Welcome to Saint-Tropez: 7 Côte d'Azur cities to visit

The beaches of Menton are deservedly considered one of the best on the coast, they delight their guests with cleanliness, safe coastline, developed infrastructure and soft sand (although you can find pebble beaches).

However, to come to Menton and sit all the days on the beach would be an unforgivable mistake. You should definitely look into the Old Town, stroll through its narrow cobbled streets and squares, see the Cathedral of St. Michel, look into the Palace of Carnolais, which is also the Museum of Fine Arts, and visit the Museum of Jean Cocteau. You can have a great time and relax from the bustle of the city in the parks and gardens of Menton, and they also deserve the title of a work of art and are a must for travelers. Parc du Pian, Jardin de Colombière, the garden of Villa Maria Serena and the botanical garden of Val-Rame are amazing places where you can spend a pleasant evening admiring the scenery. By the way, beautiful panoramas can also be found in the Old Port of the city - check it out!

On the road from Menton to Nice, you can't miss the amazing village of Eze. It is not big at all, but so picturesque that it conquers from the first meeting - with its green mountains, red roofs, old stone houses and cobbled streets, as well as a luxurious Exotic Garden located on the top.

The cost of accommodation: 3* - from €82, 4* - from €145.

Nice

Nice is one of the most famous resorts of the Cote d'Azur. It is a mix of good beaches and chic hotels, it is expensive villas and fashionable boutiques, it is an amazing Old Center and intense nightlife. Not for nothing it has gained the unspoken status of the capital of the French Riviera.

Most of the beaches of Nice are paid, entrance to them costs from €12-15 and more, but along with them there are many free beaches available to everyone. Paid beach areas are equipped with all necessary infrastructure, the coastline is safe, water and sand are clean. If you are determined only to relax by the sea, it makes sense to go out of town, to the beaches of the nearest towns, which are not inferior to the beaches of Nice, and some of them are even better.

Yes, as we have already said, Nice is not a cheap place. Therefore, budget tourists and young people prefer to stay in the central part of the city. And they do the right thing, because here is not only more affordable, but also many times more interesting. Old Town with its small streets, ancient cathedrals, churches, Town Hall and squares, as well as museums - it is an ideal place for walking and a pleasant, romantic pastime. Separately it is worth telling about museums, because for art lovers Nice is just a paradise. Visit the Chagall Museum and Matisse Museum, as well as the Museum of Fine Arts, where you can see works by Degas, Renoir and Monet. The Palais Massena or Palais Lascari, Château de Valrose are also home to many interesting paintings and sculptures, and are well worth a visit to admire their beauty.

Not far from Nice is Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, one of the most peaceful corners of the coast among pine groves. Its fame was brought not only by the unique nature and picturesque bays, but also by two famous villas: Villa Leopold, which is recognized as the most expensive in the world and is considered a true work of art, as well as the villa of Baroness Beatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild, which is now a large unique museum with a rich collection of works of French art from different eras.

Cost of accommodation: 3* - from €90, 5* - from €347.

Antibes

Between the two main resorts of the coast - Nice and Cannes, on Cape Antibes there is a picturesque town of the same name. It is interesting first of all for yachting lovers, because here is the largest yacht port of the whole Cote d'Azur coast. And it is possible not only to admire large and original yachts, but also to take a ride on them.

Antibes also attracts young people, because, firstly, it is a more affordable resort than the "star" Nice and Cannes, and secondly, it is famous for its rich and vibrant nightlife, and its dance clubs, bars, discos are ready to entertain young hearts until morning.

Sightseers go straight to the Old Town with its museums, chapels, squares, cathedrals, fountains and monuments. Lovers of active recreation - to the beaches, where diving, water skiing, seaplanes, paragliding and other water activities are at their disposal.

Antibes is one of the few cities of the Cote d'Azur, which is suitable for a vacation with children. Marine water park "Maryland" with a huge pool and daily sea shows, Luna Park located near the city, as well as the Valley of Butterflies will make your kids' vacations unforgettable.

If you don't want to sit still, the second place to stop is the resort of João Le Pen, which can be found in the Gulf of João. Wide clean beaches, many good restaurants with exquisite French cuisine, small islands and bays, and, of course, pine groves - all this is Juan-Le-Pin. Music lovers should definitely come here in the middle of July, when one of the most popular jazz festivals in Europe is in full swing.

Accommodation: 3* - from €75, 4* - from €172.

Cannes

Cannes is a city that requires no special introduction, and all thanks to the legendary film festival, which made this place on the Cote d'Azur a cult. But besides the red carpet at the Palais des Festivals and the famous Croisette, it has much more to offer its guests.

The main cultural center of the city is the Suquet quarter, leading up to the slope of the same name, where you'll find the Fortress Museum, housed in an ancient castle. The museum has an ancient tower, St. Anne's Chapel, and an amazing garden surrounding it all.

You can book a hotel in Cannes with a discount of up to -65% on the website.

In the sea opposite Cannes, the Lerins Islands are the real gem of the region. Two of them - St. Féréol and Tradelier - are uninhabited, but St. Marguerite and St. Honoré are worth a visit. St. Marguerite is known for its Royal Fort and Louis XIV prison, where the legendary prisoner Iron Mask once served his sentence. St. Honoré is an amazing green island, above which stands the Abbey of Lerins, which used to be one of the oldest monasteries in Europe, and today is a unique church complex surrounded by beautiful gardens.

Budget tourists who in Cannes count on a beach vacation, it is better to choose another place on the coast. Municipal beaches in Cannes will not please you neither cleanliness, nor tranquility, in the warm season there is no place to fall, and the entrance to the paid beaches will cost from € 20-25 and more. But there is a chance that your favorite actor or actress will be sunbathing on the next chaise lounge.

The cost of accommodation: 3* - from €80, 5* - from €480.

Saint-Tropez

Not so long ago Saint-Tropez was a calm, quiet resort, where famous actors, directors, writers, artists preferred to rest from the bustle, and then exalted it in their creations. Today, Saint-Tropez is one of the most partying corners of the coast, where the young, rich and famous like to make noise in luxurious villas or in famous nightclubs.

The landscapes of Saint-Tropez will seem "native" to all movie buffs, because it is against this background that the stories of famous characters of Brigitte Bardot, Louis de Funès, Pierre Richard and many other actors unfolded. Pine groves, sandy beaches, picturesque promenades and the Old Town can not leave indifferent, and inexcusable not to capture them.

People secular vacation in St. Tropez will love: dining in expensive restaurants and shopping in fashionable boutiques, strolls along the waterfront and rest on the famous beach Pampelonne, parties on yachts and nightclubs - here everything is really like in the movies.

For a vacation with children St. Tropez is hardly suitable, there is almost no entertainment. Curious tourists will be interested only in Musée de l'Annonciade with an impressive collection of works by Matisse, Signac, Bonnard Picabia and other famous artists, as well as "House of Butterflies" with a large collection of exotic moths from around the world. And gastrotourists have a lot of opportunities here: there are a lot of high-level restaurants in the city, including Michelin-starred ones.

Accommodation: 3* - from €115, 5* - from €273.

Toulon

On the way from Nice to Marseille you can't miss the amazing city of Toulon, notable for the second largest port on the coast, as well as interesting sightseeing places. And if you get bored of lying on the beach, you should come here.

Toulon is famous for its old center (several streets, preserved since the times of King Louis XIV), as well as picturesque squares and incredible fountains. The Algiers and Lafayette districts will be a great place for strolling, and a busy evening program can be found in the bustling Harbour or Porto, where life is "boiling" day and night and where it is nice to stop by a coastal bar and relax with a couple of glasses.

You can book a hotel in Toulon with a discount of up to -65% on the website.

Architecture lovers should see the Clock Tower and the Opera House, and to admire the panorama of the whole city and the coast, you need to climb Mount Faron, you can do it either on your own or by cable car.

For beach recreation Toulon is not the best option, its coastal areas are somewhat inferior to neighboring resorts in terms of cleanliness and infrastructure. For a good beach vacation is better to go to the outskirts of the city - on the beaches of Cap Brune and Anse Mango, famous for its quiet and secluded atmosphere, or in neighboring small towns and villages.

Not far from Toulon is a small town of Yer - a small resort known for its old fortress, ancient churches and cathedrals, as well as considered one of the centers of water sports on the coast. There are diving schools, sailing schools, yacht centers and many other interesting places for lovers of active rest.

The cost of accommodation: 3* - from €70, 5* - from €458.

Marseille

Marseille - perhaps the biggest and the most bustling city on the Cote d'Azur - completes our route. It is a large port and industrial center of France, multinational, colorful city, with plenty of attractions, many museums, cafes, restaurants, shopping centers, but also with good beaches and excellent coastline. It is just the perfect place for everyone who dreams of combining beach and active vacations.

Perhaps the three main symbols of Marseille are the unique basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde, the Cathedral of Marseille and the Old Port. These are the first things to see when you arrive in the city. And then you should go to the Lonchan Palace, which is not only a masterpiece of architecture, but also a museum of natural history and fine arts. There is also an observatory, a zoological garden and a park with fountains.

The city's attractions certainly don't end there: the Abbey of Saint-Victor, the Radiant City, the Chateau d'If in the neighborhood and many museums. A great time can be spent in excursions on sea streetcars or on the railroad.

The beaches of Marseille are very diverse, and everyone will be able to find a comfortable place for themselves. Some of the most popular beaches are Prado, Borely and Bonvin. They are clean, well-maintained, with a safe coastline, with a gentle entrance to the water, and therefore suitable for vacationers with children. Uvon beach will please surfers with high waves and strong winds.

If after the bustling Marseille want peace and quiet, the ideal place will be the picturesque town of Martigues, charming with its old center, port and promenade. The town can not boast an abundance of tourists, but this is only its plus, as no one disturbs the peace of vacationers by the sea, in the gardens or by the shores of the lake Etan de Berre.

The cost of accommodation: 3* - from €53, 5* - from €350.