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Visit Cote d'Azur

Sightseeing in Cote d'Azur

Visit Cote d'Azur

When you go to Southern France,
you must not miss 'Cote d'Azur' as well as Provence.
This is not only for French people but a world famous resort
which has attracted a lot of well-known painters.

Nice
The center of 'Cote d'Azur' is 'Nice'.
The long arc-shaped coast is beautiful.
But it doesn't seem to be a good place for sea bathing
because the beach is not sandy but gravelly.

It is pleasant to walk along the coast called
'Promenade des Anglais'
which means Promenade for English people.
If you are tired of walking
you can drop in a cafe
and have a cup of coffee
looking the beautiful coast.

It is a good idea to visit ateliers of the painters or museums as follows.

Atelier of the painter and museum
In Nice, there are Chagal Museum and Matisse Museum.
Chagal is famous for the fantastic paintings expressed the world of dream,
but here you find mainly religious paintings.
He painted the episode from the Bible with the vivid blue paint.
There is a special room to appreciate calmly his stained glass works.

In Antibes, 'Chateau Grimaldi'
where Pablo Picasso stayed is now a museum of Picasso.

In Cagnes-sur-Mer, you find an atelier of Auguste Renoir.
He lived here in his last days.

Monaco
Monaco is the second smallest coutry in the world
where about 30,000 people live, but it has different aspects.
You don't have to go through the passport control to enter in this country.

Monacoville area is on the cliff top Monaco

where you find 'Palais Princier'
and Cathedral where you find
the grave of ex-princess Grace Kelly.
You can enjoy the breathtaking view
of the lower town
from the Palais Princier.

In Monte-Carlo area, there are gorgeous hotels and Casino.
This is the center of the society in Monaco.
If you are interested in the car race,
it is exciting to follow the course of F1 Grand Prix.

Eagle's nest villages
There are a lot of small villages on the hill which appear like eagle's nest.
In this hilly area facing to the ocean,
people used to build the village on the hill to protect them from the enemy.
And now, these villages attract not the enemy but a lot of tourists.

Eze

My favorite village is Eze.
If you walk from the SNCF train station,
you have to climb up the steep slope,
but the view from the top is really breathtaking.
You can look down the microscopic view
of the town below your eyes.
The contrast between the town and the ocean
is very impressive.

Another charm of Eze is the intricate small street
in the old town.
If you walk on the narrow stone road,
you may feel like time-slipped.

It is fun to walk around the small town of St-Paul de Vence.
You will find many galeries and shops on both sides of narrow stone street.
The time just flies by if you have a look at pretty shops.