Cannes
With its rotunda rooms and Napoleon III–era architecture, this grand dame of a hotel can't fail to impress. It's classic in style – plenty of taffeta, tassels and swags, and a monumental marble staircase – but there's a civilised air of old-world grandeur about the place, with special touches such as complimentary evening aperitifs and a private beach on La Croisette.
Rooms are well soundproofed too, so don't fret about busy bd Carnot nearby.
16.24 MILES
Getting lost among the dark, narrow, winding alleyways of Nice’s old town is a highlight. The layout has barely changed since the 1700s, and it’s now…
15.52 MILES
The most famous stretch of seafront in Nice – if not France – is this vast paved promenade, which gets its name from the English expat patrons who paid…
26.47 MILES
The only building French architect Le Corbusier (1887–1965) ever built for himself is this rather simple – but very clever – beach hut on Cap Martin…
24.24 MILES
Peeping inside Monte Carlo’s legendary marble-and-gold casino is a Monaco essential. The building, open to visitors every morning, including the exclusive…
Musée Océanographique de Monaco
23.8 MILES
Stuck dramatically to the edge of a cliff since 1910, the world-renowned Musée Océanographique de Monaco, founded by Prince Albert I (1848–1922), is a…
12.83 MILES
An ailing Henri Matisse moved to Vence in 1943 to be cared for by his former nurse and model, Monique Bourgeois, who'd since become a Dominican nun. She…
16.39 MILES
For the best views over Nice’s red-tiled rooftops, climb the winding staircases up to this wooded outcrop on the eastern edge of the old town. It’s been…
15.54 MILES
Originally built as a holiday home for Prince Victor d’Essling (the grandson of one of Napoléon's favourite generals, Maréchal Massena), this lavish belle…
1. Palais des Festivals et des Congrès
0.33 MILES
Posing for a selfie on the 22 steps leading up to the main entrance of this concrete bunker – unlikely host to the world’s most glamorous film festival –…
0.34 MILES
Dating to 1876, Cannes' imposing four-storey town hall is one of the city's most prominent landmarks. Look for it along the waterfront between the Palais…
0.38 MILES
The celebrity yachts that line the port are here to remind you of Cannes' celebrity status, lest you forget it.
0.47 MILES
Follow rue St-Antoine and snake your way up through the narrow streets of Le Suquet, Cannes' oldest district. Up top you'll find the site of Cannes'…
0.48 MILES
The multi-starred hotels and couture shops lining the iconic bd de la Croisette (aka La Croisette) may be the preserve of the rich and famous, but anyone…
0.53 MILES
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…
0.66 MILES
This urban beach just west of Vieux Port enjoys gorgeous sunset views across to the red rock formations of the Corniche de l'Esterel.