Soaking up the Sunshine on the Cote D’Azur

If sun is what you desire, the South of France, particularly the Cote D’Azur is every sunbather’s dream. The Cote D’Azur is one of the sunniest places in France and not only has beaches to soak up the sun, but also plenty of culture and other activities, such as well-curate museums, visiting the lively markets or small towns that each have their own individual charm. A good place to start in the Cote D’Azur is Nice. Nice is the capital of the Cote D’Azur and is the ideal place to have lodging for one’s getaway on the Cote D’Azur. Nice’s airport has planes from many popular airplane hubs in Europe as well as it’s train and bus station has connections to the rest of Europe. Nice by itself, offers plenty of activities to keep one occupied.

Some must-do activities are: Taking a stroll on the Promenade de Anglais, picking up produce and antiques at the popular market on Cours Saleya, watching the world go by the Red Italianate buildings at Place Massena, exploring Vieux Nice with a cone of the famous Fennochio’s ice cream, or seeing famous modern art by the likes of Chagall, Matisse and Yves Klein at the well curated museums in the city. From Nice, it’s very easy to explore other areas of the Cote D’Azur either by car, train, or bus. Bus is most likely the cheapest option as trips as far west as Cannes and at other end, as far east as Monaco, cost just a euro one-way. The train is slightly more expensive but provides breathtaking views of the region from the comfortable seats of the TER trains.

With a car, one can reach the lesser-known areas in the Cote D’Azur such the Bellet wine appellation, does not have much access with public transportation. With this in mind, daytrips from Nice are very easy to execute. One must-see town is Cannes, known for it’s star-studded annual film festival as well as the yacht show that is held annually in the late summer. Cannes has arguably some of the best shopping and yacht spotting in the area. Another town that is great for a daytrip is Antibes. Antibes can be seen from the coastline from the Nice as it juts out on a peninsula with its neighboring town, Golfe Juan. Antibes is known for it’s elegant squares and picturesque streets that are dotted with boutiques, cafés, pubs and restaurants. Another main draw to Antibes is its Picasso museum, which houses lesser-known works by the world-famous artist that greatly influenced the direction of modern art during the 20th century. The nearby Juan-Les-Pins is just as lively as it’s neighbor with its charming promenade and beach as well as some of the liveliest nightlife found on the Cote D’Azur.