Today's admirers know not to miss the Côte d'Azur's textbook points of interest: animated St-Tropez; the Belle Époque aura of Cannes; the towns made famous by Picasso—Antibes, Vallauris, Mougins; the urban charms of Nice; and a number of spots where the per-capita population of billionaires must be among the highest on the planet: Cap d'Antibes, Villefranche-sur-Mer, and Monaco.
What many know as the French Riviera the French call the Côte d'Azur, an area that stretches about 40 miles, from Cannes to Menton, famous as the ultimate destination for the well-heeled and the jet set. Still pumping since its heyday in 1950s and '60s, it pulses with lavish casinos, gorgeous hotels, spectacular drives, huge beaches, and a bevy of nightlife and gourmet restaurants in which to see and be seen. The region easily lives up to its world-class reputation, if at a steep price.
Encompassing Cannes, St. Tropez, Nice, and Monte Carlo, the French Riviera contains such celebrity haunts as the Cannes Film Festival and the Monaco Grand Prix. Majestic, historic hotels like Hotel Martinez and Hotel Beau Rivage in Nice rival any hotel the world over, and a visit to celeb haunts like Zelo's, a restaurant and lounge overlooking the super-yachts of Monaco's harbor, will make you feel like a bona fide movie star.
Beyond the glitz and glamour is the lesser-known arrière pays, or backcountry, filled with Provençal terracotta towns and arts and crafts galore, many perched atop hills with stunning views (there's the town of Grasse for perfume, Vallauris for pottery, and so on). The dramatic red rock spires of Massif de l'Estérel west of Cannes, world-class windsurfing spots like The Trench at St. Maries de la Mer, and the beautiful Bay of Bandol will prove that the Côte d'Azur is much more than beautifully bronzed people on a beach.
The perfect sunshine in the area has attracted artists for centuries, and museums in the area are dedicated to the works of Chagall, Matisse, and Cocteau. In winter, the mistral wind can makes things a bit chilly, but for most of the year the perfect climate makes for an undisputed vacation paradise with all of the natural and manmade trappings any heart could desire.
And if you want more sunshsine visit the Pampelonne beach. This famous beach area is actually one long stretch of sand over several miles and is split into many different sections accessed by several different roads. It's on the other side of the headland just a few miles from St. Tropez, and it's studded with some of St. Tropez's most legendary drinking and dining haunts. The Plage de Tahiti is one of the more chic spots on Pampelonne, where the decked-out hop off their yachts moored offshore. Naturalists, on the other hand, get back to basics by letting it all hang out at the aptly named Plage de la Liberté, a nudist beach on Pampelonne's northern end. Strong winds and seaweed can dampen some of the beachgoing experience, but the southern areas toward Cap Camarat can be quiet and even wild at times. You can't say you've been to the beach in St. Tropez without checking out Pampelonne.
