Worth getting out of bed for
Highlights the best Côte D'azur (east) has to offer, from art and culture to fun-packed activities; we've even found the most inspiring place to enjoy the views from.
- Viewpoint
- The restaurant terrace of swish Château Eza (+33 (0)4 93 41 12 24) in Eze, has magnificent views of Cap Ferrat, 400 metres below. Book in advance for a table at sunset.
- Arts and culture
- La Colombe d’Or in St-Paul-de-Vence was once frequented by artists such as Picasso, Rouault and Léger, who paid their bills in artworks, leaving the hotel with a fabulous collection. The nearby Maeght Foundation Museum has works by Kandinsky and Chagall. Matisse designed the interior of the Chapel of the Rosary in Vence.
- Something for nothing
- You’ll have to get your hire car round Monaco’s twisting two-mile Grand Prix street circuit in around a minute and 14 seconds if you want to beat the lap record.
- Shopping
- Galeries Lafayette near Place Masséna in Nice brings Parisian chic to the Côte d’Azur. For design boutiques, Monte Carlo’s Boulevard des Moulins and Metropole Mall are hard to top. Every Saturday there’s a fleamarket in the Old Port in Cannes. Cours Saleya market in Nice is antiques heaven on Mondays and foodie paradise the rest of the week. Go early.
- Daytripper
- The peaceful coves of the Isles de Lérins are perfect for picnics and skinny-dipping. Take the 15-minute ferry from Cannes or Juan-les-Pins.
- Best beach
- The sandy crescent of Plage Mala, at Cap d’Ail, attracts Monégasque socialites. Plage de Paloma is a shady cove at the tip of luxurious Cap Ferrat. Private Castel Plage in Nice is where the discerning go to bronze. Plage de la Garoupe on Cap d’Antibes was immortalised by F Scott Fitzgerald in Tender is the Night. Z-Plage in Cannes is suitably fabulous.
- Activities
- Charter a yacht to explore the coast; contact www.aquacruise.com for details. The Verdon Gorge is ideal for rafting and canyoning; contact www.aboard-rafting.com. In the winter it’s possible to ski at Isola 2000, two hours from Nice; or try ice-karting or ice-driving if you dare. Contact www.sportsloisirs.net for more details.
Diary
- February Monte Carlo’s glamorous Primo Cup sailing competition fills the marina (www.yacht-club-monaco.mc). April The Tennis Masters attracts the top players (www.masters-series.com/montecarlo). May The world’s best-known cinema event, the Cannes Film Festival, kicks off two weeks of Hollywood swagger and unrestrained movie madness (www.festival-cannes.fr). It’s followed by the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix (www.monte-carlo.mc/formule1) and the Classic Car Grand Prix (www.acm.mc). Last week of July Nice International Jazz Festival takes place, principally in the ruins of the Roman amphitheatre (www.nicejazzfest.com). 16–19 August The Pantiero Festival in Nice stages electro gigs at the Palais des Festivals (www.festivalpantiero.com).
