre et la Paix'
Antibes
Picasso's everywhere in Provence, including this modern museum 7km west of Antibes, which centres around the artist's last great political work: the…
Côte d'Azur
The medieval chunk of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Roquebrune sits 300m high on a pudding-shaped lump crowned by 10th-century Château de Roquebrune. Of all the…
Côte d'Azur
High in the hills above Tourrettes-sur-Loup, this organic goats-cheese producer welcomes visitors. To see its 70 goats being milked, arrive sharp at 8am…
Côte d'Azur
This was one of the last pieces of work embarked upon by Jean Cocteau (1889–1963), best known for the fishermen's chapel he decorated in Villefranche-sur…
St-Tropez
Yachts line the harbour (as their uniformed crews diligently scrub them) and visitors stroll the quays at the picturesque old port. In front of the sable…
Îles de Lérins
The Monastère Fortifié, guarding the island’s southern shores, is all that remains of the original monastery. Built in 1073 to protect the monks from…
Menton
From place du Cap a ramp leads to southern France's grandest Baroque church, the 17th-century Italianate Basilique St-Michel Archange. Its olive green and…
Côte d'Azur
This museum explores the work of the artist Fernand Léger, whose interests ranged from cubism to architecture, society and cinema, and whose bold use of…
Jardin de la Serre de la Madone
Menton
Beautiful if slightly unkempt, this garden was designed by American botanist Lawrence Johnston. He planted dozens of rare plants picked up from his…
Menton
Cocteau loved Menton. It was following a stroll along the seaside that he got the idea of turning a disused 17th-century bastion (1636) on the seafront…
Côte d'Azur
The 10th-century château of Roquebrune crowns the 300m-high pudding-shaped lump on which medieval Roquebrune sits. The castle is an atmospheric place with…
Côte d'Azur
Just east of St-Tropez, Plage des Salins is a 600m-wide pine-fringed beach at the southern foot of Cap des Salins. At the northern end of the beach, on a…
Grasse
On Grasse’s main pedestrian street, this small museum explores the work of Grassois painter Fragonard (1732–1806), whose risqué paintings of love scenes…
Menton
In 1957 Jean Cocteau decorated the marriage registry office inside Menton’s town hall from floor to ceiling, covering the walls with swirly drawings, and…
Antibes
This stretch of Cap d'Antibes was first raked clear of seaweed in 1922 by Cole Porter and American artist Gerald Murphy to create a sandy beach. Its…
Côte d'Azur
At this sweet factory jams, candied fruits and crystallised violets, roses and verveine leaves are cooked up in a 19th-century flour mill. Free 20-minute…
Côte d'Azur
Fréjus' Roman remains have seen better days, so the town's archaeological museum makes a useful accompaniment. There are some fascinating treasures on…
Côte d'Azur
With its wonderful 20th-century art exhibitions, this daring art museum inside the imposing Château de Villeneuve offers a nice contrast to Vence’s…
Côte d'Azur
Pause beneath the pines to admire the sea views from this peaceful city park. While you're at it, don't miss the obligatory snapshot of your travelling…
Cathédrale Orthodoxe Russe St-Nicolas
Nice
Built between 1902 and 1912 to provide a big enough church for the growing Russian community, this cathedral, with its colourful onion domes and rich,…
Nice
Nice’s Port Lympia, with its beautiful Venetian-coloured buildings, is often overlooked. But a stroll along its quays is lovely, as is the walk to get…
Nice
Nice's coolest new gallery space is housed in this former galley slaves' prison down by the port. Opened in 2017 by the Alpes-Maritimes' departmental…
Cannes
On La Croisette, La Malmaison is a seaside pavilion in the former games and tea room of Cannes' grandest hotel of the 1860s, the Grand Hôtel (opened in…
Îles de Lérins
This museum, inside Île Ste-Marguerite's 17th-century Fort Royal, features interpretive exhibits tracing the fort's history, with great displays from…
Côte d'Azur
France’s second-tallest lighthouse by light-source (nearly 130m above the waves), is a squat, imposing tower completed in 1832. Electrified in 1946, it…
Cannes
Follow rue St-Antoine and snake your way up through the narrow streets of Le Suquet, Cannes' oldest district. Up top you'll find the site of Cannes'…
Côte d'Azur
At the north end of St-Jean village, just off the trail to Beaulieu-sur-Mer, this was the peninsula's original public beach. It remains popular with…
Antibes
The impregnable 16th-century Fort Carré, enlarged by Vauban in the 17th century, dominates the approach to Antibes from Nice. It served as a border…
Musée de la Photographie André Villers
Côte d'Azur
The small but perfectly formed Musée de la Photographie has some fascinating black-and-white photos of Picasso, snapped by celebrated photographers such…
Menton
For great views of the old town and the port, meander all the way up through the historic quarter to this hilltop cemetery. It's something of a pilgrimage…
Côte d'Azur
To find out more about Tourrettes' famous violet and see the fields where it is cultivated, head to the Bastide aux Violettes, 10 minutes' walk from the…
Jardin Botanique Exotique du Val Rahmeh
Menton
Laid out in 1905 for Lord Radcliffe, governor of Malta, the terraces of the Val Rahmeh overflow with exotic fruit-tree collections, including the only…
Nice
Baroque Palais Lascaris is a 17th-century mansion housing a frescoed orgy of Flemish tapestries, faience and gloomy religious paintings, along with a…
