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WHY BUY IN
PROVENCE/CÔTE D’AZUR?
To say that the
region of Provence/Côte d’Azur has everything is not an exaggeration
– it is an understatement!
A mere 2 hours
flight away from Britain you can pass from the bucolic lavender-laden charm of a Provençal village to the
glamorous
sophistication of the French Riviera in less than an hour. You can
go skiing in the Alps in the morning, water-ski in the Med in the
afternoon, see and be seen in St. Tropez in the evening and cash in
your chips in the Casino de Monte-Carlo at night. Oh and you can
drive home, hood down of course, along breathtaking corniches and
feel like James Bond or Princess Grace of Monaco.
No other region
of France can offer such a heady mix, or so many guaranteed days of
sunshine. Why buy in Provence? Why live anywhere else?
MUST VISIT:
NICE;
CANNES; MONACO/MONTE-CARLO;
ANTIBES
ST-TROPEZ;
AIX EN PROVENCE;
AVIGNON; MARSEILLE;
NIMES;
GRASSE; MOUGINS;
PORT GRIMAUD;
ST-PAUL-DE-VENCE
MUST SEE
Provence is
more than languid lavender-scented living with beautiful sandy
beaches, turquoise seas, densely wooded hills and chic skiing
resorts. The region includes a number of dramatic landscapes that
are visitor attractions in their own right:
-
The
Camargue: famous for its wild white horses, black bulls and pink
flamingos, the delta of the River Rhone is a spectacular sight and
one of Europe’s major wetlands. Keeping watch over the salt marshes,
Aigues-Mortes is a perfect walled town with towers and
ramparts.
-
The Gorges
of Verdon: one of the
most dramatic sights in Europe, the vertiginous heights and
precipitous falls of the Verdon Gorges can make some people feel
like performing all bodily functions simultaneously. Such people
should be relegated to the passenger seat while those of a sturdier
constitution take the wheel. A tour takes at least a day, start from
Castellane and head for Pont de l’Artuby where, if you are a
complete masochist, you can do a bungee jump. I prefer to take in
the view from the Balcons de la Mescla viewpoint. Follow the river
on its route towards Aiguines (with its beautiful 17th
century château) and on to the craggy heights of
Moustiers-Ste-Marie. Turning back on yourself head for La
Palud-sur-Verdon (which offers wild and beautiful walks on its Route
des Crêtes) and take in the view at Pointe Sublime before returning
to Castellane.
-
Les
Calanques: these
spectacular fjord-like inlets lie between Marseille and Cassis and
form natural harbours with turquoise water and white sandy beaches.
While some can only be reached by boat, most are accessible by car
and some even on foot – walk from Cassis to Port-Miou and on to
Port-Pin. Possibly the most beautiful are the En-Vau and Sormiou
calanques – the latter recently revealed an underwater cave
decorated with pictures of prehistoric animals reminiscent of those
at Lascaux in the Dordogne.
Spectacular
Roman architecture can be seen throughout the region, see the
Theatre at Orange, the arenas at Arles and Nîmes (the latter used to
be flooded for naval battles!) and the breathtaking Pont du Gard
aquaduct.
The
architectural glory of La Belle Epoque can be witnessed at
Monte-Carlo’s Casino and Opera, at The Négresco in Nice and at Cap
Ferrat’s Musée de Rothschild. Take yourself back to when the Riviera
was the playground of Europe’s royalty and nobility.
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CANNES:
best seen outside May’s Festival International du Film when the
world’s paparazzi descend to photograph the rich and famous on their
yachts, or ascending the red carpet of the Palais des Festivals to
join the pantheon of cinematic gods. More worthwhile are the all-day
screenings of new films in cinemas all over town. In the nearby
Allée des Stars you can see the handprints of Palmes d’Or winners
captured for posterity in the pavement! Their owners without doubt
stayed at the Carlton Hotel – an architectural jewel with a
sumptuous Rococo dining room and worth a visit on any pretext!
Ironically,
outside of the festival, the casinos and the luxury boutiques of
Boulevard de la Croisette, Cannes feels very down-to-earth. It is a
more relaxing experience than Nice; smaller, quieter and with sandy
beaches, enjoy the morning flower market and the fresh provençal
produce of Marché Forville. Catch a boat from the harbour and in 15
minutes you are in the pine and eucalyptus scented haven of the Iles
de Lérins – the mysterious Man in the Iron Mask was imprisoned in
the fort and took the secret of his identity to the grave.
TOP TIP: while
some of Cannes’ beaches are private or belong to hotels, there is a
free public beach next to the Palais des Festivals and there are
miles of white sandy beaches just around the headland in the
direction of St. Tropez.
MONACO/MONTE-CARLO: this
tiny principality, ruled by the Grimaldi dynasty since 1297, is
smaller than New York’s Central Park. With nowhere to build except
up, it resembles a fantasy wedding cake with layer upon layer of
apartment blocks jostling each other for a better view of the sea.
It’s happy subjects pay no taxes and enjoy the world’s highest
per-capita income. If you want to join them, if only for a day, then
drive in along the Moyenne Corniche – one of the world’s most
beautiful coastal drives. Relive the Belle Epoque of English lords
and Russian Grand Dukes at Monte-Carlo’s sumptuous Casino and Opera
House, and sample the Art Deco delights of Le Café de Paris.
Visitors come from all over the world for the Monte-Carlo Rally in
January and the Monaco Grand Prix in May.
ANTIBES:
central to the principal towns of the Riviera, Antibes is a superb
base from which to visit its busier neighbours. There is a lovely
market, harbour and sandy beach. Picasso had a workshop in Château
Grimaldi, it is now a museum in his honour and houses over 50 of his
works.
ST-TROPEZ:
unspoilt by its celebrity status, ‘St. Trop’ is still a charming
provençal village with fishermen’s houses, tackle shops and boats
sharing the harbour with the luxury yachts of less bona fide
residents. Behind the port-side cafés of Quai Jean Jaurès (Senequier
being the most famous) there is a pleasing maze of bustling streets
with classy boutiques and restaurants. Catch the morning market on
Place des Lices and watch the locals play boules over a coffee at
Café des Arts. Other celebrity watering holes include Café de Paris
and Le Gorille.
For the best
view in town, take to the ramparts of the 16th-century
citadel and enjoy the quiet of the Ponche quarter and La Fontanette
beach which leads to a coastal walk. The beach on which to see and
be seen is just outside town – the golden curve of Pampelonne. The
Musée de l’Annonciade is a worthy pilgrimage for art cognoscenti and
amateurs alike with superb Post-Impressionist works from Signac,
Bonnard and Camoin.
AIX EN
PROVENCE: perhaps the
most beautiful town in Provence, formerly the capital, it remains a
capital of good taste. Cours Mirabeau, arguably the most beautiful
boulevard in France, preserves her languorous beauty under a parasol
of Plane trees. Walk her broad pavements, admire her many
honey-coloured mansions, listen to her fountains, enjoy the caress
of the sun as it plays hide and seek through her leafy canopy and
repose a while on the terrace of her famous 18th century
café Les Deux Garçons. Succumb.
The old heart
of this ‘city of a thousand fountains’ is found around Place de
l’Hôtel de Ville, there is a colourful flower market in front. In
the vicinity are the grandiose Pavillon de Vendôme, housing
provençal furniture and art by Van Loo; Cathédrale St-Sauveur with
its 16th-century walnut doors and 15th-century
triptych of The Burning Bush; and the Musée des Tapisseries housing
sumptuous 18th-century tapestries.
The Musée
Granet has works by Aix’s most famous son, Paul Cézanne; his studio,
Atelier Paul Cézanne, is a short walk away and is as he left it when
he died in 1906. The Montagne Ste-Victoire that inspired so many of
his paintings is 15 km east of Aix.
AVIGNON:
the wealth and treasures
of the 14th Century Popes were guarded not in the
Vatican, but within the massive 3 mile long ramparts, 39 towers and
7 gates of Avignon. Now more receptive to visitors, the
fortress-like Palais des Papes, effectively the Vatican during the
rule of the seven French popes from 1309 to 1377, offers a glimpse
into the opulence of the medieval papacy. The Petit Palais, once the
Archbishop of Avignon’s residence, is now a museum and includes
paintings by Botticelli and Carpaccio. There is a wealth of museums
with the Musée de Petit Palais housing Avignon’s medieval collection
including the exquisite 1457 Vièrge de Pitié. And don’t miss the
famous 12th-century bridge Pont St-Bénézet, inspiration
behind the children’s song ‘Sur le pont d’Avignon’. Don’t count on
it to cross the river though as most of its arches were swept away
in the floods of 1668.
The Place de l’Horloge – named after its Gothic clock tower – is the centre of
Avignon’s street culture, with pavement cafés, buskers and a
merry-go-round from 1900. Take a stroll down one of the prettiest
cobbled streets Rue des Teinturiers, the original home of many of
the brightly coloured provençal patterns still on offer to tourists
today. In July the streets and squares are filled with dance,
theatre, mime, opera and classical music when the international
Avignon Festival comes to town. (See Festivals)
MARSEILLE:
France’s largest port and
second city is a colourful exotic mix of people and culture, with
traditional links to France’s former north African colonies.
Alexander Dumas called Marseille ‘the meeting place of the entire
world’.
The view of the
city and the port from the basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde is
truly spectacular. Experience the sights, smells and sounds of the
morning fish market on the Vieux Port and regale yourself with
Marseille’s famous bouillabaisse (see food and drink) in one of the
harbour restaurants. Ready for some shopping? Take the famous
Canebière boulevard into town and explore the city’s commercial
heart. There are countless museums with the Musée des Beaux-Arts
perhaps the finest, graced not only with works from Flemish and
Italian masters (including Rubens), but also Marseille’s sons Puget
and Serre - the latter’s paintings depict the plague of 1720 when
half the population died.
NIMES:
an intriguing mix of ancient and modern architecture greets the
visitor, from the unrivalled Roman amphitheatre (Les Arènes) which
saw gladiatorial combat, chariot racing and even naval battles (it
could be flooded), to an astonishing bus stop by Phillipe Starck.
Similarly the Maison Carrée, the world’s best preserved Roman temple
is reflected in the glass and steel of the arts complex opposite -
the Carrée d’Art designed by Sir Norman Foster in 1993. Other Roman
treasures include the Roman gateway, the Porte Auguste (15 BC) and
the Castellum, used for storing and distributing water carried to
Nîmes via Le Pont du Gard. Take care to remember your hat, Nimes
lies in a natural ‘cuvette’ or basin and becomes a furnace in the
heat of summer.
GRASSE:
the centre of the perfume industry, visit perfume houses and museum.
MOUGINS:
an old hilltop town with photos by Doisneau and Lartigues in the
Musée de la Photographie, Musée de l’Automobiliste and the Moulin de
Mougins for fine dining.
PORT GRIMAUD:
a car-free ‘Provençal Venice’ built in 1966 – reminiscent of a
Portmeirion on water.
ST-PAUL-DE-VENCE : this
medieval perched village was built inland to avoid Saracen attack,
its hidden beauty was discovered in the 1920s by artists such as
Modigliani. The village remains a magnet to artists and its winding
streets are full of galleries and studios, the local museum houses a
superb photographic gallery of the many celebrity visitors over the
years. If funds allow, stay or dine at The Colombe d’Or (Golden
Dove) and gaze at originals by Matisse and Picasso – this auberge
has built up one of the finest 20th-century art
collections from works given in lieu of payment! Just outside the
village is Fondation Maeght – one of the world’s best modern art
galleries with works by Miro, Chagall, Giacometti and Braque.
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FOOD:
bouillabaisse - a fish soup consisting of monkfish, mullet, snapper,
conger eel and rascasse with tomatoes, saffron and olive oil; the
broth is served with croutons which should be spread with rouille (a
spicy mayonnaise), pissaladière (a provençal pizza), salade niçoise,
lamb from the salt marshes of the Camargue, Daube de boeuf (beef in
red wine from the Camargue) Ratatouille (a vegetable stew cooked
with olive oil, herbs and garlic) Aïoli (garlic mayonnaise) Socca (a
pancake made with chickpea flour, olive oil and pepper), Soupe (or
pasta) au pistou (sauce of basil, garlic and olive oil), figs from
Marseille, citrus fruits from Menton, melon from Cavaillon, olives,
olive oil.
DRINK:
the sun-baked stones found among the vines of the southern Rhône
retain the day’s heat and give it out during the night. These
natural storage heaters help produce intense, spicy red wines, the
best of which is God’s representative on earth Châteauneuf du Pape.
Reds from other named Côtes du Rhône villages can, from certain
vignerons, be nearly as good, try Gigondas and Vacqueyras. The
Mediterranean coast offers a range of lighter fruity wines including
splendid dry whites from Cassis and rosés from Bandol (vin gris) –
the latter also produces some robust long-lived reds. The Côtes du
Lubéron produce some excellent reds and whites, while Muscat de
Baumes de Venise (a vin doux naturel or naturally sweet wine) is
actually a fortified white wine - delicious as a chilled apéritif,
with dessert or as an after-dinner liqueur. And don’t forget pastis,
the traditional aniseed-flavoured spirit served as a long drink –
watch as it turns milky when ice and water are added for your
apéritif.
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EVENTS & FESTIVALS:
Cannes Film
Festival (May); Grand Prix de Monaco (May);
Monte-Carlo Rally (January); Nice Carnival (the 2
weekends leading up to Mardi Gras (Shrove Tuesday) - colourful
costumed processions with flower-decked floats and confetti battles,
all-night parties and balls in hotels and public venues; Open
Tennis Championships (Monte-Carlo); Festival d’Art Lyrique
(Aix-en-Provence, June and July) open-air classical music and opera
staged in the courtyard of the Archbishop’s Palace; Festival
d’Avignon (July) the papal city hosts the largest arts festival
in France celebrating theatre, music, dance and film. The fringe
style ‘Avignon Public Off’ brings over 500 events to over 100
venues; Chorégies d’Orange (all July) Orange’s open-air opera
season is staged in the accoustically perfect Roman theatre;
Festival International de la Danse (Cannes, biennial November)
contemporary dance and ballet; Les Rencontres Internationales de
la Photographie (Arles, July); Bullfighting (Arles &
Nimes, Easter to September) the provençal corrida or bullfight
merely involves unfixing a cockade from the bull’s horns, make sure
it is not a Spanish style mise à mort contest; Les
Journées Médiévales (Entrevaux, biennial August) in 2006 the
town will be en fête with 16th- and 17th-
century music; Le Festival de Musique (Menton, all August)
chamber music in the square; Festival de la Navigation de
Plaisance (Cannes, September) annual meet for yachts from around
the world; jazz festivals in Nice, Juan-les-Pins and Toulon
(July); Fête de la St-Marc wine contest (Châteauneuf du Pape,
April); Fête du Vent (Marseille, September) the skies are
a-flutter with kites from around the world; Festival du Cirque
(Monaco, end of Jan) circus shows from around the globe; Fête
du Prince (Monaco, 19 Nov) the Principality celebrates its
national day with a firework display over the harbour; Fête de
St-Jean (June 24) and Bastille Day (July 14) are feted
throughout the region with spectacular firework displays – just
choose your backdrop. Oh and for football lovers there are two top
teams: Olympic Marseille and Monaco!
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SKIING:
just one hour away from the coast, there are more than 20 skiing
resorts set in the breathtaking scenery of the Alpes d’Azur. The
three principal resorts are Auron, Isola 2000 and
Valberg (see below). The après- ski includes
ice-skating, snowmobiles, horse-driven buggy rides (in Auron and
Isola 2000) and Alpine specialities like melted cheese raclette
and vin chaud. Oh, and night skiing (in Isola 2000 and Valberg)! We
recommend Isola 2000 as the resort with the best mix of access to
the slopes and après-ski activities – these include an aquatic
centre with sauna and Jacuzzi.
AURON
Altitude: 1,600m – 2,100m
Location:
97 km from Nice via RN 202 & D 2205
Ski Runs:
5 black, 14 red, 13 blue, 4 green
Ski Lifts:
23 including 8 chair lifts and 3 cable cars
Tel: 04 93
23 02 66 or alternatively visit:
http://www.j2ski.com/ski_resorts/France/Auron.html
ISOLA 2000
Altitude:
1,800m – 2,610m
Location:
90km from Nice via RN202, D 2205 & D97
Ski Runs:
5 black, 16 red, 18 blue, 7 green
Ski Lifts: 23 including
10
chairlifts, a cable car and Funicular railway
Tel: 04 93
23 15 15 or alternatively visit:
http://www.j2ski.com/ski_resorts/France/Isola_2000.html
VALBERG
Altitude:
1,470m – 2,100m
Location:
81km from Nice via RN202, CD28, CD202 & CD30
Ski Runs:
12 black, 22 red, 13 blue, 11 green
Ski Lifts:
26 including 6 chair lifts
Tel: 04 93
23 24 25 or alternatively visit:
http://www.valberg.com/index.php?&&_lang=GB&alias=home
For further
information contact Ski France, Tel: 04 147 42 23 32 or visit
www.skifrance.fr
In summer Auron and Isola 2000 offer walking, swimming, cycling, horse-riding
and other activities under the aegis of the Parc National du
Mercantour.
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DEPARTMENTS:
Alpes-Maritimes (includes the Côte d’Azur), Alpes-de-Haute-Provence,
Hautes-Alpes, Bouches-du-Rhone, Var, Vaucluse
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TRANSPORT
LINKS:
By Air:
Nice-Côte
d’Azur, Marseilles-Provence, Avignon-Caumont and
Nimes-Arles-Camargue airports. Nice-Côte d’Azur International
Airport is the second busiest in France and only 8km from the centre
of Nice. Terminal 1 is for international flights and in arrivals you
will find 2A Services (Accueil Affaires) with multi-lingual
hostesses who can make arrangements for business travellers. Tel: 04
93 21 45 15 or visit
www.niceairport.fr
By Road:
from Calais there is an autoroute (motorway) all the way to Provence
and the Côte d’Azur. To avoid congestion around Paris, it is best to
take the A26/A5/A31 route and then rejoin the A6 just north of
Dijon. Calais to Nice is around 1220km and will take around 11 hours
to drive – don’t forget there are motorway tolls. If what you see on
the way is more important than journey time, then take the excellent
toll-free N (national) and D (departmental) roads and stop off (and
stop over) where your fancy takes you. For Eurotunnel and Motorail
services see ‘By Train’ below. For traffic conditions in peak season
(especially 14th July and 15th August) consult
www.bison-fute.equipement.gov.fr
Car Ferries:
now overtaken in
popularity by Eurotunnel (see below) the cosy conspiracy of
Dover-Calais ferry operators has been rocked by the advent of
Speedferries who, at the time of writing, are offering
Dover-Boulogne single fares from £25 for a car and 6 occupants. See
www.speedferries.com. Their somewhat miffed rivals can be
consoled on
www.hoverspeed.co.uk ,
www.POferries.com and
www.seafrance.com.
Longer
crossings for ports in Normandy and Brittany are more expensive but
allow you the time to put your feet up, or even get your head down.
For services from Portsmouth to St-Malo, Cherbourg, Caen and Le
Havre contact
www.brittany-ferries.com or
www.POferries.com; and from Newhaven to Dieppe try
www.hoverspeed.co.uk or P&O.
By Train:
drivers can take Le
Shuttle across the channel with Eurotunnel’s 4 roll-on, roll-off
crossings an hour. Folkestone to Calais/Coquelles takes just 35
minutes and you exit straight onto the motorway (see
www.eurotunnel.com). With Motorail you can board the train with
your car at Calais and arrive in Avignon or Nice as fresh as a daisy
(see
www.frenchmotorail.com and
www.railsavers.com).
Rail passengers
without a car can take Eurostar from London Waterloo to Paris or
Lille. Then change to an SNCF (French national railways) TGV (Train
à Grande Vitesse) and travel direct to Avignon, Marseille, St-Raphaël
or Nice. See
www.eurostar.com and
www.sncf.fr.
For travel on
other intercity (Grandes Lignes) or regional (TER) trains contact
the Rail Europe Travel Centre in Piccadilly on 08705 848848 or at
www.raileurope.co.uk
By Coach:
Avignon and Nîmes are served six times a week in summer and the Côte
d’Azur three times a week with a change of coach in Lyons. Contact
National Express at
www.nationalexpress.com .
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Please
contact us to make your recommendations, additions or corrections.
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