9 Best Sights in France

The main nightlife activity in town is at the casino.

Occasionally you see high stakes on the tables at La Baule's casino.

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).

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.

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. 

At the glitzy Casino de Biarritz you can play the slots and blackjack or just chill while channeling your inner James Bond. It's open daily from 9 am until 4 am.

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.

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.