Hotels French Riviera, France - Hotel Booking

Visit THE FRENCH RIVIERA

 

ANTIBES-JUAN-LES-PINS

• Archaeology Museum. This museum sits atop the Promenade Amiral de Grasse in the old Bastion St Andre, a 17th century fortress. The museum's collection focuses on the classical history of Antibes. Many artifacts, sculptures and amphorae found in local digs and shipwrecks from the harbour are displayed here. The views of the sea and mountains from the promenade are also spectacular.
• Naval Museum of Napoleon. Housed in a 17th century stone fort and tower, this museum presents a collection of Napoleonic memorabilia, paintings and naval models. Several wall paintings show historic moments in Napoleon's reign and there are also pieces of his clothing such as one of the hats he once wore.
• Picasso Museum. This museum houses one of the world's greatest Picasso collections: 24 paintings, 44 drawings, 32 lithographs, 11 oils on paper, 80 pieces of ceramics, 2 sculptures and 5 tapestries.
• La Tour Museum. This small museum in the centre of town brings the contemporary history of Antibes to life through its exhibit of costumes, tools, photographs and other objects used by the local people.
• Absinthe Museum. From its basement location within the Roman foundations of Old Antibes, the Absinthe Museum is a must-see for any visitor to Antibes. The owners and their staff are happy to talk you through the process and teach you to appreciate the distinctly green liqueur like a fine wine.

 

BIOT

Biot is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in south-eastern France. It is located near Antibes, between Cannes and Villeneuve-Loubet. It is situated on the top of a hill overlooking the Mediterranean.

Biot was a pottery centre from the beginning of the 16th century until the 18th century. In the middle of the 20th century, Biot once again became famous for its decorative pottery and glasswork.

Today, Biot is well known for its glassblowers and bubble glass products. Eloi Monod started the village's glass-blowing tradition. The Fernand Léger museum stands at the foot of the village.

 

CANNES

• Old town. The usual narrow winding streets filled with restaurants and souvenir shops. The view from the castle ruins at the top is excellent.
• Covered Market. For a spectacular eating and viewing food experience, no other market in Cannes beats this for scale and variety. The market itself is at the west end of rue Meynardiers, one of the Cote's best gourmand streets.
• Palais des Festivals. Down La Croisette is the famous Palais des Festivals, where stars of the screen gather and watch films screened during the festival. Irresistible not to pose for a photograph on the 22 steps leading up to the entrance.
• Port. Admire the yachts of the rich and possibly famous - though true mega-yachts will be found at the International Yacht Club down the coast in Antibes.
• La Croisette. Cannes catwalk beside the sea, it is the center of the city's tourist activity and known for its luxury hotels and boutique shops.
• Beaches. The beaches are mostly private. The public beaches are crowded, and are found at the far east and west of town. If you want a quieter beach, a better option is to go to the Îles de Lérins. At night the beaches can be tranquil, but watch out for spectacular fireworks displays in the bay, get to the beach early to get a good spot!
• Îles de Lérins. Two islands in the bay that are definitely worth visiting. The smaller is Ste Honorat, which has a monastery and ruined castle. The monks sell monastery-made food/drink products like wine which make unique souvenirs. The larger island is Ste Marguerite which also has a castle, shops, bars, and restaurants. Find a quiet cove, some shade from palm trees, and a cheap snorkel before you swim around the rocky coves.
• Notre-Dame d'Esperance. Provençal Gothic church with wood paneling dating back to the 14th and 15th century. Also worth a look is the collection of 19th century paintings, which includes a fresco by George Roux that portrays the baptism of Christ. The church is situated on top of Suquet hill in old Cannes, the church offers visitors a fabulous view of the town and its bay.
• Tour du Masque. 9, rue du Mont Chevalier. A popular attraction for history and literary buffs, the Tour du Masque is said to be haunted by the ghost of the mythical,mysterious figure known as the "Man in the Iron Mask."   

 

EZE

Èze has been described as an “eagle's nest” because of its location overlooking a high cliff located 427m above sea level on the French Mediterranean. The high elevation enables the village and the light ochre church within (Notre Dame de l’Assomption built in 1764) to be seen from afar.

 

GRASSE

Grasse's main attraction is the Cathedral, dedicated to Notre Dame du Puy and founded in the 11th century. In the interior, are three works by Rubens and one by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, a French painter native of the town.

Other sights include:

• Saracen Tower, standing at 30 m.
• Monumental gate of the Hôtel de ville.
• Fragonard Museum, established in 1921.
• International Museum of Perfume
• Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Provence
• Church of Placassier, built in 1644 
   

There are numerous old 'parfumeries' in Grasse such as Molinard, Fragonard, Galimard each with tours and a museum.

 

MENTON

Menton is famous for its gardens, including the Jardin Serre de la Madone, the Jardin botanique exotique de Menton ("Le Val Rahmeh"), the Fontana Rosa, and the Maria Serena garden. Le Val Rahmeh was established in 1905 by Englishman Sir Percy Radcliffe, the first owner of the gardens, and named for his wife. Villa Fontana Rosa was built in 1922 by Blasco Ibáñez, a Spanish novelist, and the gardens of the villa are now open to the public.

The baroque basilica of Saint-Michel-Archange, with its bell-tower, was built in 1619 by the Genoese architect Lorenzo Lavagna.
The Musée Jean Cocteau is located in the Bastion of the port of Menton. The bastion, built overwater in 1636 as an advance defense for the port by the Princes of Monaco, is now located at the shoreline.
The wedding room at the Mairie (town hall) was painted in the 1950s by Jean Cocteau, transforming it into a giant work of art.
Menton is home to at least half a dozen beaches. 

 

MONACO

• The Prince's Palace of Monaco is the official residence of the Prince of Monaco. Founded in 1191 as a Genoese fortress, during its long and often dramatic history it has been bombarded and besieged by many foreign powers. Since the end of the 13th century, it has been the stronghold and home of the Grimaldi family who first captured it in 1297. 
• The Napoelonic History Museum and the Palace's Historical Archives Collection. This museum brings to life the history of the Principality with a rich collection of more than a thousand items and documents from the First Empire. 
• The Oceanographic Museum houses remarkable collections of various species of sea fauna (starfish, seahorses, turtles, jellyfish, crabs, lobsters, rays, sharks, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, eels, cuttlefish etc.) both stuffed and in skeletal form. The museum's holdings also include a great variety of sea related objects, including model ships, sea animal skeletons, tools, weapons, etc. An aquarium is housed in the basement of the museum which showcases a spectacular array of flora and fauna. 
• Saint Nicholas Cathedral, known also as Monaco Cathedral is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Monaco in Monaco-Ville, where many of the Grimaldis were buried, including Grace Kelly and more recently, Rainier III.
• Monaco Tops Cars Collection. Among the hundred or so vehicles belonging to the Prince of Monaco, visitors can discover 1903 De Dion Bouton, 1986 Lamborghini Countach or Citroën Torpedo from the Croisière Jaune (Yellow Expedition) The museum is situated at the Terrasses de Fontvieille.
• The Naval Museum. A collection of around 250 model boats tracing naval history from antiquity through to the present-day. Souvenir shop in the museum located at the Terrasses de Fontvieille.
• The Museum of Stamps and Coins presents the philatelic and numismatic collections of the crowned Princes, as both a historic and artistic testimony ti the technical and cultural development of the Principality. 
• The Exotic Garden and the Observatory Caves and the Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology. Laid out on the flanks of the rocky hillside, the Exotic Garden includes thousands of so-called "succulent" plant varieties which flower all year round. On the same site, visitors can also discover the Observatory Caves with their stalactites, stalagmites and lime concretions, or learn about mankind's early history at the Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology.
• The Monte-Carlo Casino. First among the great casinos, this masterpiece of arts from the Belle Epoque gave credibility to European Roulette. Opened in 1863, it has the most prestigious and complete range of table games providing a legendary style of gaming unique in the wolrd.

 

NICE

• The Promenade des Anglais ("Walk of the English") is a celebrated promenade along the Mediterranean at Nice. Before Nice was urbanized, the coast at Nice was just bordered by a deserted band of beach covered by large pebbles. The first houses were located on higher ground well away from the sea.
• Cours Saleya. In the past, it belonged to the upper classes. It probably is the most traditional square of the town, with its daily flower market. The Cours Saleya also opens on the Palais des Rois Sardes (Palace of the Kings of Sardinia). In the present, the court is mostly a place of entertainment. There are good restaurants serving typical Niçoise cuisine, markets and many pubs. It is no doubt one of the most active spots in Nice.
• The Russian Orthodox Cathedral is a national monument of France. It is the largest Russian Orthodox cathedral outside Russia. Since the mid-19th century, Russian nobility visited Nice and the French Riviera, following the fashion established decades earlier by the English upper class and nobility. 
• The Jardin botanique de la Ville de Nice (3.5 hectares) is a municipal botanical garden located at 78 avenue de la Corniche Fleurie. The garden was begun in 1983 with an initial planting of 100 species from the city's Musée d'Histoire Naturelle. The garden also contains a herbarium of some 6,000 species, with particular strength in phanerogams of the Mediterranean region and other Mediterranean climates, including Salvia, Phlomis, Astragalus, Cistaceae, and species cultivated in the garden.
• The Place Masséna is the main square of the city. Before the Paillon River was covered over, the Pont-Neuf was the only practicable way between the old town and the modern one. The recent rebuilding of the tramline gave the square back to the pedestrians, restoring its status as a real Mediterranean square. The Place Masséna is a two-minute walk from the Promenade des Anglais, old town, town centre, and Albert I Garden (Jardin Albert Ier).
• Place du Palais. As its name indicates, the place du palais is where the Palais de Justice (Law courts) of Nice is located. On this square, there also is the Palais Rusca, which also belongs to the justice department. The square is also notable due to the presence of the city clock. Nowadays, the Place du Palais is alive day and night.  

SAINT JEAN CAP FERRAT

   

• Paloma beach southeast of the port, on the north side small peninsula (St Hospice). Being on a northeast-facing shore and at the base of some tall cliffs, this beach is the most protected from winds, and has less sun in the afternoons.
• Passable beach is on the northwest side of the main peninsula, past the Office de Tourisme and past the zoo (parc zoologique). It's west-facing, with a view across the Rade de Villefranche.
• Cro de Peï Pin is the biggest beach, located just north of the port at the Anse Lilong (the bay between the main peninsula and the smaller Ste Hospice peninsula), facing eastward into the Baie des Fourmis and the Tête de Chien. There's a public parking lot alongside the beach.
• St Hospice. Go right up the lane from La Madone. At the end, turn right and follow the road up to the chapel. There's a very, very large bronze statue of the Madonna and Child , the early-19th century chapel, and a military cemetery for the 1914-18 war.
• The semaphore. A famous spot of Saint Jean Cap Ferrat is the semaphore, built in 1862 by decision of Napoleon III who wanted to equip the French littoral with a semaphoric chain. The goal was to ensure a monitoring of navigation, to transmit messages to the ships, to organize the helps in the event of maritime disasters, to take part in the first maritime meteorological observations.
• Port de Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. This is a small marina with 560 berths. It is very well-sheltered and quiet, located on the French Riviera. The surrounding is marvellous and you can have many services there. An exceptional port of call in the centre of a fishing village: illustrious, protected, set in a pedestrian environment. 
• Musée Île-de-France. The Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild (or Musée Île-de-France) is an Italian style villa was built between 1905 and 1912 of the Baronness Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild. It's a museum in itself (the building and furnishings) and has an enormous art collection. The villa grounds have an extensive set of 7 gardens.