Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
If all the olive groves around Provence have inspired your curiosity, head 15km southeast of Foraclaquier to Volx, where this intriguing eco-museum…
Must-see attractions in Provence & the Côte d'Azur
St-Tropez
Yachts line the harbour (as their uniformed crews diligently scrub them) and visitors stroll the quays at the picturesque old port. In front of the sable…
Gorges du Verdon
This hillside chapel sits high above Castellane at an altitude of 903m, wedged into a cleft between the mountains and offering a panoramic view across the…
Menton
From place du Cap a ramp leads to southern France's grandest Baroque church, the 17th-century Italianate Basilique St-Michel Archange. Its olive green and…
Aix-en-Provence
Cézanne’s last studio, where he worked from 1902 until his death four years later, has been painstakingly preserved. Some elements have been recreated:…
Côte d'Azur
This museum explores the work of the artist Fernand Léger, whose interests ranged from cubism to architecture, society and cinema, and whose bold use of…
Jardin de la Serre de la Madone
Menton
Beautiful if slightly unkempt, this garden was designed by American botanist Lawrence Johnston. He planted dozens of rare plants picked up from his…
The Luberon
In the days before synthetic dyes, natural colours obtained from plants, fruit and seeds were the main way of creating tints for clothing, textiles and…
Menton
Cocteau loved Menton. It was following a stroll along the seaside that he got the idea of turning a disused 17th-century bastion (1636) on the seafront…
Côte d'Azur
The 10th-century château of Roquebrune crowns the 300m-high pudding-shaped lump on which medieval Roquebrune sits. The castle is an atmospheric place with…
Côte d'Azur
Just east of St-Tropez, Plage des Salins is a 600m-wide pine-fringed beach at the southern foot of Cap des Salins. At the northern end of the beach, on a…
Musée d’Archéologie Méditerranéenne
Marseille
Founded in the mid-19th century, and housed in La Vieille Charité since 1989, this small archaeological museum explores Mediterranean and Near-Eastern…
Grasse
On Grasse’s main pedestrian street, this small museum explores the work of Grassois painter Fragonard (1732–1806), whose risqué paintings of love scenes…
Aix-en-Provence
Built between 1285 and 1350 in a potpourri of styles, this cathedral includes a Romanesque 12th-century nave in its southern aisle, chapels from the 14th…
Observatoire de Haute-Provence
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Tours of this small observatory include the chance to see its working 193cm central telescope, plus a film about the centre’s research. Buy tickets for…
Menton
In 1957 Jean Cocteau decorated the marriage registry office inside Menton’s town hall from floor to ceiling, covering the walls with swirly drawings, and…
Antibes
This stretch of Cap d'Antibes was first raked clear of seaweed in 1922 by Cole Porter and American artist Gerald Murphy to create a sandy beach. Its…
Côte d'Azur
At this sweet factory jams, candied fruits and crystallised violets, roses and verveine leaves are cooked up in a 19th-century flour mill. Free 20-minute…
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
To reach Forcalquier's citadel and its little octagonal chapel, it’s a 20-minute walk uphill via shady backstreets and winding steps. At the top there’s a…
The Luberon
The Abbaye de Silvacane is one of a trio of medieval abbeys built in Provence by Cistercian monks. Constructed between 1175 and 1230, it has all the…
The Luberon
In Gargas, 7km east of Roussillon, this former mine has more than 40km of underground galleries where ochre was once extracted. Around 650m are open to…
Côte d'Azur
Fréjus' Roman remains have seen better days, so the town's archaeological museum makes a useful accompaniment. There are some fascinating treasures on…
Côte d'Azur
With its wonderful 20th-century art exhibitions, this daring art museum inside the imposing Château de Villeneuve offers a nice contrast to Vence’s…
Musée d’Arts Africains, Océaniens & Amérindiens
Marseille
These three collections of 'exotic' art have been installed in the handsome Vieille Charité since 1992. Well worth a visit, the museum explores the…
Côte d'Azur
Pause beneath the pines to admire the sea views from this peaceful city park. While you're at it, don't miss the obligatory snapshot of your travelling…
Aix-en-Provence
This 13th-century Gothic church in Aix’s Quartier Mazarin, built as a fortified place of worship by the Knights Hospitaller, was the first of its kind in…
Gorges du Verdon
Mermaids and fossils feature at this worthwhile paleontology museum, which explores the geological past of the Alps – hard to believe this whole mountain…
Arles
Testament to the significance of Roman Arles, this grand processional avenue of tombs and sarcophagi holds more than 1500 years of corpses (which Roman…
Cathédrale Orthodoxe Russe St-Nicolas
Nice
Built between 1902 and 1912 to provide a big enough church for the growing Russian community, this cathedral, with its colourful onion domes and rich,…
Nice
Nice’s Port Lympia, with its beautiful Venetian-coloured buildings, is often overlooked. But a stroll along its quays is lovely, as is the walk to get…
Marseille
Creations of Marseille-born sculptor César Baldaccini (1921–98) jostle for space with works by Christo, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Nice New…
The Luberon
Heading 3.5km south from Gordes along rte de St-Pantaléon (D148), you hit this marvellous rural museum: an olive-oil mill with a 10m-long Gallo-Roman…
Ôkhra Conservatoire des Ocres et de la Couleur
The Luberon
This art centre is a great place to see ochre in action. Occupying a disused ochre factory on the D104 east of Roussillon, it explores the mineral’s…
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Travelling north from Forcalquier towards Sisteron, you can’t miss the mysterious Rochers des Mées: rows and rows of rocky pinnacles, some as high as 100m…
Nice
Nice's coolest new gallery space is housed in this former galley slaves' prison down by the port. Opened in 2017 by the Alpes-Maritimes' departmental…
Observatoire Ornithologique de Mérindol
The Luberon
This bird reserve on the Durance River is home to some 243 species, including herons and great cormorants. Hides are strategically positioned along the…
Aix-en-Provence
In 1859 Cézanne’s father bought Le Jas de Bouffan, an 18th-century country manor west of Aix where Cézanne painted furiously, producing 36 oils and 17…
Cannes
On La Croisette, La Malmaison is a seaside pavilion in the former games and tea room of Cannes' grandest hotel of the 1860s, the Grand Hôtel (opened in…
Avignon
Housed inside the town's striking Jesuit Chapel is the archaeological collection of the Musée Calvet, newly displayed since 2015. There's a good display…
Côte d'Azur
France’s second-tallest lighthouse by light-source (nearly 130m above the waves), is a squat, imposing tower completed in 1832. Electrified in 1946, it…
- placement: fullWidth
- path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
- possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [300, 250], [320, 50], [1, 1],
- targeting:
{ "position": "superzone" }
