Front Roe Travel Guide: The French Riviera
Aah, how I love the South of France! We’ve just spent our family’s summer holiday there and what a dream it’s been.
It’s where I used to go as a child so lots of nostalgia for me and so happy to see the little villages we used to visit in the Riviera really haven’t changed – amazing to see the same cafes, restaurants, boat rental places and even ice cream parlours – special to take the girls and recreate some memories.
Eat
We stayed in the hills near Mougins and our favourite restaurant for dinner was La Boheme in Mougins – they have incredible food and we loved the ambience.
La Colombe d’Or Hotel and Restaurant in St. Paul de Vence. Somewhere I have wanted to lunch for years! I snuck off to admire the art inside Picasso, Matisse, Miró… just hanging casually on the wall above the tables. Rumour has it the restaurant once took art as payment for meals from budding artists. Oh, & the food was fab too. Highly recommend it for a special lunch, and the village is very romantic, well worth the visit
Visit
Definitely wander through the Mougins main square and back streets as they’re full of charming little art galleries. This is where Picasso used to live! It was possible to visit his house until recently when a private owner bought it.
Cannes Old Town – is another must-visit, so charming! Climb up to the Église Notre-Dame d’Espérance church and then take a stroll along La Croisette. It’s showy but fun to see.
If you’re in the area you need to tour the Fragonard perfume factory in Grasse! It’s a journey into the traditional perfume-making process, from the raw materials to packaging the finished products. I also loved visiting the perfume museum, located inside the building so inspiring and interesting to see the world of perfume and its history from antiquity to today.
Of course, a flea market. In Valbonne, you’ll find it every Tuesday and Friday. There were so many beautifully embroidered antique linens, artisanal soaps and more.
Lastly, we took a boat ride to Les Îles de Lérins (Lérins Islands) where we visited the old monastery in Saint-Honorat, one of the islands and the castle where allegedly the real story of the man in the iron mask happened many centuries ago!
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xx,
