France + All Things French
Place Masséna, Nice
While the rest of France is cold and some regions are still covered in snow, festival fever breaks out on the French Riviera. There are three major festivals that warm up the winter days in the South of France in Nice, Menton and Mandelieu-la-Napoule.
Here's what you need to know about each of them so you can plan your next winter trip to the French Riviera to enjoy these hugely popular and artistic festivals.
Beaulieu-sur-Mer is a small pretty, seaside resort overlooking Baie des Fourmis on the French Riviera, just east of Nice and at the north-east end of the Cap Ferrat Peninsula. Beaulieu-sur-Mer is known simply as 'Beaulieu' by the locals and is one of the lesser visited towns on the Riviera.
Beaulieu-sur-Mer is charming with palm shaded roads, lush Mediterranean vegetation, sandy beaches, picturesque marinas and luxurious villas. It's a prestigious town and its real estate commands high prices. In fact, it's been recorded that the three towns of Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and Villefranche-sur-Mer (called the 'Golden Triangle') all fetch prices often only second to those reached in Paris.
Antibes, France
The French Riviera is a heavenly place to walk, and in particular the area between Nice and the Italian border is a favourite for walkers in this region of France. The many walks take visitors along the sparkling blue Mediterranean and past some of the richest real estate in the world. Susan McDonald is a regular visitor to this area and shares her favourite walks with us. The area has also been the inspiration for her book The Lost Children.
Finding the start of many coastal paths in the Riviera can be a challenge so thankfully many of them are signposted. One of the best walks is along the peninsula of Cap de Ferrat beginning on the Promenade Maurice Rouvier. Flat, paved and picturesque from the beach in Beaulieu, walk towards the tiny fishing village of St Jean Cap Ferrat. Along the way, a standout villa is the pink La Fleur du Cap which has been recently restored for $10 million. It was the home of Charlie Chaplin in the 1950's and more recently, it was a hideaway for Dodi Fayed during his time with Princess Diana. You'll get a romantic glimpse into a different world of affluence and be able to admire some seriously good gardening.
Villefranche-sur-Mer on the French Riviera is located between the bustling city of Nice and the uber-opulent Monaco and this 16th century working village is a paradise that our guest writer, Susan McDonald regularly visits and loves. In this post she shares why this commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, located south-west of the Principality of Monaco and just west of the French-Italian border is her favourite holiday escape and why you'll love it too!
Fête du Citron or Lemon Festival is an annual festival held in Menton, a town in the south east of France, that celebrates the humble lemon and orange fruits and with the festival being held for more than 87 years, the Fête du Citron is a festival with a long history.
The festival began in 1933 as a fruit show and has grown into an international event drawing 160,000 visitors annually. The lemons and oranges grown in Menton are called the fruits d’or (golden fruits). These special fruits d’or are celebrated every year during the Fête du Citron, from 16 February to 3 March.
