Cote d’Azur, or the French Riviera, is far more than just glitz, glamour, sun and sand. It offers many other attractions, like the glass blowers of Biot, the perfumeries of Grasse, and the perched villages of Gourdon and Eze.
Grabbing a cheap flight to Nice, Active You spent a week looking at some of the undiscovered little gems dotted around the Riviera. Here’s our advice:
- Camp sites offer a very affordable option. Yes, Cannes’ Carlton Inter-Continental and Hotel Martinez on the famous boulevard de la Croisette are lovely to visit but $8 for a pack of peanuts or $15 for a beer? We’d prefer to see our hard earned cash go somewhere else. Top camp site area? Menton where the foothills of the Alps reach the sea and where Italy almost meets France for a perfect fusion of cultures. Simply a beautiful town.
-
Best beach? Avoid the crowds and head to Plage de Passable, located in Villefranche bay, which is an outstanding and peaceful place to swim and sunbathe. This sheltered pebble beach is popular with locals in the know, and if you are staying in a nearby Cote d'Azur campsite, you can trust their judgement! There is an excellent restaurant here, and the 4km Cap Ferrat hiking trail is a lovely walk that passes by the houses of the rich and famous who live in Villefranche.
-
Best cuisine? Indulge yourself in great Italian pizzas and local favourites such as Salade Nicoise and Bouillabaisse. The variety of wines in St. Raphael is mind blowing but our favourite area would be the nearby Cotes Du Rhone region which boasts the famed Cote-Rotie, Hermitage, Chateauneuf-Du-Pape and the stunning Gigondas – whose 2007 vintage is the best since WW2. Gigondas is a decent little town in itself and just a short drive from Avignon.
-
Boats? Whilst Monaco boasts some boats worth more than the GDP of some African states, the marina at Port Vauban, Antibes, is Europe’s largest single yacht harbour. It can house more than two thousand yachts and an evening walk around the harbour is a French institution.
-
Best travel option? Select a budget flight through Cheapflights.co.uk and hire a car for a week. Add a budget for camping and a couple of nights luxury rest at a hotel and you’ll still have plenty of money left over to spend.
Follow the above advice and you can’t go wrong!
Menton - truly stunning.
