The French Riviera: Nice, Antibes and the perched villages

Why go

The Riviera mixes glamour with simple pleasures. You can swim in clear water in the morning, eat socca in the market at lunch, and watch the sun set over the bay from a hilltop. Because the coastal train is cheap and frequent, you do not need to move hotels to see a lot: Monaco, Antibes, Cannes and the fishing harbour of Villefranche-sur-Mer are all short rides from Nice.

Nice

**Vieux Nice**, the old town, is a tangle of ochre lanes, baroque chapels and laundry hung between windows. The **Cours Saleya** market sells flowers and produce every morning except Monday, when it becomes an antiques fair. The **Promenade des Anglais** runs seven kilometres along the bay, perfect for a morning walk or a bike ride. Climb (or take the free lift) up **Colline du Château** for the classic view. In the hills of **Cimiez** you find the **Musée Matisse** and the **Musée Marc Chagall**, and the **Port** district has good seafood and the famous socca at Chez Pipo. Nice hosts a lively **Carnival** every February.

Along the coast

East of Nice, **Villefranche-sur-Mer** has a sandy beach and pastel houses around a deep harbour. **Èze** is a medieval village clinging to a rock with an exotic garden at the top; fit walkers can climb the Nietzsche Path from the sea. **Monaco** is a different country but only twenty minutes by train, with its palace, casino square and oceanographic museum. **Menton**, near Italy, is famous for lemons and a lemon festival in February.

West of Nice, **Antibes** has ramparts, a covered Provençal market and the **Musée Picasso** in a seafront castle. **Juan-les-Pins** has sandy beaches and a summer jazz festival. **Cannes** is all about the Croisette promenade and the film festival in May, while the **Lérins Islands** offshore offer quiet monasteries and pine shaded coves.

Perched villages inland

The hills behind the coast hide **Saint-Paul de Vence**, a walled village of galleries next to the Fondation Maeght, **Vence** with Matisse's chapel, and the perfume town of **Grasse**, where you can visit historic perfumeries. Buses reach most of them, though services thin out on Sundays.

Beaches

Nice's public beaches are free and pebbly; private beach clubs rent loungers and umbrellas. For sand, head to Villefranche, Juan-les-Pins or the beaches west of Cannes. The water is clearest in coves like **Coco Beach** east of Nice port.

Food

Niçoise cooking is Provençal with an Italian accent. Try **socca** (a chickpea pancake), **pissaladière** (onion tart with anchovies), **pan bagnat** (a tuna and vegetable sandwich), stuffed vegetables called petits farcis and a proper salade niçoise. Eat in the old town at places like **Lou Pilha Leva** for cheap street food or **La Merenda** for something special.

When to go

July and August are hot, crowded and busy on every train. May, June and September are ideal for swimming with more space, and winter is mild and sunny, though some beach restaurants close.

Staying safe

Nice is safe overall, but phone snatching and pickpocketing happen on the Promenade, in the old town and on busy trains. Keep valuables out of sight on the beach.