Road-trip on the Côte d’Azur
What do we call the Côte d'Azur?
The Côte d’Azur, an expression that we owe to Stephan Liegeard in his book “La Côte d’Azur”, published in 1887.
Since it is a non-administrative name, the Côte d’Azur has no indisputable definition. But it is agreed that the Côte d’Azur is the eastern part of the French Mediterranean coast, that is to say the major part of the Alpes-Maritimes department (Source: Wikipedia).
So, from one of our gîtes locations-06, you can easily set off to discover the Côte d’Azur. The Côte d’Azur, known worldwide for its very pleasant climate and its towns and villages, both on the coast and inland, will inspire you.
Leaving Bar sur Loup, I start my road trip by going to Nice to the flower market on Cours Saleya. It is classified by the National Council of Culinary Arts among the exceptional markets of France.
We discover the mythical Nice carnation and all the flavors and scents of Provence.
Then, we go into the small streets of this district that the people of Nice call “the babazouk”. It’s the Vieux-Nice. There, I like to go for a walk at Place Rosseti, enjoy the freshness of the streets, admire the buildings with their Italian-inspired ocher facades, go to Place St François to see the traditional fish market, then meditate at the Ste Réparate Cathedral .
At noon, I can take a break on one of the famous blue chairs on the Promenade des Anglais or the Quai des États-Unis and look out to sea while enjoying a slice of pissaladière bought from a merchant labeled “Cuisine Nissarde“, then a slice of chard pie (never as good as the one my grandfather from Nice, Odon Cleri, used to make).
Then, I take a detour to Port-Lympia and its colorful 18th century houses with Sardinian architecture.
Road-trip in Nice
Road-trip in Antibes
I then take my car to go to Antibes by the seaside road and Cagnes sur Mer, Villeneuve-Loubet and the famous Marina-Baie des Anges to arrive at the Fort Carré d’Antibes.
In Antibes, the 2nd city of the Alpes-Maritimes, I walk on the ramparts and admire the yachts in the harbor. I go to the Picasso museum then I tour Cap d’Antibes, so popular with billionaires.
Road-trip on the Côte d’Azur
In the second part of the day, I go to Cannes via Golfe-Juan.
Cannes, a city known throughout the world for its International Film Festival and the sandy beaches of the Croisette. I go up to Suquet, the old district of Cannes to admire the view of the bay of Cannes and the Croisette. To discover this panorama, I go up the old alleys so typical of Mediterranean architecture.
Then, to discover Cannes, I recommend the little tourist train which offers you a guided tour of everything you need to see in the heart of Cannes: the Croisette, the Majestic Hotel, the Palm-Beach, the casinos, the rue d’Antibes and its luxury boutiques (it seems that it is the largest concentration of luxury boutiques in the world).
Then, finally, I return to my gîte locations-06.
Road-trip in Cannes
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