Glorious Côte D’Azur

The south of France is one of my favourite places to visit because of the sheer range of beautiful places to go and things to do within a relatively small area. The largest area of the Cote d’Azur is the coastal city of Nice and this is where I chose to stay on my visits to the south of France.

Nice
Nice is a fairly large city with just under half a million inhabitants and has a beautiful setting on the coastline of the Mediterranean. Nice Cote d’Azur Airport serves the city and is around 20 minutes from the centre with buses and taxis readily available.

My favourite place to stay is the Grand Aston Clarion- a recently refurbished hotel in the centre of the city. It is at the centre of a large square with lovely fountains and gardens on the Pl. Massena and only 5 minutes walk from the sea and just under 10 minutes walk from the train station. The setting of the hotel on the square means that it is both quiet and incredibly central at the same time and this is the reason I like it so much. It also has a rooftop pool which is great to cool down in summer and a popular bar on the top floor which often has live music and features lovely views out over the city towards the sea. From the hotel the main street, Avenue Jean Médecin, which has many shops, restaurants and cafes, is less than a minutes walk and this street and leads to the train station. www.hotel-aston.com

From the train station many different places can be accessed including Cannes, Monte Carlo, and a favourite place of mine, Villefranche-sur-Mer. The trains in France are quick, efficient and in my experience almost always on time. They do run a reduced service on a Sunday though so make sure you check the timetables first.

www.sncf.co.uk  – For rail times and information.

Cannes lies to the west of Nice and has its own train station around 5 minutes walk from the front. A walk along the front promenade, the Boulevard de la Croisette, is a nice way to see the gorgeous speedboats and yachts in the harbour and will also take you past the venue of the world famous Cannes Film Festival which is held annually in May.

A great way to see Cannes is to take one of the train rides that leave from the front promenade throughout the day. This will take u past places such as the famous Carlton Hotel- the favourite of the rich and famous-, the shopping areas and up into the hills with a stop for photographs of the city from above.

Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer is a small town to the east of Nice and is one of the most beautifully picturesque places I have ever visited. The stunning (and very expensive!) homes perch on the side of the steep cliffs which rise out of the impossibly blue Mediterranean Sea. The train station is right above the shingle beach and two minutes
from the heart of this small, quaint town.

There are many cafes and restaurants along the waterside that offer great food with the added bonus of the beautiful view out over the bay. This is a stop for some smaller cruise ships but the people from the cruises usually head straight for Cannes or Monaco and as such Villefranche is usually quiet even if there is a ship in. A nice place to have lunch or dinner is Les Corsaires which serves up everything from tapas-style starters to traditional French food and has the most delicious crepes for desert!!

Monaco and Monte Carlo
No trip to the south of France would be complete without visiting Monaco and Monte-Carlo. A visit to the Café de Paris is a must and isn’t too expensive to have a coffee or a drink whilst watching the Ferraris and Aston Martins drive past and the rich and famous entering the famous Casino.

The marina here features even more impressive and luxurious boats than the marina in Cannes and often some of the smaller cruise ships dock here.

A walk around the famous Formula 1 circuit is a must for any car lover and for anyone who loves sports cars there are many places which offer Ferrari driving experiences- a once in a lifetime opportunity which I was lucky enough to have!!