The Côte d'Azur - A Great Place to Live and Play

The Côte d'Azur, often known in English as the French Riviera, is the Mediterranean coastline of the south eastern corner of France, extending from Menton near the Italian border in the east to either Hyères or Cassis in the west.

The French Riviera also contains the seaside resorts of Cannes, Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Cap-d'Ail, Fréjus, Saint-Raphaël, and Saint-Tropez, and surrounds the principality of Monaco, with a total population of over two million. It is also home to a high-tech/science park or technopole at Sophia-Antipolis and a research and technology center at the University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis - the region has 35,000 students, of whom 25% are working towards a doctorate.

The French Riviera is a major yachting centre, with marinas along its coast. According to the Côte d'Azur Economic Development Agency, each year the Riviera hosts 50% of the world's superyacht fleet, with 90% of all superyachts visiting the region's coast at least once in their lifetime.

As a tourist centre it benefits from 300 days of sunshine per year, 115 km of coastline and beaches, 18 golf courses, 14 ski resorts and 3,000 restaurants.

The principality of Monaco is one of the richest square miles on earth and the second smallest country in Europe. The most famous attraction is the casino, where huge fortunes have been won and lost over the years. Monaco also has an excellent museum of oceanography – with over 90 tanks, its one of the best in Europe.



The French Riviera conjures up mental photographs of beautiful beaches, stylish resorts, famous persons and fully appointed luxury yachts. This part of the French coast, which stretches between Toulon and the Italian border, is home to some of France’s most famous resorts and most beautiful beaches. During one of my visits to Cannes I found the beaches to be lovely and full of life. My travel companion and I were served buckets of champagne while entertaining ourselves with local citizens and others from various places around the globe.

We spent four nights at the InterContinental Carlton Cannes, the pampered indulgence was beyond even what friends had divulged in French conversation. The architecture was most intriguing for myself. The interior appointments gave me a sense of old world luxury, most new hotels lack today. Leaving was not my desire, although coming back made it all the more welcoming.



I would recommend buying a villa as a home away from home. The Côte d'Azur is still a delightful and beautiful place to live and certainly to play. I can still recall the aromatic breeze coming from the perfume shops around Monte Carlo.