110 Best Sights in Nice and the Eastern Cote d'Azur, The French Riviera

Renovated to the tune of €5 million, Le Ruhl is the biggest "machine park" on the Côte d'Azur luring in the summer vacationers and the winter convention crowd with vivid colors and fiber-optic lighting. Some flock into the hushed gaming room for poker and blackjack; others try their luck at one of the 282 slot and 36 electronic English roulette machines.

Climb up Rue St-Antoine into the picturesque Vieille Ville neighborhood known as Le Suquet, on the site of the original Roman castrum. Shops here proffer Provençal goods, and the atmospheric cafés provide a place to catch your breath. The pretty pastel shutters, Gothic stonework, and narrow passageways (not to mention the views) are lovely distractions. In July, you can hear young musicians perform free open-air concerts in the Place de la Castre during the Jeunes Talents festival.

Between the lively pedestrian Rue St-Michel and the waterfront, the marvelous Marché Couvert (Les Halles) is considered one of the best (but pricey) food markets in France. Its Belle Époque facade is decorated in jewel-tone ceramics, and it's equally colorful and appealing inside, where, each day, some 30 merchants sell homemade bread (one gluten-free) and mountains of cheese, oils, fruit, and Italian delicacies daily (be sure to try the local dish, barbbajuans, a fritter stuffed with Swiss chard and ricotta). On Saturday, there is a clothing market outside at Place Fornari. Across from the market, the Italian Café Sini sells to-die-for apricot croissants and mouthwatering pizzas.

Opened in 1934, this market still draws the chefs, connoisseurs, and voyeurs of Cannes every morning (except Monday, when there's a flea market). You'll see showy displays of still-flipping fish from some 25 local boats alongside glossy local vegetables piled high; cheeses carried down from the mountains; and sausages, olives, charcuterie, oysters, and flower stands. The whole scene gets hosed down by 1 pm, so don't linger too long over breakfast. The nearby Café de l'Horlage ( 7 rue du Marché Forville) is a good spot to relax after browsing.

Established in 1849, Molinard offers an extensive tour that includes visits to the Soap Factory, the Distillery (witness "the nose" at work concocting new fragrances), and the Cream Room, where the packaging team hand-labels each bottle or pump. For €30—and without a reservation—you can create your perfume in a few basic steps (20 minutes).

This fully functioning monastery is worth the pilgrimage. You can find a lovely garden, replanted along the lines of the original 16th-century layout; the Musée Franciscain, a didactic museum tracing the history of the Franciscan order; and a 15th-century church containing three works of remarkable power and elegance by Bréa.

Promenade Amiral-de-Grasse—a marvelous spot for pondering the mountains and tides—leads directly to the Bastion St-André, a squat Vauban fortress that now houses the Musée Archéologie. In its glory days, this 17th-century stronghold sheltered a garrison; the bread oven is still visible in the vaulted central hall. The museum collection focuses on Antibes's classical history, displaying amphorae and sculptures found in local digs as well as in shipwrecks from the harbor.

Next to the Musée Matisse, this museum has a large collection of objects extracted from digs around the Roman city of Cemenelum, which flourished from the 1st to the 5th centuries. Among the fascinating ruins are an amphitheater, frigidarium, gymnasium, baths, and sewage trenches, some dating from the 3rd century. It's best to avoid midday visits on warm days.

Just up from the Fragonard perfumery, the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Provence is open daily and has a large collection of faience from the region, including works from the famous pottery towns of Moustiers, Biot, and Vallauris.

The only museum of culinary art in France is a shrine to the great chef Auguste Escoffier (1846–1935). The epitome of 19th-century culinary extravagance and revered by the French as much as Joan of Arc and De Gaulle, Escoffier was the founding father of the school of haute cuisine Calvin Trillin calls "stuff-stuff-with-heavy," where ingredients are stripped, simmered, stuffed, sauced, and generally intervened with, sometimes beyond recognition. His was the school of food as sculpture—the famous pièces montées, wedding-cake spires of spun sugar—and menus of staggering length and complexity. He wowed 'em at the Ritz in Paris and the Savoy and Carlton in London and is a point of reference for every modern chef—if only as a foil for rebellion. In his birthplace, you'll view illustrations of his creations and a collection of fantastical menus, including one featuring the meat of zoo animals killed in the war of 1870. There are paid guided tours, as well as English-language audio guides (€3).

This complex is famous for reputedly being the prison of the Man in the Iron Mask. Inside, you can see his cell and hear his story. The truth of his captivity is not certain; however, it is true that many Huguenots were confined here during Louis XIV's religious scourges. You'll also find a Roman boat dating from the 1st century BC and a collection of amphorae and pottery recovered from ancient shipwrecks.

During the digging for the foundation of a building in 1966, the shovels uncovered the remains of a temporary settlement once used by elephant hunters thousands of years ago. Now the site is a museum with models and other displays—including one with an actual human footprint, calcified in the sand—that reconstruct the ancient beach-camp known as Terra Amata (Beloved Land). Films explain the lifestyle of what are among the oldest known inhabitants of Europe. Recorded commentaries and the museum's app are available in English.

Originally built for a member of Nice's Old Russian community, the Princess Kotschoubey, this Italianate mansion is a Belle Époque wedding cake, replete with one of the grandest staircases on the coast. After the richissime American James Thompson took over and the last glittering ball was held here, the villa was bought by the municipality as a museum in the 1920s. Unfortunately, many of the period features were sold, but in their place are paintings by Degas, Boudin, Monet, Sisley, Dufy, and Jules Chéret, whose posters of winking damselles distill all the joie of the Belle Époque. From the Hôtel Negresco area, the museum is about a 15-minute walk up a gentle hill; guided tours in English can be arranged.

Housed in an 11th-century château atop a hill, this museum has a wonderful collection of weaponry, artifacts, art, and antiques. There are temporary exhibitions here, as well, and, over the next few years, the museum will be modernized for the first time in its 40-year history. The imposing four-sided Tour du Suquet (Suquet Tower) and its 109 steps were built in 1385 as a lookout against Saracen-led invasions.

With its soaring structure of steel, glass, and teak, the MIP has long been one of the more sleekly spectacular museums along the coast. The contemporary design relies on color-coding to easily trace the 3,000-year history of perfume making (highlights include a fascinating collection of 4,000 antique perfume bottles). Artist contributions, like the "Eye Nose You" project that lets you discover details of the scented body through a photographic lens, add a living dimension to the museum.

This spectacular Belle Époque villa houses the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire (Museum of Art and History), where familiar paintings from French, Italian, and Dutch masters line the walls. Be sure to see the palace gardens, set with towering palm trees, a marble bust of the handsome General Masséna, and the Jardin de la Légion d’Honneur (a memorial to victims of the July 14 tragedy), all backdropped by the ornate trim of the Hôtel Negresco; this is one of Nice's most imposing oases.

Inaugurated in 1973, this museum has one of the finest permanent collections of Chagall's (1887–1985) late works. Superbly displayed, 17 vast canvases depict biblical themes, each in emphatic, joyous colors. Chamber music and classical concert series also take place here, though extra admission fees may apply. Bus stops outside.

In the late 1940s, Picasso settled here in a simple stone house, "le château de Vallauris"—the former priory of the Abbaye de Lérins and one of the rare Renaissance buildings in the region—creating pottery art from the malleable local clay with a single-minded passion. But he returned to painting in 1952 to create one of his masterworks in the château's Romanesque chapel: the vast multipanel oil-on-wood composition called La Guerre et la Paix (War and Peace). Today the chapel is part of the Musée National Picasso, where several of Picasso's ceramic pieces are displayed.

After staying in various places up and down the coast, Auguste Renoir (1841–1919) settled into a house in Les Collettes, just east of the Vieille Ville, which is now the Musée Renoir. He passed the last 12 years of his life here, painting the landscape around him; working in bronze; and rolling his wheelchair through the luxuriant garden tiered with roses, citrus groves, and spectacular olive trees. Today, you can view this sweet and melancholic villa, preserved by Renoir's children, and admire 15 of his last paintings and 30 sculptures. Although up a steep hill, Les Collettes is just a 10-minute walk from Place du Général-du-Gaulle in central Cagnes-Ville. Alternatively, you can take the free No. 45 shuttle in July and August. Speaking of summer, there are guided tours in English (€3) Wednesday through Sunday.

To find Picasso's final home, where he lived for 12 years until 1973, follow the D35 south of Mougins 2 km (1 mile) to the ancient ecclesiastical site of Notre-Dame-de-Vie. From his room, Picasso could see the 13th-century bell tower and arcaded chapel, a pretty ensemble once immortalized in a painting by Winston Churchill. The chapel, listed as a historical monument since 1927, is said to date from 1655. Approached through an allée of ancient cypresses, the former priory house Picasso shared with his wife, Jacqueline, overlooks the broad bowl of the countryside (now blighted with modern construction). Unfortunately, his residence was bought by a private investor and is now closed to the public.

Pick up a map at the tourist office in the Palais des Festivals, the building that sets the scene for the famous Cannes Film Festival. As you leave the information center, head to your right to see the 24 red-carpeted stairs that A-listers ascend every year. Set into the surrounding pavement, the Chemin des Étoiles (Stars' Walk) enshrines some 150 autographed hand imprints—including those of Depardieu, Streep, and Stallone (the clay imprints are sent to a potter in Vallauris, before being cast in metal in Rhône). From October to April, the Palais hosts music, theater, dance, and comedy performances for surprisingly reasonable prices. And hey, If you forget to snap your own red-carpet moment, the Palais has a special Instagram filter ( www.instagram.com/ar/555964202082615) to "awaken your inner star." 

A listed heritage building, this palace was built in 1648 for Jean-Baptiste Lascaris-Vintimille, marechal to the Duke of Savoy. The magnificent vaulted staircase, with its massive stone balustrade and niches filled with classical gods, is surpassed in grandeur only by the Flemish tapestries (after Rubens) and the extraordinary trompe-l'oeil fresco depicting the fall of Phaëthon. With a little luck, you'll be in time for one of the many classical concerts performed here. Note, however, that the building has no elevator.

Up a set of grand tiered stairs that lead from the Quai Bonaparte, the Parvis St-Michel is a broad plaza paved in some 250,000 round white and gray stones patterned in the coat of arms of the Grimaldi family. The plaza was created in the 17th century by Prince Honoré II; the letter H is incorporated into the design as a kind of signature at the base of his great gift to the city.

You can sample a little of what draws famous people to this part of the world by walking up Chemin de Calvaire from the Plage de la Salis in Antibes—a distance of about 1 km (½ mile) via a challenging pathway—and taking in the extraordinary views from the hill surmounted by this old phare (lighthouse). You can also climb all 114 steps to the top. Next to the lighthouse, the 16th-century double chapel of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garoupe contains ex-votos and statues of the Virgin, all in memory of and for the protection of sailors. Reward your trek with a drink or a meal at the Bistrot du Curé next door.

Below the central cluster of museums and perfumeries, the picturesque Place aux Aires is lined with 17th- and 18th-century houses and their arcades. Every Saturday morning there's a small market selling produce and spices (the bigger market happens Wednesday 8–1, at Place du Cours Honoré Cresp).

Right by the market, the pretty little Place aux Herbes is a picturesque spot for a pause on a park bench, a drink, or a restaurant meal in the deep shade of the plane trees.

Just a couple of blocks east of the train station along Rue Jean Jaurès, you can pick up fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as clothes, shoes, belts, and bags at the city's second covered market that's a little less upscale than the Marché Forville. While in the neighborhood, visit the nearby Asian and kosher shops, or stop in for one of the creamiest cappuccinos this side of Italy at Volupté ( 32 rue Hoche Closed Sun.).

Surrounded by grand vaulted arcades stuccoed in rich yellow, this square could have been airlifted out of Turin. In the center, the shrinelike fountain sculpture of Garibaldi seems to be surveying you as you stroll under the very attractive arcades and lounge in the surrounding cafés. Les Artisanales, the market for local crafts (jewelry, ceramics, leather goods, clothes, accessories) sets up the first Sunday of the month (9–7), and an antiques market takes place on the third Saturday of every month (7–5). Behind Place Garibaldi is the so-called Antique Quarter, with important antiques stores and emporiums like the Puces de Nice along the streets Antoine-Gautier, Emmanuel-Philibert, Catherine-Ségurane, Martin-Seytour, and Foresta.

As Cours Saleya is the heart of the Vieille Ville, so this impressive and broad square is the heart of the entire city. It's framed by early-17th-century, Italian-style arcaded buildings, their facades stuccoed in rich red ocher. The lively and boisterous space hosts an event—from Carnaval to the Christmas market—at least once a month, and Promenade du Paillon runs through it. Nespresso has a boutique here if you need a free coffee to perk you up.

Not far from the Commune quarter, the Old Town invites you to explore its streets lined by a mix of shops, galleries, restaurants, and bakeries. Aim to wind up on Place Nationale, the site of the Roman forum. It's a pleasant place for a drink under the hackberry trees, which allow for the right amount of shade in summer and sunshine in winter.