French Riviera

Antibes-Pierre Behar

The Côte d’Azur is known worldwide thanks to the cinema, the atypical Monegasque court and its microclimate sheltered from the Mediterranean winds. Free of the Mistral and the Tramontana, the coast of the Var and the Alpes-Maritimes departments, it is one of the most glamorous coastal regions on the planet. From Hyéres in the Var, passing through Monaco, to the Italian border and San Remo.

Thanks to its geographical particularity, the Côte d’Azur enjoys an exceptional time and an almost excessive fame. Places like St-Tropez, Cannes, Nice or Monaco, apparently hardly deserve a presentation, because they are well known.

Monaco

In the 20th century, the Côte d’Azur had become a favorite destination for the aristocracy and bourgeoisie of northern Europe due to its mild climate, especially in winter. Important people often visited it, such as Winston Churchill, helping to popularize it among the British upper class, who knew it as the French Riviera. In World War II, the region was the scene of the Allied landing in Operation Anvil Dragoon. Being an important area, the French government created the administrative region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur to administer the coastline included by the Côte d’Azur and the departments of the interior mountainous territory of the Maritime Alps.

Sailing along the Côte d’Azur. The Côte d’Azur has 120 km of coastline, 40 km of beaches, capes, islands … that you can discover along different routes, as well as the possibility of practicing multiple activities, such as diving. The French Riviera has 33 marinas that will accommodate your sailboat, catamaran or yacht for rent, although in summer they are quite saturated. The weather is good on the Côte d’Azur and navigation is easy, and in the summer the winds are light, especially in the eastern part. Further west, near the Levant islands, there is a thermal breeze in the mornings that can reach 20 knots in the afternoon. The anchorages are numerous and, in general, well sheltered from the Mistral wind. Traffic is heavy in summer.

Saint Tropez

The Hyères Islands are a group of four islands on the outskirts of Hyères in the Var department, southeast of the European country of France, comprising Porquerolles, an extension of the Giens peninsula. Port-Cros, the most mountainous, a national park, which stands out for its rare flora and as a refuge for birds. Bagaud Island part of the same national park, and without access to the public. Levant Island primarily for military use, in part a nudist colony that focused on the privately owned village of Heliopolis.

Porquerolles

Gastronomy The bull and the horse appear regularly in French cuisine. It is a “daube” a meat stew cooked over a slow fire. The meat is cut into square pieces and seasoned with olive oil. To this are added vegetables, black olives, garlic and bacon, drizzled with abundant red wine which gives character to the stew. You can also find fillets of bull, roast bull, etc … Cassoulet or Cocido, Zarzuela, French adaptation of the Spanish dish. Brandade from Nimes, based on cod. Minerve de Nimes, very similar to the roscón de reyes…