Cassis
Looming, rock-pitted and scrubby Cap Canaille (394m) forms the natural southern border to Cassis' harbour. From the top, captivating views unfold across…
Must-see attractions in Provence & the Côte d'Azur
Les Calanques
To the east of the Parc National des Calanques, the stone-sculptured coast brings you to three remote calanques: En-Vau, Port-Pin and Port-Miou. A steep…
Côte d'Azur
Although just 20 minutes away by boat, Cannes' tranquil islands feel far from the madding crowd. Île Ste-Marguerite, where the mysterious Man in the Iron…
Les Calanques
Rocky, pine-covered Cap Morgiou plunges to meet the Med at the eponymous Calanque de Morgiou – a pretty little port bobbing with fishing boats and sheer…
Aix-en-Provence
No streetscape better epitomises Provence’s most graceful city than this 440m-long, fountain-studded street, sprinkled with Renaissance hôtels…
Bouches-du-Rhône
Crowning the village of Les Baux, these dramatic, maze-like ruins date from the 10th century. The clifftop castle was largely destroyed in 1633, during…
Antibes
Ringed by sturdy medieval walls and criss-crossed with lanes and shady squares, old Antibes is a delightful place for a wander. The wonderful Marché…
Aix-en-Provence
One of Aix' great charms is its historical centre: ramble through it, drinking in divine streetscapes as you choose which historical, cultural or culinary…
The Luberon
To get to grips with Provence’s most prestigious crop, this excellent eco-museum makes an ideal first stop. An audioguide and video (in English) explain…
Parc Naturel Régional de Camargue
Camargue
Enclosed by the Petit Rhône and Grand Rhône rivers, most of the Camargue wetlands fall within the 850-sq-km Parc Naturel Régional de Camargue, established…
Côte d'Azur
Modern-art and architecture lovers shouldn’t miss Mouans-Sartoux’ contemporary-art centre, housed in the 16th-century Château de Mouans and the purpose…
Marseille
This intriguing 15,000-sq-metre museum traces the story of 'France's Oldest City' from prehistory (the paintings of the Cosquer Cave) to the present day,…
Musée Départemental Arles Antique
Arles
This striking cobalt-blue museum perches on the edge of what used to be the Roman chariot-racing track (hippodrome), southwest of central Arles. The…
Camargue
This 2.5m-high dyke was built in the 19th century to cut the delta off from the sea, making the southern Camargue arable. A 20km-long walking and cycling…
Èze
Sitting just below Èze, this fort is the perfect place to revel in 360-degree views. An orientation table helps you get your bearings. The fort was built…
Arles
Arles' already-bulging cultural landscape avidly awaits this new cutting-edge gallery and arts centre, rising inexorably at a defunct railway depot in the…
Arles
It's easy to admire the grace and engineering of this theatre – built at the behest of the unofficial first Roman Emperor, Augustus, in the 1st century BC…
Arles
The origins of these fascinating underground chambers, now sitting below the current city centre, go at least back to the first Roman colony in Arles in…
Var
A 40-minute forest trail leads from La Ste-Baume to the Grotte de Ste-Madeleine (950m), a mountain cave where Mary Magdalene is said to have spent the…
Camargue
One of the oldest nature reserves in France (first delineated in 1927 and given official protected status in 1975), it covers 132 sq km of wetlands,…
Pays d’Aix
Wine has been grown here for longer than history records, and this vineyard still produces 80% of the wine bearing the Palette AOC. Vines surrounding the…
Avignon
Tiny Musée Angladon harbours an impressive collection of realist, impressionist and expressionist treasures, including works by Cézanne, Sisley, Manet,…
Côte d'Azur
The drawbridged entrance to this huge underground fort sits at the top of Ste-Agnès village. The 2500-sq-metre defence was built between 1932 and 1938 as…
Aix-en-Provence
This gallery, 4km west of the city, was designed by Hungarian optical-art innovator Victor Vasarely (1906–97). An architectural masterpiece, it has 16…
Toulon
Toulon has a long naval history, and remains an important commercial and military port. This historic portside building holds a very good, modern…
Pays d’Aix
Make an appointment at this organic estate to taste esteemed reds and rosés, made from grenache, syrah and cinsault (the 2016 rose is apparently…
Pays d’Aix
The arches of the three-tiered Aqueduc de Roquefavour reach 83m in height, making it the world’s largest stone aqueduct. Three hundred and seventy-five…
The Luberon
On the edge of the village, this working olive-oil mill allows you to follow the process from tree to bottle. Delicious honey is also made here. Tastings…
St-Tropez
This famous nudist beach is also a naturally magnificent stretch of sandy beach, about 4km southeast of St-Tropez.
Côte d'Azur
St-Paul's renowned art museum features works by a who's who of 20th-century artists – including many who found inspiration along the Côte d’Azur. From…
Marseille
Commanding access to Marseille's Vieux Port, this photogenic island-fortress was immortalised in Alexandre Dumas’ 1844 classic The Count of Monte Cristo…
Marseille
Set in the lavish, colonnaded Palais de Longchamp, Marseille’s oldest museum owes its existence to an 1801 decree of pre-Napoleonic France's short-lived…
Marseille
Marseille's most vibrant bohemian quarter centres on Cours Julien, an elongated concrete square shaded by palm trees. It’s lined with great bars, cafes…
Nice
The strange, dreamlike and often unsettling work of the Belarusian painter Marc Chagall (1887–1985) is displayed at this museum, which owns the largest…
Marseille
Perched high above the southern side of the Vieux Port are the six immaculately grassed hectares of the Jardin du Pharo, the grounds of the Palais du…
Marseille
This teeny tiny art gallery, located along a narrow sloping road in the historic neighbourhood of Le Panier, offers a platform to emerging artists and a…
Marseille
To the west of the Vieux Port lies Abbaye St-Victor, the birthplace of Christianity in Marseille, built on a 3rd century BC necropolis. It's €2 to visit…
Nice
Right opposite Vieux Nice, this is generally the busiest beach of all, with oiled bodies either baking in the sun or punching a ball on the beach…
Côte d'Azur
Long home to the Weisweiller family, patrons of Jean Cocteau, this villa contains a fabulous series of Cocteau's original frescoes. In 1950 Cocteau asked…
Cannes
Easily recognisable by their intense, vivacious colours, the works of neo-impressionist painter Pierre Bonnard (1867–1947) form the backbone of the…
