158 Best Sights in The French Riviera, France

On your way from the overpriced parking garages, you'll pass a Provençal scene played out with cinematic flair yet still authentic: the perpetual game of pétanque outside the Café de la Place. A sun-weathered pack of men (and it is overwhelmingly men) in caps, cardigans, and workers' blues—occasionally joined by a passing professional with tie and rolled-up sleeves—gathers under the massive plane trees and stands serene, silent, and intent to toss metal balls across the dusty square. Until his death, Yves Montand made regular appearances here, participating in this ultimate southern scenario. Note that although the café is the perfect place to people-watch, don't expect much in terms of food and service.

The famous Casino Barrière on La Croisette—open 10 am to 3 am (until 4 am on weekends and until 5 am during summer)—is said to draw more crowds to its slot machines than any other casino in France.

At this modern downtown recreation complex, the sea views through huge bay windows may distract you from the slot machines. The casino is open daily from 11 am to 2 am (4 am Friday and Saturday).

Looking out over the waterfront and catering to the city's many conventioneers, this casino has 150 slot and 30 video poker machines that operate daily 9 am–3 am (4 am on Saturday). The other games—English roulette, blackjack, and stud poker—however, don't open for play until 9 pm, and you'll need to show your passport. Le Café Barrière is open to the public and has a lovely terrace overlooking the port. 

In the 1920s and '30s, the swanky Palais de la Méditerranée drew performers like Charlie Chaplin and Edith Piaf. The establishment, however, lost its glory and, in 1990, everything but its swanky facades was demolished to accommodate new construction that included hotel rooms and restaurants as well the casino. Choose from 170 slot machines, 38 electric roulette tables, three blackjack tables, two English roulette tables, and an Ultimate Poker and Texas Hold'em table.

This glassed-in complex houses 75 slot machines, English roulette, and blackjack, which are played every night: the casino is open until 3 am (4 am on Saturday). There's also a panoramic beach restaurant.

At the east end of the promenade, near Hotel Suisse, there is both a large public beach and a private one, where the water is calm and clear (you can rent a lounger at the latter for about €25, with umbrella). The public beach is composed of large stones, which are more comfortable to walk on than pebbles. Jellyfish are also less of a problem in this corner due to the currents. Amenities: lifeguards (private beach, seasonal); showers. Best for: snorkeling; sunrise; sunset; swimming.

In the center of the Old Town, the Cathédrale de la Nativité de la Vierge was built in the 11th and 12th centuries on the site of a Roman military drilling field and is a hybrid of Romanesque and Baroque styles. The smallest cathedral in France, it has been expanded and altered many times over the centuries. Note the rostrum added in 1499—its choir stalls are carved with particularly vibrant and amusing scenes of daily life in the Middle Ages. In the baptistery is a ceramic mosaic of Moses in the bulrushes by Chagall.

On a cliff top overlook at the Old Town's edge, this Romanesque cathedral contains no fewer than three paintings by Rubens, a triptych by the famed 15th-century Provençal painter Louis Bréa, and Lavement des Pieds (The Washing of the Feet) by the young Fragonard. 

This magnificent Russian Orthodox cathedral was built in 1896 to accommodate the sizable population of Russian aristocrats who had adopted Nice as their winter home. This Byzantine fantasy is the largest of its kind outside the motherland, with six gold-leaf onion domes, rich ceramic mosaics on its facade, and extraordinary icons framed in silver and jewels. The benefactor was Nicholas II himself, whose family attended the inauguration in 1912. For six years the church was challenged over ownership, but in 2013 the French courts rejected a final appeal by ACOR, a niçois religious association that managed the property for 80 years. The Russian Archpriest rejoiced: "This ruling shows that it is history that has triumphed."

An ensemble of columns, cupolas, and symmetrical ornaments dominates the Vieille Ville, flanked by an 18th-century bell tower and glossy ceramic-tile dome. The cathedral's interior, completely restored to a bright palette of ocher, golds, and rusts, has elaborate plasterwork and decorative frescoes on every surface.

Set in a former presbytery in the heart of the village, this municipal photography museum looks "to support artistic creation through exhibitions, publications, and artist residencies." There's a bookshop on the main floor and two stories for temporary exhibitions.

This eccentric chapel was the last designed by Jean Cocteau as part of an artists' colony that never came to be. It's an octagon built around a glass atrium and is embellished with stained glass and frescoes depicting the mythology of the first Crusades. Above the front door, note the tongue-in-cheek painting of the apostles—it features the faces of Coco Chanel, Jean Marais, and poet Max Jacob.

Just above Basilique St-Michel, the smaller Chapelle de l'Immaculée-Conception (aka Pénitents Blancs) answers the main church's grand gesture with its own pure baroque beauty. The sanctuary, dating from 1687, is typically closed to the public; however, on Wednesday between 2:30 pm and 3:15 pm, you can try and slip in to see the graceful trompe l'oeil over the altar and the ornate gilt lanterns early penitents carried in processions.

A superbly balanced pièce-montée (wedding cake) of half-domes and cupolas, this chapel is decorated within an inch of its life with frescoes, faux marble, gilt, and crystal chandeliers. A magnificent altarpiece by Renaissance painter Ludivico Brea crowns the ensemble. Visits are limited to 2:30 to 5:30 pm on Tuesday.

Jean-Michel Folon had a deep affection for the town of St-Paul-de-Vence, where he befriended artists such as César, so it seems fitting that the decoration of its 17th-century Chapelle des Pénitents Blanc was one of the Belgian artist's last projects before his death in 2005. The overwhelming sensations as you enter the chapel are of peace and clarity: eight oil paintings in pastel colors by Folon collaborator Michel Lefebvre line the walls on either side and four stained-glass windows reinforce the themes of generosity and freedom. Sculptures take the place of the traditional altar and font, and the back wall is covered with a mosaic of the town made up of more than 1 million pieces. The chapel demonstrates the versatility of this artist and reflects the town's ability to celebrate its past while keeping an eye on the future. The tourist office can arrange for a 50-minute visite of the chapel in English (€8.50) from Tuesday to Friday, but you'll need to reserve in advance.

Moustiers was founded as a monastery in the 5th century, but it was in the Middle Ages that the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Beauvoir (first known as d'Entreroches, or "between rocks") became an important pilgrimage site. You and other pilgrims can still climb the steep cobbled switchbacks, passing modern stations-of-the-cross panels in Moustiers faience. From the porch of the 12th-century church, remodeled in the 16th century, you can look over the roofs of the village to the green valley, a patchwork of olive groves and red-tiled farmhouse roofs. The forerunner of the star that swings in the wind over the village was first hung, it is said, by a crusader grateful for his release from Saracen prison. It takes about 20 minutes to climb the 262 steps, but remember, what goes up must come down—these worn stone steps yield little traction, so be careful.

Nearly hidden in the hillside and entered by an obscure side door, the grand Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-la-Protection, with its Italianate bell tower, was first built in the 14th century after the fortress had been destroyed; as a hedge against further invasion, they placed this plea for Mary's protection at the village edge. In 1936, the curé (priest) discovered traces of fresco under the bubbling plaster; a full stripping revealed that every inch of the apse had been decorated with scenes of the life of the Virgin and Jesus, roughly executed late in the 16th century. From the chapel's porch are sweeping sea views. Even if it's closed when you stop by (renovations are ongoing), be sure to note the trompe-l'oeil "shadows" delightfully painted on the bell tower portal.

Officially known as the Église de l'Annonciation, this 17th-century Carmelite chapel is a classic example of pure Niçoise Baroque, from its sculpted door to its extravagant marble work and the florid symmetry of its arches and cupolas.

So enamored was Jean Cocteau of this painterly fishing port that he decorated the 14th-century Chapelle St-Pierre with images from the life of St. Peter and dedicated it to the village's fishermen.

Looming over the sea at Pointe des Pendus (Hanged Man's Point), the Château de la Napoule is a spectacularly bizarre hybrid of Romanesque, Gothic, Moroccan, and Hollywood styles cooked up by the eccentric American sculptor Henry Clews (1876–1937). Working with his architect wife, Clews transformed the 14th-century bastion into something that suited his personal tastes and then filled the place with his own fantastical sculptures. The couple reside in their tombs in the tower crypt, its windows left slightly ajar to permit their souls to escape and allow them to "return at eventide as sprites and dance upon the windowsill." Today, the château's foundation hosts visiting writers and artists, who set to work surrounded by Clews's gargoyle-ish sculptures.

Crowning Haut-de-Cagnes is the squat, crenellated Château-Museé—an imposing fortress with banners flying from its square watchtower—that was built in 1310 by the Grimaldis (Prince Albert of Monaco's family) and reinforced over the centuries. You are welcomed inside by a grand balustraded stairway and triangular Renaissance courtyard with a triple row of classical arcades infinitely more graceful than the exterior. Beyond lie vaulted medieval chambers, a vast Renaissance fireplace, and a splendid 17th-century trompe-l'oeil fresco of the fall of Phaëthon from his sun chariot.

The château also contains three highly specialized museums: the Musée de l'Olivier (Olive Tree Museum), which highlights the history and cultivation of this Provençal mainstay; the obscure and eccentric Collection Suzy-Solidor, a group of portraits of the cabaret chanteuse painted by her artist friends, including Cocteau and Dufy; and the Musée d'Art Moderne Méditerranéen (Mediterranean Museum of Modern Art), which contains paintings by some of the 20th-century devotees of the Côte d'Azur, including Chagall, Cocteau, and Dufy. If you've climbed this far, continue to the tower and look over the coastline, just as the guards once did while on the lookout for Saracens.

This solemn cluster of white tombs looms prominently over the city below, providing a serene or macabre detail of daily life, depending on your mood. Under Nice's blue skies, the gleaming white marble and Italian mix of melodrama and exuberance in the decorations, dedications, photo portraits, and sculptures are somehow oddly life-affirming. Founded in 1783, there are 2,800 graves here—with prominent names like Jellinek-Mercedes and Leroux—in three sections, to this day segregating Catholics, Protestants, and Jews.

High above the Parvis St-Michel, the Cimetière du Vieux-Château lies on the terraced plateau where once stood a medieval castle. The Victorian graves here are arranged by nationality, with an entire section dedicated to Russian royalty. The birth and death dates often attest to the ugly truth: even Menton's balmy climate couldn't reverse the ravages of tuberculosis.

Head up Rue de la Citadelle to these 16th-century ramparts, which stand in a lovely hilltop park offering a fantastic view of the town and the sea. Amid today's bathing suit–clad sun worshippers it's hard to imagine St-Tropez as a military outpost, but inside the Citadelle's dungeon, the modern Musée de l'Histoire Maritime Tropézienne (St-Tropez Maritime Museum) is a stirring homage to those who served the nation.

Restored to perfect condition, the stalwart 16th-century Citadelle St-Elme anchors the harbor with its broad, sloping stone walls. Beyond its drawbridge lie the city's administrative offices and a group of minor gallery-museums, with a smattering of works by Picasso and Miró. Whether or not you stop into these private collections (all free of charge), you're welcome to stroll around the inner grounds and circle the imposing exterior.

While Cap Ferrat's villas are, for the most part, sequestered in the depths of tropical gardens, you can nonetheless walk its entire coastline promenade if you strike out from the port. From the restaurant Capitaine Cook, cut right up Avenue des Fossés, turn right on Avenue Vignon, and follow Chemin de la Carrière. The 11-km (7-mile) walk passes through lush flora and, on the west side, follows white cliffs buffeted by waves.

When you've traced the full outline of the peninsula, veer up Chemin du Roy past the fabulous gardens of the Villa des Cèdres, owned by King Leopold II of Belgium at the turn of the last century. Indeed, the king owned several opulent estates along the French Riviera, undoubtedly paid for by his enslavement of the Belgian Congo. Past the gardens, you can access the Plage de Passable, from which you cut back across the peninsula's wrist.

A shorter 4-km (2.5-mile) loop takes you from town, around the peninsula out to the Pointe de St-Hospice. Other than the occasional yacht, all traces of civilization disappear, and the water is a dizzying blue. From the port, climb Avenue Jean Mermoz to Plage de Paloma (a celebrity hotspot offering the region's best swimming), and then follow the pedestrian path closest to the waterfront. Around halfway, take the path up toward Chapelle Sainte Hospice, an 11th-century chapel with an imposing bronze statue of The Virgin. Head back down to the coastal path to trek around a wooded area, toward Plage des Fossettes, and back into town. You'll stumble on reasonably priced cafés, pizzerias, and ice-cream parlors along the port promenade. A supermarket and public toilets are handily located there, too.

The Promenade Maurice Rouvier, which runs along the eastern edge of the peninsula, is a lovely paved walk and will take you all the way to Beaulieu-sur-mer in 25 minutes.

East of the Promenade, past the port and La Réserve restaurant and a few steps below street level, is one of Nice's quieter strands, with very clear water, few tourists (locals tend to spread their towels here), and hardly any jellyfish. The catch? The beach is more slabs of rock than sand, and the coastline here is exposed to wind. Many fish move about below, making this an excellent place for snorkeling. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards (seasonal); parking (street); showers. Best for: snorkeling; solitude; swimming.

Although nothing remains of the once-massive medieval stronghold but a few ruins left after its 1706 dismantling, the name château still applies to this high plateau-like park, from which you can take in extraordinary views of the Baie des Anges, the length of Promenade des Anglais, and the red-ocher roofs of the Old Town. Children can blow off energy at the playground, while you enjoy a picnic with panoramic views and a bit of shade. You can also partake in the Communist party's annual Fête du Chateau in June or try yoga or one of the exercise bootcamps available throughout the year. It's 213 steps to the top or you can use the free elevator next to the Hotel Suisse; alternatively, ascend the hill slower from the port side, near Place Garibaldi, which is a more gentle climb.

To visit old Antibes, stroll the Cours Masséna, where every day from 6 am to 1 pm (except Monday September–May) a sheltered Provençal market tempts you with lemons, olives, and hand-stuffed sausages. Here both vendors and shoppers take breaks in the shoebox cafés flanking one side. Painters, sculptors, and other artists take over at 3 pm every day (except Monday mid-June–September and Friday, Saturday, and Sunday October–mid-June). From Port Vauban, you'll find the cours by passing through an arched gateway beneath the ramparts and following Rue Aubernon to the old Portail de l'Orme, built of quarried Roman stone and enlarged in the Middle Ages.