Côte d’Azur

The Côte d’Azur is a Mediterranean resort on the southeastern coast of France, stretching east of Toulon, including the territory of the Principality of Monaco and forming with it a single beach area of about 300 km.

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Video: Côte d’Azur

Contents

Highlights

From the very beginning, the French Riviera has been enamored with the attention of the European beau monde, which has cemented for life its title as the most lavish and expensive vacation spot on the entire Mediterranean. Cult directors, media personalities of all degrees of fame, carefree billionaires – this is the main audience that filled the glamorous beaches of Nice, Cannes and St. Tropez. However, the average tourist on the Côte d’Azur also do not refuse, seducing him with a pleasant Mediterranean climate, fun party and Provencal cuisine.

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People come here to take spicy photos of celebrities hiding behind dark lenses of glasses, to empty bank accounts and taste southern wines. Sometimes the above pleasures are diluted with a traditional cultural program and mastering the snow-covered slopes of the Maritime Alps. But most often, a vacation on the Côte d’Azur takes place in the style of a protracted marathon, whose participants chaotically move between beaches, casinos and nightclubs, looking in the hotel room only to lie down for a couple of hours and gain strength for the further race for entertainment.

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History of the Côte d’Azur

Even in prehistoric times, the southeastern coast of modern France was not empty. The first to develop these lands were the Cro-Magnons, who were succeeded by the tribes of Ligurs, Phocaeans and Celts. However, in 123 BC barbarians had to be thoroughly squeezed, as the territories of the Mediterranean under the Roman Empire. In general, Roman patronage had a favorable impact on the development of the southern region of the future French state. It was during this period that Cannes was laid out here, and the first road network, still in use today, was designed.

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The French Riviera owes its miraculous transformation into a major resort to the English Lord Henry Brougham, who in 1834 accidentally stopped in Cannes and was pleasantly struck by the extraordinary mildness of the local climate. By the way, up to the middle of the XIX century on the Côte d’Azur coast rested exclusively British subjects who chose their residence in Yer. Well, since soon enough the town ceased to accommodate the hunt for idle entertainment bohemond, the baton took such previously inconspicuous places such as Nice and Menton. But the main tourist flow poured into the Côte d’Azur after the region acquired its own railroad, connecting Nice with Paris. As a result, by the end of the XIX century, the resort experienced a real invasion of the Russian elite, including representatives of the Romanov dynasty.

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Best time to travel

The Côte d’Azur is a region that always has sunny days and warm weather in store for vacationers. Europe’s most fashionable resort is famous for its mild Mediterranean climate, with long hot summers and short warm winters. As for swimming, the optimal time for this is considered to be from May to September, although the main influx of tourists is observed at the height of the velvet season, which begins in July and ends in August.

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Summer on the Côte d’Azur is sultry but not scorching, with an average temperature of +26 °C. In July, the local thermometer often freezes at +35 °C, but due to the low humidity, such temperatures are surprisingly easy to bear. With the onset of fall crowding on the Mediterranean coast is gradually thinning, so until September here linger only tourists who do not complain of heat, but planning to splash a little in the already cooling sea.

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By the end of October, the local beaches are completely calm, and the resort begins to visit strong but brief showers. In total, there are at least 300 sunny days per year, of which a decent part falls on the winter months. Snow in this part of the country is an exceptional phenomenon, and the air temperature rarely drops below +10 °C even in January. However, the local winter has its own “wormhole”: from December to February the resort is under the influence of the mistral – a penetrating northern wind with destructive power.

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Main resort destinations

If we measure the size of the resort by administrative units, we can say that the French Riviera has settled on the territory of the cultural and historical region of Provence – Alps – Côte d’Azur. More precisely, on the lands of such departments as the Maritime Alps, Var and partly Bouches-du-Rhône.

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The status of the most tourist-oriented part of the resort remains with the Maritime Alps, which includes Nice and Cannes, the glamorous classics of southern France. It’s also within easy reach of Monaco, with its flashy casinos and Formula 1 races. Less glitz and more silence in mountain villages and communes like Sospel, Gourdon, Tend and Saorges, once favored by French bohemians. At various times, Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse and Raoul Dufy climbed the rocky slopes of the Maritime Alps in search of a suitable nature. And the great rebel Modigliani, always traveling without a penny in his pocket, even introduced here in circulation a new currency unit – his own sketches, which and paid with the owners of local hotels.

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Var is already a typical Provence with its lavender fields, vineyards and excellent cuisine. To get into the atmosphere of this department, it is enough to settle in any of the local villages. For example, in Le Lavandou, where, according to reviews, the most picturesque beaches. Or in Bormes-le-Mimosa with its toy houses and plenty of mimosa trees. Travelers who are indifferent to the measured and pastoral landscapes, it is better to go to Toulon or finally stultified by European celebrities Saint-Tropez.

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In Bouches-du-Rhône, Marseille – the largest port in the Mediterranean, a city with a windy character, endless mood swings and extensive museums. Resort-goers who are longing for a quiet peaceful rest, here too have their favorites. Most often these are cozy communes like Saint-Marie-de-la-Mer with uncorrupted by civilization beaches and slow rhythm of life. You can also hide from the tedium of Marseille in the calanques of Cassis.

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Sights and points of interest in the resort

Attractions of the French Riviera – a topic for serious research, which is unlikely to be able to fit into one vacation. However, this is the main purpose of the resort: to make you dizzy and make you come back again.

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The classic must-see of the Côte d’Azur are the Monte Carlo Casino, the Palais des Festivals (Cannes), the Croisette and Promenade des Anglais, and the Hotel Negresco. The Grand Jas Cemetery in Cannes also has plenty of visitors. Among the memorial steles of the necropolis you can find the graves of Prosper Merimee, jeweler Faberge, as well as the tombs of our generic compatriots, who even after death could not part with their favorite resort. The Japanese Garden in Monte Carlo is especially notable. The landscape park consists entirely of greenery taken from the Land of the Rising Sun, which is already reason enough to visit it.

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Get a portion of aesthetic pleasure can be peacefully strolling through the historic center of Nice, where every building – or a sample of classicism, or Renaissance pure water. The modern face of the city is also able to surprise, which is confirmed by the building of the Louis Nucera Library, repeating the contours of a human head half hidden under a giant cube. Well, and to admire the panorama of the resort is most convenient from the height of the Roman Hill (at the same time against the background of ancient ruins you can make a couple of selfies).

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You should look for the cultural past of the region in the museums of Nice. For example, Rodin’s “Bronze Age” and Fragonard’s exquisite pastorals have become part of the exposition of the Museum of Fine Arts. Marc Chagall also made his mark in the most cheerful city of the resort. The leader of the world avant-garde has a separate museum here. Henri Matisse is also not neglected: the entire mansion, where the artist once lived, now turned into his own gallery, which exhibits little-known masterpieces of the maestro, including “scissor-drawn” collages.

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But Nice is not the only place where European bohemia lives. If you travel to other places on the Côte d’Azur, it turns out that quiet villages and small communes in the ministers of art were in no less demand. For example, Cézanne, Braque and Chagall favored Saint-Paul-de-Vence, which eventually evolved into the main art gallery of the region. Incidentally, Chagall’s grave is also located here. Renoir, Bonnard and Lebasque were all “pulled back” in Le Cannes, while the author of the scandalous “The Scream” Edvard Munch had more respect for Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. You can see the works of Picasso and Modigliani in the Chateau Grimaldi (Antibes), where the “father of Cubism” lived for more than half a year. But Claude Monet could not decide on his favorite resort, so in different seasons the painter was brought to Bordiniere, then in Villefranche, then in Juan-les-Pins and this, not counting Cannes and Saint-Tropez.

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If you are bored with excursions to mainstream destinations, you can look for more relaxed routes. For example, visit the main perfume “factories” of the country – the communes of Eze and Gourdon. The latter is famous not only for its lavender fields, but also for its real medieval castle and as a place of acquaintance of Hollywood star Grace Kelly and Prince of Monaco. It’s relatively quiet in Vallauris, a cozy town that almost merges with neighboring Antibes, whose main specialty is the production of ceramics. You can breathe fresh air soaked with the smell of eucalyptus in the Lerins Islands (Cannes area). A visit here is recommended for anyone interested in ancient monasteries and sea fortresses. For example, on the island of St. Honor deserves special attention monastic monastery, and on the island of St. Margaret – an abandoned fort, which in the time of Louis XIV hid a mysterious prisoner nicknamed the Iron Mask.

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Try to destroy the myth that vacation on the Riviera – is a mandatory reclining on the beach, losing money in the casino and swimming in the sea a hundred times a day and take a ride deep into the Maritime Alps. In particular, lovers of medieval architecture will have something to see in Sospel. In Mougins, the old part of the city is of primary interest, as well as numerous haute cuisine restaurants. At different times Christian Dior, Pablo Picasso and Francis Picabia have been on the list of the most honored guests of this place.

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Transportation

Most resort towns are connected by rail, so you can get to almost any part of the Côte d’Azur by train. There are three types of rail transportation between the settlements: TGV (an electric train running between the resort area and other French cities), Corrail (high-speed train) and TER (electric trains operating only in high season). You can buy tickets for them at train ticket offices or vending machines. If you’ve chosen a city that the trains haven’t reached yet, 99 times out of 100 there is some sort of OUIBUS bus route. FYI: all buses are the property of the railroad company, so you can book a ticket for them on the official SNCF website: http://www.sncf.com/en/passengers. The most expensive and at the same time comfortable option is to call a cab. On average for a small trip between two settlements of the French Riviera you have to pay about 100 EUR.

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Urban transportation on the Côte d’Azur is represented by buses (the most common type), streetcars (quite rare) and metro (only in Marseille). As for pedestrians, they are quite comfortable at the resort, since the architectural attractions of each city of the Riviera are located within its own historical center. Accordingly, they are not difficult to get around on foot, saving on buying a pass.

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Adherents of an active lifestyle will be provided with a bicycle by local rental offices, for the benefit of bicycle lanes in the region in abundance, not to mention the rental shops themselves. In Nice alone, the number of bicycle stations is approaching two hundred. If you plan to travel outside the settlement, it is more reasonable to rent a “mountain bike”, which will allow you to overcome the steep paths and the invariable dirt road, typical for the “grape” part of the region.

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Water transportation in the resort is not only focused on the owners of premium cards, so if you can’t afford a major yacht, take a look at the local ferries. For example, from Nice on them you can sail to neighboring Corsica or Sardinia, taking with you a personal vehicle. On average, the ferry ride to Corsica takes from 6 to 8 hours. In Saint-Tropez, Nice, Cannes, Monaco and Saint-Raphael you can take a ride on a sea cab, which here are two varieties: elite – for the bigwigs and generally available – for the average resort resident.

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Rent a car

If you don’t want to limit yourself to one resort and are inevitably drawn to explore all the southern departments, it’s wise to rent a car. You can do this at the airport or any city on the coast. In Cannes, Nice or Marseille there are several large offices ready to conclude a rental contract with a tourist. There are also such in small communes. The requirements for the driver are standard: age from 21 years, driving experience of at least a year, international license and credit card (necessarily issued by a European bank).

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Going on a trip to the Côte d’Azur in high season, it should be remembered that loneliness on the local roads you are not threatened, but the intense traffic flow and multi-kilometer traffic jams – yes. The situation with parking lots is typical for a fashionable resort: all of them are paid and almost always overcrowded. You’ll have to be a bit fussy about fuel, too: gas stations are not often found in the villages. Most of the highways in the region are toll roads. You can identify such a highway by the letter “A” on the sign. Usually at the entrance to the toll road there is an electronic board indicating the toll price. Payment is made through a machine that issues a ticket for further travel. By the way, the ticket itself must be kept until you exit the highway.

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Food

On the Côte d’Azur reigns Provencal cuisine with “inclusions” of Italian culinary masterpieces. The influence of Apennine traditions can be felt especially clearly in Nice, which was part of Italy until the middle of the XIX century. So ravioli, pasta and corn polenta are regulars on local tables. Of fish abundance in this part of the Mediterranean prefer sardines and anchovies. The latter, by the way, are an obligatory component in nicoise salad – the culinary business card of Nice. The famous Marseille invention bouillabaisse (fish soup with seafood) can be tasted today in any restaurant on the coast. Charcoal-grilled fish is also not difficult to find: usually in local taverns, customers are treated to sea rooster, ruff and mullet, which can be diversified with freshly caught squid, octopus, mussels and the invariable oysters.

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Of meat delicacies, gourmets especially emphasize Sisteron lamb, Arles sausages and liver patties with spinach in a fat casing. All this deliciousness is generously seasoned with spicy herbs and served with a bottle of olive oil. And, of course, what Provence is without fruits and vegetables: ratatouille, mesclun, pistou sauce – each of these dishes is based only on the gifts of the French land. And also here grow the best lemons and melons of “cavaillon” variety in the world, which Provençals like to eat with smoked ham. Baking and sweets in the south are also peculiar. To understand this, just try a flatbread fugas, stuffed with anchovies, olives and lard, a local hybrid of candied fruit and almond cake – calisson or sponge cake with custard – patissière.

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There are plenty of places where you can have a good lunch on the Côte d’Azur. For the elite on the coast there are haute cuisine restaurants: Le Chantecler (Nice), Mantel (Cannes), Le Louis XV (Monte Carlo) and others. Budget gastrotourists should wander around the village taverns, or pay attention to all sorts of bistros and cafes brasseries, where the food is almost as tasty as in a restaurant, and the bill is many times less.

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7 things to do on the French Riviera

  • Rent a boat in Marseille harbor and take a tour of the Chateau d’If, where France’s most mysterious prisoner, the Iron Mask, was once held and from which the Count of Monte Cristo escaped so masterfully.
  • Discover Russian Nice, visiting the Cathedral of St. Nicholas and the cemetery of Cocade.
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  • Taste the local culinary highlights – baked artichokes, fried zucchini blossoms and sea urchin fillet.
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  • Find the Oasis Hotel (Nice), where Chekhov wrote his “Lady with a Dog.”
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  • Wander the corridors of the Hotel Golden Dove in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, which has publicized itself with a collection of paintings by Modigliani, Picasso, Chagall and Sutin, as well as star guests including Brigitte Bardot, Yves Montand and Sophia Loren.
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  • Go to at least half of the clubs and eateries in Juan-Le-Pin, the jazz capital of the coast, to hear local and visiting jazz bands perform.
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  • Take selfies in front of the Palais des Festivals in Cannes to post on social media with the hashtag #nothing_special.
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Entertainment

The Côte d’Azur knows how to not only attract attention, but also to keep it for a long time. In any case, local casinos are very reluctant to part with their guests. Gambling houses on the French Riviera are available in almost every town, so that gambling vacationers will always find where to put their blood money on the line. If slot machines and roulette are not enough and you want more of an entourage, visit the Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco. This is a real gambling empire, where for over a century and a half the European elite have been socking away money.

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Those who crave simple family entertainment, you can recommend a trip to the zoo “Marineland” (Antibes), where the marine circus works. The pride of the institution is a 30-meter walking tunnel with tiger sharks. In the neighborhood of Antibes is located water park “Aquasplash”. It is certainly not the only object of this kind on the coast, but it is one of the most interesting in terms of the variety of water attractions and themed zones.

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Once you’ve had your fill of splashing around in the Aquasplash pools, move on to the heavy artillery and check out Antibes Park. This is the place where anyone can pump their vestibular apparatus on a booster or test-drive their nervous system in a falling elevator. If you need a radical change of scenery, go to the Reserve des Monts d’Azur, where bison, Przewalski’s horses, deer and dozens of other mammals live. By the way, you won’t have to chase the park’s inhabitants: the reserve’s staff regularly organizes safaris for guests, so the animals have long been accustomed to people and calmly treat daily photo shoots.

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Beach vacation on the Côte d’Azur

Tourist guides describe the Côte d’Azur as a beach fairy tale. Indeed, in terms of infrastructure local places for bathing have something to be proud of: umbrellas, comfortable deck chairs, showers, changing cabins – all these attributes of civilized recreation are present even on small village beaches, not to mention Nice and Cannes. But the snow-white sand, which is so fond of being emphasized by advertising brochures, is not present everywhere on the French Riviera. For example, in Nice the coastline is dotted with large pebbles and pebbles polished by the sea.

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In search of a sandy shore and azure sea is better to go to the area of Antibes – the city, whose moorings are often moored oligarchs’ yachts. For example, the beach of Gavette can be chosen not only for the absence of pebbles under your feet, but also for the gentle entrance to the sea. Salis offers poetic views of the old town, and Grania is a great place to have fun on water rides. Very soft sand in the area of Juan-les-Pins, which has practically turned into a suburb of Antibes, as well as in Frejus. Well, and the most spectacular beach selfies are obtained in the calanques of Cassis – these mini-fjords with tree-covered mountain slopes, in whose tiny bays splash ultramarine water.

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FYI: the Côte d’Azur has both public beaches and hotel-owned areas that charge admission.

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Young tourists should be taken to the beach of La Ciotat: the water here is the cleanest (the place is marked by the Blue Flag), and the shallow zone is extensive. Soft sand and relative tranquility can be found on the beaches of San Maxima, of which the Elephant Beach is especially popular. Quite good conditions for swimming offers a commune La Londe-le-More, which is in the vicinity of Toulon: the coast here is well-groomed and sandy, in addition, the village has a beach with a Blue Flag – Silver. A radical change of scenery can be offered by Theoule-sur-Mer with its deep sea, red, spruce cliffs and stony-sandy slopes to the water.

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Those wishing to combine beach vacations with partying will find hip Saint-Tropez, a city with an off the charts concentration of celebrities. One of these glamor and pathos-soaked spots is De Pampelonne Beach. In Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat is also crowded, with the most sought-after tourist attention beach of the commune recognized as Passablle. It is it for some reason especially adored by our compatriots.

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Diving

The diving season on the Côte d’Azur lasts from May to October, but the most desperate divers do not cease to plow the local bays and in the winter months. Most often the resort is practiced in rak-diving, although the places of all kinds of disasters also have their own fans. For example, scuba divers coming to the Riviera often hang out in the square where Exupery’s plane supposedly crashed (Marseille area).

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On a side note: not all dive clubs on the Côte d’Azur are willing to rent equipment to beginners. In some centers trust only tourists with certificates CMAS and CEDIP. So inexperienced divers better stay in Cannes, whose schools and diving clubs are focused on beginners exploring the depths of the sea.

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The most popular dive sites along the coast are Cassis, Marseille and Saint Raphael. Nice is not lagging behind the three: the favorite places of local divers – the bay of Villefranche with its fantastic underwater cave and resting on the bottom of the bomber, as well as Cape Nice.

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As for animal and plant life, in this respect, the Mediterranean Sea is inferior to its tropical counterparts. But for the unspoiled diver there will always be impressions here. Giant perch grouper, snake fish, moray eels, rays, octopuses – with due diligence to catch in the lens all this company is not so difficult.

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Holidays and Events

It’s possible to party and get wild on the French Riviera at any time of year: almost every month in different parts of the resort there are annual festivals and celebrations of all kinds. January alone has four events, including the Monte Carlo Rally and the International Circus Arts Festival. The main event in February is the Cannes Carnival, which transforms the city into one big concert venue and is covered with tons of flower petals. In the same month, Mandelieu-la-Napoule opens its doors with the Mimosa Festival and Menton prepares for the Lemon Festival.

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In March, yachtsmen, singers and illusionists come to the Côte d’Azur, as the beginning of spring brings such popular events as the Nice Boat Show, the World Music Awards and the Golden Dove magic festival. In April and May, tourists can look forward to the International Tennis Tournament, Pumpkin Festival, Film Festival, Retro Car Rally, and good old fashioned Formula 1 racing.

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Summer on the south coast of France is a time for musical events, flower parades, wine festivals and jazz concerts. In September, within the framework of the international exhibition “Yacht show” there is a “yacht defile”, where the latest innovations of shipbuilding are announced. And somewhere in mid-autumn the resort plunges into an endless series of dance festivals, blues parties, car shows and gastronomic fairs.

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Côte d’Azur ski resorts

All ski resorts in the region are concentrated at the foot of the Maritime Alps, so you can reach them from Cannes or Nice in an hour and a half. The skiing season in these places begins in mid-December and lasts until April, so that especially active comrades have time to combine two types of vacation: beach and skiing.

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The French themselves prefer to book ski passes to Isola 2000, which is in the neighborhood of the reserve Mercantour, 100 km from Nice. The resort offers 46 lift-equipped slopes, total length of which is about 120 km. For the opportunity to practice in heli-skiing and night skiing Isola is especially popular with sports extremists. Oron, which is connected to Nice by an intensive bus service, has a good enough reputation. The resort has a total of 36 slopes served by 18 elevators.

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For information: the average cost of a one-day ski pass in the Maritime Alps for adults is about 35 EUR; for children it is about 27 EUR.

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Wahlberg is besieged mainly by supporters of family vacations. The resort has almost 50 km of pistes without serious height differences, ideal for beginners. Among the additional “pluses” offered by the place, we can mention rails and a half-pipe. Well, the calm atmosphere, relative privacy and gentle slopes are better to look for small ski bases, for example, in St. Etienne-de-Tine, La Colmiane-Valdeblore or Roubillon-les-Buis.

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Shopping

The main points of attraction for all coastal shopaholics are Cannes, Nice and Monaco, with a maximum concentration of malls and showrooms on rue DꞌAntibes and Meynadier (Cannes), and Jean Médicin and De Verdun (Nice). Galleries and boutiques of Saint-Tropez are “sharpened” mainly for stylish snobs, while Marseille shopping centers focus on mid-market goods. In general, the price tags in branded stores on the Côte d’Azur are overpriced, so it is more reasonable to visit them during the sale season. The most “tasty” sales start in July and the second half of January. Accompanied by all this action grandiose fuss and kilometer-long queues at the cash registers, which, however, few people stop.

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The classic schedule of the French Riviera shopping areas – from 10:00 to 19:00. Sunday is almost universally considered a day off, although in large malls in popular resorts this rule does not apply and stores work, but on a reduced schedule – until 13:00. Supermarkets and private shops of eastern immigrants are more hospitable in this respect, as they are open from 8:00 to 21:00.

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The range of souvenirs and gastronomic delights at the resort is impressive, so it is not customary to leave the French Riviera without shopping. In the top of the most popular among our compatriots guests include sanctioned cheeses with mold, olive oil, lavender and cosmetics based on it, as well as Provencal wines and spicy herbs. Cute little things include various accessories depicting the cicada, the official symbol of the Côte d’Azur, ceramic trinkets, tropesien sandals (“tropezienki”) and fragrant Marseille soap.

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Where to stay on the French Riviera

Since saving money on the Côte d’Azur has never been the norm, accommodation prices are far from democratic. However, if you get away from the “busy” resorts and go inland, you can count on relatively acceptable options. Those who came to the south to have a good time in the casino and hunt with a camera on the representatives of the world of show business, will have to splurge.

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To find in the high season in the resort “five” room for less than 300 EUR – unheard of luck. Four-star variants are not far behind in this respect, a day’s stay in which starts from 160 EUR and smoothly approaches 200 EUR. The appetites of “three stars” are more modest – on average from 100 EUR for a standard room. Those wishing to live in the lap of Provence nature, can look for wooden bungalows with Wi-Fi, stuffed with household appliances and scattered in the most visually attractive areas of the Côte d’Azur. For adherents of economical vacation the only type of affordable accommodation remains hostels, estimating a bed in a common room in 30-40 EUR.

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How to get there

Go to conquer the beaches and ski resorts of the Côte d’Azur is best by plane. The largest international airports in the region are located in Nice and Marseille (Cannes airport, which receives only private flights, does not count). The best options of direct routes are: Moscow – Nice and St. Petersburg – Nice. And here to Marseille will have to fly round-trip with connections in Amsterdam or Paris.

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You can get from the airport to the city by bus, train or cab. In the case of Nice, these are buses #98, 99, as well as routes #23, 52, 59, 99, whose stop is near the airport terminal. At the airport of Marseille, travelers are met by a free shuttle that takes its passengers directly to the Vitrolle railway station, from where trains are already running in the direction of the city’s station Saint-Charles.

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Fans of traveling by rail should look at the Belorussky station in Moscow, from which twice a week there is a direct train to Nice. Usually the journey takes about 2 days, the ticket price – from 315 EUR. There is also a combined option, when a tourist flies to Paris and already from the French capital goes to the south of the country by train. On average, such a trip lasts from 3.5 (Marseille) to 5 (Nice) hours and costs 35-40 EUR.

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Low airfare calendar