French Riviera: full tour of glamour, coast, lavender fields – Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France

EXPERIENCE

Discover the French Riviera on a 5-day tour from Nice. Visit the Old Port, Port Lympia, and circle Castle Hill. Explore the charming towns of Villefranche-sur-mer and Monaco. Take a walk in the midst of blue gold on the Chemin des Lavandes.

Day 1
Welcome to Nice, with its mild Mediterranean climate, clear air, and soft light. Meet and greet at the airport and make your way to the hotel. Visit Vieille Ville, with tall tenement houses lined up along narrow and shadowed streets, restaurants, shops, and the galleries of local artists.

Stroll through Cours Saleya, Place Massena, and Promenade des Anglais. Stop for dinner in one of the oldest and most traditional restaurants. Pass the Opera House and Patisserie Henri Auer – a chocolate and candied fruit workshop that has been operating here since 1820.

Day 2
Join an early morning yoga class. Visit the Old Port, Port Lympia, and circle Castle Hill. Depart for Monaco by train. Stop in Villefranche-sur-mer to discover quiet walkways, hidden streets, and ancient houses with old shutters and chalky paint.

Lunch in one of the fine restaurants line the wide promenade with tables on the water’s edge. Continue to Monte Carlo. Live some of the books and films, including the first James Bond novel, Casino Royale.

Visit the Casino de Monte Carlo, a unique experience. See the Place du Palais with 600m2 of unique frescoes that date back to the Italian Renaissance.

Day 3
Visit the Molinard perfume house. Participate in a workshop, where aspiring master perfumers are guided through the subtle science of building up a fragrance.

Day 4
Take a walk in the midst of blue gold on the Chemin des Lavandes. The trail is a 4-km walking loop which goes through the Provencal landscapes. An easy 1 hour and 40 minute-walk for all ages which gives an opportunity to find out a bit more about lavender with some notions of botany, culture and even distillation as the path goes through the biggest production area of true lavender in Europe.

Day 5
Visit the Massena Museum, the winter residence of Prince Essling, grandson of one of the greatest generals of Napoleon, André Masséna. Built in the years 1898 – 1901 in the Italian neoclassical style, it is today an example of an aristocratic house from the time of La Belle Époque.

Visit the Parc Phoenix, where Mediterranean citrus trees and date palms thrive in the seven-hectare grounds. This park and zoo is home to some 70 animal species, including lemurs and marmosets, small-clawed otters, wallabies, crocodiles, flamingos, and parrots.

HIGHLIGHTS

Discover the charming streets of Nice
Explore the Old Port, Port Lympia, and circle Castle Hill
Marvel at luxurious Monaco and artistic Cannes
Compose your signature scent
Glimpse the grand villa lifestyle

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