Where Painters Chased the Light of the Cote d'Azur
The French Riviera, also called the Cote d'Azur, is the Mediterranean coastline of south-eastern France, stretching from the Hyeres area to Menton near the Italian frontier. It is known for its sunlit beaches, belle epoque hotels, glamorous marinas and a long association with artists, writers and film. Nice, its largest city, curves around the Baie des Anges, and its Promenade des Anglais, lined with palms and pale blue chairs, is one of the great seafront walks. In 2021 UNESCO inscribed Nice as the Winter Resort Town of the Riviera.
The light is the draw for painters. Matisse, Picasso, Chagall, Renoir and Cocteau all worked along this coast, and their legacy fills galleries in Nice, Antibes, Vence, Saint-Paul-de-Vence and Biot. Cannes, home of the international film festival each May, brings red-carpet glamour to La Croisette, while Antibes pairs a Picasso museum with a handsome old port. Inland, Grasse is the historic perfume capital, and its perfumery craft was added to UNESCO's intangible heritage list in 2018.
Eze, Cap Ferrat and Markets Full of Flavour
Beyond the big names, the coast reveals a rich mixture of villages and headlands. Eze perches above the sea, its stone lanes climbing to an exotic garden, and Cap Ferrat offers the pastel Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and quiet coves. Villefranche-sur-Mer's old harbour is among the prettiest on the Mediterranean, and Menton, near the Italian frontier, is famed for its lemons and a winter festival in their honour. Between them, the coastal paths and corniche roads give some of the great drives of Europe.
Food follows the sun: salade nicoise, socca chickpea pancakes, pissaladiere, fresh sea bass and the fish stew bouillabaisse, with Provencal rose to match. The flower market on Cours Saleya in Nice is a morning ritual. Neighbouring destinations add range: St Tropez to the west for beach-club glamour, Marseille for urban energy and Corsica by ferry or short flight. A hotel group could use the coast to show how art, food and seafront ease combine in one stay.
Read the full The French Riviera guide on Visit Travel Group, or see TheFrenchRiviera.co.uk on Visit Travel Group.