 |
|
Menton : On this site you can find all information regarding : The Town Hall/Mayor's Office, Tourism; Hotels, Restaurants, Administrative Services, The Botanical Gardens, The Lemon Festival, The Jean Cocteau Museum, The Casino, The Port... Seven exceptional gardens, hectares of greenery, many urban parks and gardens, hundreds of exotic trees lining the streets and an abundance of floral arrangements, Menton is a pleasure to the eyes. clic here
Monaco Monte-Carlo : An independent sovereign state located between the foot of the Southern Alps and the Mediterranean , the Principality of Monaco borders on several French villages: La Turbie , et Roquebrune -Cap-Martin .
In ancient history, the Rock of Monaco was a shelter for primitive populations. history of Monaco itself really started in the 13th Century. On 10th June 1215, the Genoan family of the Gibelins laid the first stone of the castle, which is still today the Prince's Palace. To attract new inhabitants, the initial masters of the Rock offered advantageous conditions to newcomers : territorial concessions, tax exemption. For 700 years, the history of Monaco has been linked to that of the Grimaldi Dynasty which has celebrated in 1997, the anniversary of its accession to the Principality of Monaco.
Eze : An astonishing meeting of mountains and sea, Eze is spread over three levels: the corniches Discover the nature area of the grande corniche, 675m at its highest point overlooking the mediterranean sea and offering unique panoramas over the french Riviera.
Nice : Its worth taking the time to discover Nice in depth : wander at random through the narrow streets of the old town and then stroll along the famous Promenade before entering into the heart of the city with its rich architectural and cultural heritage and its parks and gardens. Nice has a total of 19 museums and galleries, 32 classified historical monuments and 300 ha of parks and gardens, woodland and green areas in addition to 150 ornamental lakes and fountains.
Antibes - Juan-Les-Pins : Antibes was a Greek fortified town named Antipolis in the 5th century BC, and later a Roman town, and always an active port for trading along the Mediterranean . Today it's an attractive and active town, popular with foreigners from Paris and the north of France , with non-French, and with the local population.
The natural beauty remains in the vieille ville (old town), with the ramparts along the sea and the long, arched protective wall along the port. There are plenty of little streets for exploring, restaurants of all types and prices, and lots of shops, from authentic little hardware/general-stores to tourist gift shops.
Antibes is the proper name of this ancient town, but it's commonly referred to as Antibes - Juan-les-Pins. The Juan-les-Pins part is a seaside resort and night-life area of sandy beaches, boutiques, night clubs and casino. The two places are close together, a good walk or short drive over the hill of the narrow part of the peninsula, or a longer and lovely drive around the coastline of the Cap d'Antibes
Cannes - Les_îles_de_Lérins : Cannes is the star of the French Riviera, famous for the International Film Festival and the glitzy hotels, cars, beaches and visitors attracted here. Although it's probably the opposite of the Beyond type villages of the arriére pays, it would be a shame to visit the South of France without experiencing the city for yourself. Film producers (yea, sure!) and starlets for the festival in May. Tourists year-round and crowds of tourists in the summer. Exotic people and real people, and plenty of poodles (it is France , after all). The yachts and cruise ships float in the blue water, and you can't always tell which is which by the size.
The city of Cannes is centered around the old port, with the central part quite compact. The famous Croisette is the boulevard and the beach that extends around the bay to the east of the port, in the protected Rade de Cannes. Out around the point at the west side of the port, the Boulevard Jean Hibert runs along the coast to the west, with even more fine sandy beaches. The Rue d'Antibes is the main street running east-west through the center of the city, becoming the Rue Félix Faure at the bottom end, past the Allée de la Liberté and the port. The Boulevard Carnot runs north out of the city, through residential-shopping areas, to the A8 autoroute , and inland towards Grasse .
St Paul de Vence : Once upon a time there stood an old village of ancient stone, shaped like a boat and known as Sant-Paou. It was so old that no one throughout the course of History, no person through the timeless ages could ever recall to mind its original walls. Maybe it was itself timeless, an isle of bliss when the seas of an ageless past beat around it boundaries and the hills and vales we know today lay deep beneath the waters that washed the slopes of the surrounding heights. Then one day, the old village reached out against the open sky at the top of a gentle hill, at the very heart of a vortex of hills, high waves of an ocean suddenly frozen still. Sant-Paou was born under its provençal name. André VERDET - extract from Saint-Paul de Vence et sa légende.
Vence : Vence , City of Art, is a lovely town sitting in the fresh air of the hills only a few km from Nice and Antibes . The town is full of flowers and, in the area around the town, aromatic flowers, olives and colorful orange trees are cultivated.The old town is still a tight, walled circle of medieval buildings, much as it appeared hundreds of years ago. Inside the walls, there are terrace cafés on the Place Clémenceau , with a view of the beautifully decorated church and the activity of this busy square. Outside the walls, near the Porte de Peyra , the terrace cafés beneath the plane trees facing the Place du Grand Jardin are great for sitting and watching even more activity.
Grasse :
Grasse , the perfume capital of the world, is a gateway town to Beyond . To the south, only 15 km away, is the city of Cannes with its yachts, fine-sand beaches and luxury shopping. To the east, about a 30-minute drive away, is Nice, with its international airport, pebble beaches and the bustle of a busy city. Turning inland from Grasse , at zero distance, you have the hills and forests and canyons and rivers of Beyond .
Grasse has been a popular tourist town for several centuries, with the smell of flowers and clear air. The altitude of the town, from 300- 400 m , and the hills behind give Grasse a fresher climate than the beach during the heat of the summer. Princess Pauline Bonaparte, the Emperor's sister, spent the winter of 1807- 08 in Grasse , recuperating her mental and physical strength. Queen Victoria vacationed through several winters in Grasse , staying at the Rothschild's or at the Grand Hotel. Napoléon himself passed through Grasse on 2 March 1815 , but didn't have time for vacationin |