The cities & seaside resort areas of the French Riviera are so unique, that I thought I would recap my visit, which was many years ago, but is still fresh in my mind.
The view of the Alps as you approach Nice is a treat as is the view of the seacoast prior to landing. Nice is actually a very unpretentious pleasant city that one feels at home in immediately. There are individual neighborhoods and if the signs weren’t in French, it could be anywhere USA. Along the Promenade Anglais, there are very expensive hotels and fabulous private homes. This is the avenue along the Mediterranean so it’s very prime real estate. Once you walk a few blocks into the town, it’s just a series of retailers and lots of great bakeries and restaurants. There is a Promenade within the city that offers more of the same but without cars, Just lots of French people and their dogs…
Monte Carlo is the most exclusive and wealthy of all. It’s quite beautiful and as clean as can be but I didn’t feel very comfortable there as the people are sooo rich, we regular folk just don’t fit in.
I was fortunate enough to have time to visit two famous villages. One is Eze, a medieval hilltop that juts out 1,491 ft. over the Mediterranean Sea and has narrow, winding lanes and hidden passageways. Amazing to see, charming and very pricey. There are a couple of hotels, restaurants, art studios and shops.
The other village is St Paul de Vence in Provence. It is also a hilltop village only it is, like Nice, a real place with real people. The shops are for the locals, not tourists and everything, even the fresh produce, looks like a picture postcard. Visit the sumptuous Colombe d’Or where the famous painters used to meet. This fascinating village attracts talented and discerning artists from around the world.
A lot of the other names that ring a bell are really nothing special. For instance, St. Tropez is world famous but it’s just a fishing village with small boats and locals dining outdoors. The rich tourists, as best as I can guess, aren’t actually staying there, or I just missed seeing them …
If you are considering a tour of France or a Med cruise this year, the South of France is definitely worth a visit.
