145 Best Sights in The French Riviera, France

If Nice's other chapels are jewel boxes, this is a barn. Broad, open, and ringing hollow after the intense concentration of sheer matter in the Miséricorde and Ste-Rita, it seems austere by comparison. That's only because the decoration is spread over a more expansive surface. If it's possible, this 17th-century Baroque chapel is even more theatrical and over-the-top than its peers. Angels throng in plaster and fresco, pillars spill over with extravagantly sculpted capitals, and from the pulpit (to the right, at the front) the crucifix is supported by a disembodied arm.

Augmenting the Atlantic City vibe of this modern pleasure port is the gingerbread-and-gilt dome of the neo-Byzantine Église Notre-Dame-de-la-Victoire, which watches over the yachts and cruise boats gliding into the port.

Next to the Museum of Archeology in the vieille ville (Old Town), the 12th-century Église San Rafeu (also known as Église St-Pierre-des-Templiers) is a miniature-scale Romanesque church. It was recently discovered that its foundations lie on top of two other churches dating from the Carolingian era (AD 800–888). Climb up the 129 steps of the 13th-century bell tower, the Tour San Rafeu, for 360-degree panoramic views, and snap away.

This serene Baroque structure at the foot of the château anchors the oldest church-parish in Nice. Built in 1405, it was here that Martin Luther preached in 1510 and Garibaldi was baptized in 1807.

This modest Baroque church, above Rue Obscure, contains a movingly realistic sculpture of Christ carved in fig wood by an anonymous 17th-century convict.

Built in 1782, this perfume factory is open to the public daily for free guided tours, and it has the best boutique: look for the Ma Fougassette (My Sweet Fougasse)—your home will have the wonderful scent of a Provence sweet, soft fougasse bread. Sign up for a do-it-yourself-perfume (DIYP) workshop for a more specialized memento of your visit.

Tracing its pedigree back to 1747, Galimard is one of the world's oldest perfume houses. Today, its factory is open to visitors 365 days a year, where for €58 you can create and name your own perfume in a two-hour workshop. They're held daily at 10, 2, and 4 in Galimard's Studio des Fragrances around the corner ( 5 rte. de Pegomas); for those with more time, try the Haute-Parfumerie workshops with your very own nez to accompany your creations and a decadent Champagne break.

Fréjus is graced with one of the most impressive religious monuments in Provence. The Groupe Épiscopal is made up of an early Gothic cathedral, a 5th-century Roman-style baptistery, and an early Gothic cloister, its gallery painted in sepia and earth tones with a phantasmagoric assortment of animals and biblical characters. Off the entrance and gift shop is a small museum of finds from Roman Fréjus, including a complete mosaic and a sculpture of a two-headed Hermès.

The 19th-century Italianate Hôtel de Ville conceals a treasure by painter Jean Cocteau: he decorated the Salle des Mariages (Marriage Room) with vibrant allegorical scenes. Today it is used for civil marriages.

Smaller and wilder than Ste-Marguerite, Île St-Honorat is home to an active monastery and the ruins of its 11th-century predecessor. The monks are more famous in the region for their nonreligious activity: manufacturing and selling a rather strong liqueur called Lérina. Retreats at the abbey's hôtellerie require a two-night minimum stay, and you must bring your own sheets and towels and obey the rule of silence (even during mealtime). There is no cost, but a donation of €45–€55 per night per person is welcome. There is Wi-Fi but only in a restricted area. There are no garbage cans on Île St-Honorat, so be prepared to take any trash you generate back with you to Cannes.

Along Promenade des Anglais, this luxurious garden stands over the delta of the River Paillon, underground since 1882. Every kind of flower and palm tree grows here, thrown into exotic relief by night illumination. Home base for many city festivals with its Théâtre de Verdure and also Ciné Prom in the summer, the garden is the starting point for Nice's Promenade du Paillon.

To fully experience the Riviera's heady hothouse exoticism, visit this glorious garden, established by botanist Gustave Thuret in 1856 as a testing ground for subtropical plants and trees. Thuret was responsible for introducing the palm tree, which forever changed the look of the French Riviera. On his death, the property was left to the Ministry of Agriculture, which continues to dabble in the introduction of exotic species. Tours from 90 minutes up to three hours can be reserved in advance.

Directly in front of the tourist office, the broad tropical Jardins Biovès stretches 2,600 feet across the breadth of the center, sandwiched between two avenues. Its symmetrical flower beds, exotic trees, sculptures, and fountains representing the spiritual heart of town are free to visit, except during the Fête du Citron, when they display giant sculptures constructed out of 15 tons of citrus fruit, and also at Christmas, when it has a more festive feel.

Via steel walkways, explore (by tour only) this half-acre archaeological crypt beneath Place Garibaldi. It contains the remains of a 14th-century tower and aqueduct that were razed by Louis XIV and only uncovered during excavations for Nice's tram system at the beginning of this century. The Centre du Patrimoine (Heritage Center) offers one-hour guided tours for up to 15 people, but you must reserve with them directly at 14 rue Jules-Gilly. The meeting point—Place Jacques Toja—is just off Place Garibaldi.  Wear "sensible shoes," as heels can't be worn in the crypt.

A block west of Rue Clémenceau, in a pretty house at the end of a typically Tropezien lane, the Butterfly Museum is a delightful place to spend an afternoon. Sweetly aflutter, the 35,000 specimens were a passion of late collector Dany Lartigue, the son of the famous photographer Jacques-Henri.

On the edge of town, follow the pink signs to La Verrerie de Biot, which has developed into something of a cult industry since its founding in the 1950s. Here you can observe the glassblowers at work; visit the extensive galleries of museum-quality glass art (which is of much better quality than the kitsch you find in the village shop windows); and start a collection of bubbled-glass goblets, cruets, or pitchers, just as Jackie Kennedy did when the rage first caught hold (she liked cobalt blue). Despite the extreme commercialism—there is a souvenir shop, an eco-museum, a boutique of home items, audio tours of the glassworks, a bar, and a restaurant—it's a one-of-a-kind artisanal industry, and the product is made before your eyes.

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.

To experience St-Tropez's natural beauty up close, consider walking parts of the sentier du littoral, or coastal path, around the peninsula and all the beaches to Cavalaire-sur-Mer. The 12½-km (7-mile) route to Tahiti Beach has longish stretches on sand beach and takes about 3½ hours. Leave from the Tour du Portalet or the Tour Vieille at the edge of the Quartier de la Ponche. Follow the footpath from Plage des Graniers along the beaches and cliffs overlooking the water, often with views toward the Estérel or out to the open sea.

At Tahiti Beach, you can walk the 3 km (2 miles, 50 minutes) back to town or continue another 5 km (3 miles, 90 minutes) along the Plage de Pampelonne to the Bonne Terasse Beach. From here it gets serious, with another 19 km (12 miles, 6 hours) to Cavalaire to complete the entire trail. But you'll need to plan ahead to catch one of the few buses back to St-Tropez. Otherwise, it's 18 km (11 miles) back to town.

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.

Dramatic forest scenery makes taking a drive west and northwest of St-Tropez (take the D98 toward Grimaud) along the D558 worthwhile even if you're not heading up to the A8. This is the Massif des Maures, named for the Moors who retreated here from the Battle of Poitiers in 732 and profited from its strong position over the sea. The largest forest area in the Var reaches an altitude of 2,560 feet. Some 26 villages share the Massif's borders and—amid vineyards and mushroom-shape parasol pines unique to the Mediterranean—crowd the highway (as do cyclists in spring). 

The forest is dark with thick cork oaks whose ancient trunks are girdled for cork every 10 years or so, leaving exposed a broad band of sienna brown. Looming even darker and thicker above are chestnut trees, cultivated for their thick, sweet nuts, which you are not allowed to gather from the forest floor, as signs from the growers' cooperative will warn. The best place to sample châtaignes—whether in doughnuts, beer, or the famous marrons glacés (candied chestnuts)—is at the festival held every October in Collobrières, aka the chestnut capital of the world.

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.

On the same quiet square as Église San Rafeu, this intimate museum has a fascinating collection of ancient amphorae gleaned from the shoals offshore, where centuries' worth of shipwrecks have accumulated. By studying this chronological progression of jars and the accompanying sketches, you can visualize the coast as it was in its heyday as a Greek and Roman shipping center. Take advantage of the temporary exhibitions held throughout the year (€4).

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 legacy of the artists who loved St-Tropez—including Signac, Matisse, Braque, Dufy, Vuillard, and Rouault—has been carefully preserved in this extraordinary museum, housed in a 14th-century chapel just inland from the southwest corner of the Vieux Port. Cutting-edge temporary exhibitions feature local talent and up-and-coming international artists, while works—from Impressionism to Expressionism—by established artists line the walls.

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).