Iconic and legendary, the famous French Riviera is a top destination for holidaymakers, nestled between the Alps, the Italian border and the Mediterranean Sea. Enjoying a mild and sunny climate all year round, this pleasant territory stretching along the Var and Alpes-Maritimes coast offers no shortage of sites to discover! Always popular with fans of sightseeing and sunbathing, the Côte d'Azur is famous the world over for its famous destinations like Cannes, Nice, Monaco and Saint-Tropez. The lively seaside resorts like Juan-les-Pins, Sainte-Maxime and Hyères, beautiful sandy or stony beaches, the wild creeks of the Estérel, prestigious Baroque heritage, and charming villages like Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Èze and Bormes-les-Mimosas, are among its many must-see attractions.
Another major destination in the region, the famous Provence, so highly prized by artists and lovers of old buildings, is always a byword for charm and the good life. With its peaceful hills where you can hear the crickets chirping, its wonderful fields of lavender and olive trees, its maquis scrubland fragrant with the scent of thyme and rosemary, its impressive Verdon gorges, exceptional calanques (rocky inlets), secluded creeks and sandy beaches, it has something to amaze every visitor. This sought-after land has many attractions, and you can't talk about Provence without mentioning the magnificent hillside villages of Luberon, the old city of the Avignon popes, the old town of Aix-en-Provence, the ancient arenas of Arles, the famous Sainte-Victoire mountain immortalised by the painter Paul Cézanne, the charming small town of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, the majestic citadel of Sisteron or the ceramics made in the picturesque village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie.
The PACA region also includes the Alps and therefore appeals to lovers of the mountains and outdoor activities, with its countless hiking paths weaving through Mercantour National Park, Le Queyras Regional Nature Park and Les Écrins National Park, its renowned ski resorts such as Serre Chevalier, Montgenèvre, La Foux d'Allos, Auron, Isola 2000 and Valberg, as well as the magnificent Lake Serre-Ponçon, a veritable sea in the mountains that's ideal for water sports!
Also popular for its tasty food and ancestral traditions, Provence-Alps-French Riviera clearly has everything a visitor could wish for, with its colourful markets and flavoursome specialities like olive oil, tapenade, tian, Sisteron lamb, Banon cheese, Cavaillon melon, Menton lemons, Calissons d'Aix biscuits and Provence honey.
