Printable destination guide
For more information and to book please visit www.mrandmrssmith.com or let us arrange your whole trip, by calling +44 (0)20 8987 4312 or from the USA dial 1 866 610 3867.
Côte D'azur (east)
France
- Coastline
- Glittering Riviera
- Coast life
- Sea and be seen
On the coast that defined seaside glamour, you can never be too rich or too brown.
Despite countless imitators, there is only one Riviera and one Côte d’Azur, and the original retains a distinctive cachet that keeps the starlets and socialites flocking here year-round. The high-rollers may glitter in the chic beach bars and fine French restaurants, but it’s the coast itself, floating between the green mountains and the warm indigo sea, that outshines everything. The landscape of parasol pines and terracotta-hued villas is bathed in Provençal light and colour, where Picasso and Matisse paid hotel bills in masterpieces just for the chance to stay another day.
Pictured: Toile Blanche
Our round-up of the hippest hideaways and boutique hotels in Côte D'azur (east)
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Planes, trains, automobiles, or maybe even helicopter – we tell you the best way to go.
more
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.
more
We've tracked down the best cafés for people-watching, the bars with the coolest cocktails, the most accomplished restaurants and the liveliest local nightlife in Côte D'azur (east).
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Here is the map of Côte D'azur (east); each Mr & Mrs Smith hotel is marked by a flag; click it for more details.
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Local knowledge
- Taxis
- You can hail taxis on the street if they display a yellow light, although it’s better to use a taxi rank. Prices are expensive.
- Tipping culture
- By law, a service charge is automatically added to all restaurant bills, but it’s nice to leave a euro or two.
- Siesta and Fiesta
- Shops are normally open 9h–12h and 14h–18h. Banks close at 16h30. Restaurants are often closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
- Packing tips
- Your most glamorous wardrobe – nothing else will do. Very big, very dark sunglasses (to be worn at all times).
- Recommended reads
- To Catch a Thief by David Dodge; The Last Life by Claire Messud; Tender is the Night by F Scott Fitzgerald.
- Cuisine
- Provençal cuisine for ladies who lunch: elegant pasta dishes, tapenade, salads, fruits de mer. Provence rosé is delicious, but sometimes it just has to be champagne all the way.
- Currency
- Euro.
- Dialing codes
- Country code for France: 33. Provence: 04.
- Do go/don't go
- Mediterranean rules apply: spring and autumn are perfect, with July and August crowded and hot. May sees the Cannes Film Festival and Monaco Grand Prix take place.
Getting there
Planes, trains, automobiles, or maybe even helicopter – we tell you the best way to go.
- Planes
- Nice airport is the coast’s main gateway. Nice Helicoptères (+33 (0)4 93 21 34 32) has regular flights from Nice to Cannes (€115) and St Tropez (€295).
- Trains
- Trains run regularly to and from Nice-Ville station. The TGV from Paris takes six hours.
- Automobiles
- Bowling along with the wind in your hair may be a Riviera fantasy but, in reality, the coast road is very congested. Even so, a car is invaluable for visiting the villages inland.
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.
Completely Côte D'azur (east)
Try your luck at the roulette tables of the Casino de Monte Carlo, Café de Paris, or Le Sporting (membership is not required, but don’t forget ID). Try to break their bank, not yours.
- 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).
Eating, drinking and dancing
We've tracked down the best cafés for people-watching, the bars with the coolest cocktails, the most accomplished restaurants and the liveliest local nightlife in Côte D'azur (east).
Cafés
Café de Paris
No trip to Monaco is complete without at least a drink at the café next to the casino, across the street from the Hôtel de Paris. It’s not just a tourist trap either; there are still some local regulars.
Place du Casino, Monaco
(+377 92 16 20 00)
Caffe Roma
One of Cannes’ best known and most popular café terraces is always packed, come summer or winter (when it’s heated). Order an ice cream and do a bit of celebrity-spotting.
Square Mérimée, 1, Cannes
(+33 (0)4 93 38 05 04)
Restaurants
Zebra Square
On the top floor of the Grimaldi Forum facing the sea, this swanky bar and restaurant with sunny terrace, soft seats and a sea view is great for pre-dinner drinks or late-night glam.
Avenue Princesse Grace, 10, Monte Carlo
(+377 99 99 25 50)
La Bastide de Saint-Antoine
This country-house restaurant serves excellent French cuisine, on a terrace under the trees - check out the ‘cigar cave’.
Avenue Henri-Dunant, Grasse
(+33 (0)4 93 70 94 94)
Tetou
Since 1920 Tetou has been the destination for anyone after proper bouillabaisse on the Côte d'Azur. According to the beachside restaurant’s website, they treat the traditional fish stew ‘like precious gems’. Can’t be bad.
Avenue des Frères Roustan, Golfe Juan
(+33 (0)4 9363 7116)
Le Moulin de Mougins
On the Riviera, 5km from Cannes, Le Moulin is a mixture of traditional and contemporary decor which includes silver Baroque chandeliers and a sculpture garden. Plenty of A-listers have given this place the thumbs-up.
Notre Dame de Vie, Mougins
(+33(0)4 93 75 78 24)
Le Mesclun
This restaurant is great for fresh fish, caught every morning and grilled to perfection. The dessert menu is also impressive.
Rue St-Antoine, Cannes
(+33 (0)4 93 99 45 19)
Restaurant La Palme d’Or
Dress up for lunch or dinner at this two Michelin-starred, film-festival-related restaurant, overlooking the Baie de Cannes.
Martinez Hotel, La Croisette, 73, Cannes
(+33 (0)4 92 98 74 14)
Bars and clubs
Jimmy’z
Jimmy'z has seen every celebrity and sports star you’d care to mention pass through its doors at some point. One look at the prices of champagne and cocktails tells you all you need to know – that models and millionaires are Jimmy’z target customers.
Avenue Princesse Grace, Monte Carlo
(+377 9216 20 00)
Le Bâoli
Spot celebrities among the well-heeled crowd while indulging in some quality cocktail-sipping and lounging on the beachside veranda with palm trees and candle-lit tables.
Port Pierre Canto, Boulevard de la Croisette, Cannes
(+33 (0)4 93 43 03 43)
Les Caves du Roy
One of the coast’s most glamorous nightspots, which is saying something. Looking the part is all-important.
Byblos hotel, Avenue Paul Signac, St Tropez
(+33 (0)4 94 56 68 00)
©2008 Mr & Mrs Smith
