Berlitz Pocket Guide French Riviera (Travel Guide eBook)

By Berlitz Publishing

Berlitz Pocket Guides: iconic style, a bestselling brand, this is the quintessential pocket-sized travel guide to the French Riviera, and now comes with a bi-lingual dictionary Plan your trip, plan perfect days and discover how to get around - this pocket-sized guide with new bi-lingual dictionary is a convenient, quick-reference companion to discovering what to do and see in the French Riviera, from top attractions like Cannes, Monaco, Monte Carlo and Vieux Nice, to hidden gems, including Grasse's perfume factories and the canals of Port-Grimaud. This will save you time, and enhance your exploration of this thrilling region. - Compact, concise, and packed with essential information, this is an iconic on-the-move companion when you're exploring the French Riviera - Covers Top Ten Attractions and Perfect Day itinerary suggestions, including the Plage de Pampelonne in St Tropez, Matisse's Chapelle du Rosaire, modernist Villa Noailles and the impressive Massif d'Esterel
Nifty new bi-lingual dictionary section makes this the perfect portable package for short trip travellers
Includes an insightful overview of landscape, history and culture - Handy colour maps on the inside cover flaps will help you find your way around - Essential practical information on everything from Eating Out to Getting Around - Inspirational colour photography throughout - Sharp design and colour-coded sections make for an engaging reading experience About Berlitz: Berlitz draws on years of travel and language expertise to bring you a wide range of travel and language products, including travel guides, maps, phrase books, language-learning courses, dictionaries and kids' language products.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Insight Guides
• Release date: Nov 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781785731655

Book preview

How To Use This E-Book

Getting Around the e-Book

This Pocket Guide e-book is designed to give you inspiration and planning advice for your visit to French Riviera, and is also the perfect on-the-ground companion for your trip.

The guide begins with our selection of Top 10 Attractions, plus a Perfect Itinerary feature to help you plan unmissable experiences. The Introduction and History chapters paint a vivid cultural portrait of French Riviera, and the Where to Go chapter gives a complete guide to all the sights worth visiting. You will find ideas for activities in the What to Do section, while the Eating Out chapter describes the local cuisine and gives listings of the best restaurants. The Travel Tips offer practical information to help you plan your trip. Finally, there are carefully selected hotel listings.

In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

Maps

All key attractions and sights in French Riviera are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map], tap once to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.

Images

You’ll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of French Riviera. Simply double-tap an image to see it in full-screen.

About Berlitz Pocket Guides

The Berlitz story began in 1877 when Maximilian Berlitz devised his revolutionary method of language learning. More than 130 years later, Berlitz is a household name, famed not only for language schools but also as a provider of best-selling language and travel guides.

Our wide-ranging travel products – printed travel guides and phrase books, as well as apps and ebooks – offer all the information you need for a perfect trip, and are regularly updated by our team of expert local authors. Their practical emphasis means they are perfect for use on the ground. Wherever you’re going – whether it’s on a short break, the trip of a lifetime, a cruise or a business trip – we offer the ideal guide for your needs.

Our Berlitz Pocket Guides are the perfect choice if you need reliable, concise information in a handy format. We provide amazing value for money – these guides may be small, but they are packed with information. No wonder they have sold more than 45 million copies worldwide.

© 2018 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd

Table of Contents

French Riviera’s Top 10 Attractions

Top Attraction #1

Top Attraction #2

Top Attraction #3

Top Attraction #4

Top Attraction #5

Top Attraction #6

Top Attraction #7

Top Attraction #8

Top Attraction #9

Top Attraction #10

A Perfect Tour of the French Riviera

Introduction

The lie of the land

The people

The Riviera today

A Brief History

The Dark Ages

Counts of Provence

French rule

Wars and revolutions

Napoleon in the south

The 20th century and beyond

Historical landmarks

Where To Go

Nice

Promenade des Anglais

Vieux Nice

Le Château and the harbour

Cimiez

Nice excursions

The Corniches

Corniche Inférieure

Grande Corniche

Moyenne Corniche

Menton

Menton excursions

Monaco

Monte Carlo

Le Rocher

Nice to Cannes

Cagnes-sur-Mer and Villeneuve-Loubet

St-Paul-de-Vence

Vence

Antibes and Juan-les-Pins

Vallauris and Biot

Grasse

Continuing inland

Cannes

La Croisette

Old town

Iles de Lérins

Cannes’ environs

The Estérel

Corniche d’Or

St-Raphaël

Fréjus

Côte des Maures

St-Tropez

The port

Old town

The beaches

St-Tropez Peninsula and the Maures

Corniche des Maures

Hyères

Iles d’Hyères

Toulon

What To Do

Shopping

Markets

What to buy

Sports and activities

Entertainment

Children

Calendar of events

Eating Out

When to eat

What to eat

Soup and salad

Fish

Meat and poultry

Pasta and vegetables

Cheese and dessert

Quick snacks

Apéritifs and wine

Reading the Menu

To help you order ...

... and read the menu

Restaurants

Antibes

Biot

Bormes-les-Mimosas

Cagnes-sur-Mer

Cannes

Grimaud

Hyères

Le Lavandou

Menton

Monaco

Mougins

Nice

St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat

St-Raphaël

St-Tropez

Toulon

La Turbie

Vence

A–Z Travel Tips

A

Accommodation (See also Camping, Youth hostels and the list of Recommended hotels )

Airports

B

Budgeting for your trip

C

Camping

Car hire (see also Driving)

Climate

Clothing

Crime and safety (See also Emergencies and Police)

D

Disabled travellers

Driving (See also Car hire)

E

Electricity

Embassies and consulates

Emergencies (see also Police)

G

Getting there (see also Airports)

Guides and tours

H

Health and medical care (See also Emergencies)

L

Language

LGBTQ travellers

M

Maps

Media

Money

O

Opening times

P

Police

Post offices

Public holidays

R

Religion

T

Telephones

Time zones

Tipping

Toilets

Tourist information

Transport

V

Visas and entry requirements

W

Websites and internet access

Recommended Hotels

Antibes

Bormes-les-Mimosas

Cannes

La Croix Valmer

Eze

Fréjus

Grimaud

Hyères

Iles d’Hyères

Juan-les-Pins

Menton

Monaco

Mougins

Nice

Plan-de-la-Tour

Ramatuelle

St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat

St-Paul-de-Vence

St-Raphaël

St-Tropez

Ste-Maxime

Toulon

Le Trayas

Vence

Villefranche-sur-Mer

Dictionary

English–French

French–English

French Riviera’s Top 10 Attractions

Top Attraction #1

SuperStock

Musée Jean Cocteau Collection Séverin Wunderman

New museum in Menton celebrating the work of the avant-garde writer, artist and film-maker. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #2

iStock

Plage de Pampelonne

Miles of sand and great people-watching in St-Tropez. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #3

Shutterstock

Fondation Maeght

Beautiful presentation of world-class modern paintings and sculpture in St-Paul-de-Vence. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #4

iStock

Cannes

Serious glamour at the home of the world-famous film festival. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #5

Alamy

Domaine du Rayol

Mediterranean gardens overhang the sea. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #6

iStock

Monaco

Gambling at the casino is far from the only attraction in the principality. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #7

SuperStock

Chapelle du Rosaire

Go to Vence to witness Matisse’s spiritual testimony in fluid lines and stained glass. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #8

Shutterstock

Massif d’Estérel

An impressive landscape and a distinctive coastal route. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #9

iStock

Vieux Nice

An atmospheric Italianate old town. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #10

Villa Noailles/Olivier Amsellem

Villa Noailles

Hyères is home to Mallet-Stevens’ Modernist architectural masterpiece. For more information, click here.

A Perfect Tour of the French Riviera

Day 1

City life

In Nice, stroll along the promenade des Anglais then wander through the narrow streets of the old town, checking out the market in cours Saleya. Buy a pan bagnat for lunch before heading up the hill to the château for a picnic with great views. Catch a bus to the Musée Matisse for an afternoon visit.

Day 2

Paradise found

Take a bus or train from Nice to Villefranche-sur-Mer to see the Cocteau-painted Chapelle St-Pierre and the old town’s covered medieval streets. Walk along the coastal path to Cap Ferrat then visit Villa Ephrussi’s lovely gardens, before relaxing on Paloma Beach.

Day 3

Monaco

The best way to get from Nice to Monaco is by train (20 mins). Stroll along Port Hercule to reach place du Casino and the opera house. Enjoy a drink or lunch in the Café de Paris , then flex your credit card in Le Métropole Shopping Center or catch a bus up to see the Palais Princier.

Day 4

Antibes and Grasse

After spending the night at Mas Djoliba , amble through the old town of Antibes and visit the Musée Picasso. Marvel at the size of the superyachts in the port before catching a bus inland to Grasse to sniff around the Musée International de la Parfumerie. A locally grown rose or jasmine scent purchased from Fragonard, Molinard or Galimard makes an ideal souvenir.

Day 5

A-list activities

Take the bus or train to Cannes, explore Forville market then stroll along the Croisette admiring the private beaches and luxury hotels. Indulge in a spot of shopping on rue d’Antibes then break for lunch at Aux Bons Enfants . Catch a ferry over to one of the Iles de Lérins and drink in the views back over the coast.

Day 6

Roman around

After taking the train to St-Raphaël, catch a bus or taxi to Fréjus and check into Hôtel L’Arena . Visit the Roman arena and archaeology museum before hiring a bike to explore the Estérel hills.

Day 7

St-Tropez

Hop on a ferry from St-Raphaël or Ste-Maxime to St-Tropez, then enjoy a port-side coffee in Le Senequier before admiring the paintings in Musée de l’Annonciade. Spend the afternoon soaking up the sun on one of the public or private beaches on the Ramatuelle peninsula, before catching the train from St-Raphaël to Toulon and continuing on the bus to Hyères.

Day 8

Hyères

Explore the old town of Hyères, including the triangular garden at Villa Noailles. Book a windsurfing lesson on the Giens peninsula or take the boat over to Ile de Porquerolles to ramble through the pines and eucalyptus trees, and picnic on the Caribbean-esque Plage d’Argent.

Introduction

The French Riviera, Côte d’Azur, South of France – call it what you will – this, for more than a hundred years, has been one of the world’s most idealised travel destinations. Written about, discussed at length, painted and photographed, it has as much glamour, prestige, charisma and wealth as any other coastline.

Real-estate values equal any in Europe, if not the world, and with good reason. Parts of the Riviera may have become overdeveloped, overcrowded and overexposed, but the area is not overrated. The setting is as beautiful as ever, and it still has an undeniable magic and inimitable appeal.

The French Riviera conjures up images of azure skies and brilliant-blue seas, the perfect backdrop for palatial villas and exotic gardens. In decades gone by, this was a millionaire’s playground, a private holiday-land for the rich, royal and famous. Princes and gambling rakes, society hostesses and Hollywood film stars, authors and artists came here to see and be seen.

The lie of the land

Strictly speaking, the French Riviera is a very specific, limited area, extending from Cannes to Menton. In real terms, however, it includes everything from Toulon in the west to the Italian frontier in the east, including much of the mountainous hinterland. In fact, the French don’t call this area the Riviera at all. They’re more likely to say the ‘Côte d’Azur’, often taken to mean the whole of the Var and Alpes-Maritimes départements, part of the larger PACA (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur) administrative region, or the vaguer ‘le Midi’, designating the whole of the south.

The famous lavender fields of Provence

Wadey James/Apa Publication

However it is designated, this corner of France encompasses a truly entrancing panorama of ever-changing landscapes, with sun-baked beaches, elegant resorts, historic towns and picturesque ports. The traveller can also discover precipitous cliffs and craggy outcrops, secret bays and hidden inlets, wild, unexplored mountains and arid hillsides, vineyards, cypresses and silvery olive groves, medieval villages perched on hillsides, and ancient churches. Its past is charged with daring and adventure; today’s traveller will find that even with the advent of long-haul flights and auto­routes, certain corners of the Riviera are still well away from the tourist circuit. To savour fully the way of life here, try sitting in a small-town square, relaxing to the sound of gurgling fountains and watching the locals go about their daily business.

Artists’ mecca

Given the bright colours and the quality of the light, it’s no wonder that many artists have gravitated to the south. Monet, Matisse, Renoir, Bonnard, Signac, Chagall and Picasso are just a few who have celebrated the French Riviera in their work.

Beach fronting the Promenade des Anglais, Nice

Sylvaine Poitau/Apa Publications

There is twice as much sunshine here as in Paris, even if out of season the climate is not always perfect. Winter has its share of cool or cold days, and there are often spectacular