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French Riviera: Uniquely Chic

A longtime favorite escape of Europe's elite, the Riviera coastline still sparkles with yachts. In fairytale Monaco we listen to the graceful reshuffling of personal fortunes at the casino. Then we follow in the footsteps of 19th century aristocrats along Nice's promenade des Anglais, and visit the picturesque, artist hangouts of Chagall, Matisse and Picasso.

Travel Details

Nice's Russian Cathedral

Nice's Russian Orthodox church — claimed to be the finest outside Russia — is worth a visit. Five hundred rich Russian families wintered in Nice in the late 19th century. Here in the land of olives and anchovies, these proud onion domes seem odd. But, I imagine, so did those old Russians (no tourist visits during services, no short shorts, 17 boulevard du Tzarewitch, tel. 04 93 96 88 02).

Matisse Museum

This museum contains the world's largest collection of Matisse paintings. It offers a painless introduction to the artist, whose style was shaped by Mediterranean light and by fellow Côte d'Azur artists Pablo Picasso and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

The museum is in a 17th-century Genoese villa, set in an olive grove amid the ruins of the Roman city of Cemenelum. Part of the ancient Roman city of Nice, Cemenelum was a military camp that housed as many as 20,000 people (164 avenue des Arènes de Cimiez, tel. 04 93 81 08 08).

Chagall Museum

Inspired by the Old Testament, modern artist Marc Chagall custom-painted works for this building, which he considered a "House of Brotherhood." In typical Chagall style, these paintings are lively, colorful and simple (some might say simplistic). The museum is an unmissable treat for Chagall fans and a hit even for people who usually don't like modern art (avenue Docteur Ménard, tel. 04 93 53 87 20).

Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild

A tour through the well-furnished belle époque interior comes with a helpful English handout. An 18-minute film (English subtitles) gives background on the life of rich and eccentric Beatrice, Baroness de Rothschild, who built and furnished the place. As you stroll the halls, you'll pass rooms of royal furnishings and personal possessions, including her bathroom case for cruises. A fancy tearoom serves drinks and lunch with a view.

But the gorgeous gardens are why most come here. Behind the mansion, stroll through the seven lush gardens recreated from different parts of the world. The sea views from here are lovely. Don't miss the Alhambra-like Spanish gardens, the rose garden at the far end and the view back to the house from the "Temple of Love" gazebo (between Nice and Monaco via the Basse Corniche, N98, road., tel. 04 93 01 33 09). Parking is tricky; a small turnaround is provided at the top.

Grand Prix of Monaco

Each May, the Grand Prix of Monaco focuses the world's attention on this little country. The car race started as an enthusiasts' car rally by the Automobile Club of Monaco (and is still run by the same group, 90 years later). Racers still consider this one of the most important races on their circuits. By Grand Prix standards, it's an unusual course, running through the streets of this tiny principality, sardined between mountains and sea. The hilly landscape makes the streets of Monaco narrow, with tight curves, steep climbs and extremely short straightaways.

Each lap is about two miles, beginning and ending at the port. Cars climb along the sea from the port, pass in front of the casino, race through the commercial district and do a few dandy turns back to the port. The race lasts 78 laps, and whoever is still standing at the end wins (most don't finish).

The Formula 1 cars look like overgrown toys that kids might pedal up and down their neighborhood street (if you're here a week or so before the race, look in the parking structure below Monaco-Ville where many are kept — you're free to browse). Time trials to establish pole position begin three days before race day, which is always a Sunday. Over 150,000 attend the gala event; like the nearby film festival in Cannes, it involves parties on yachts, in fine restaurants and at four-star hotels.

Cousteau Aquarium

Prince Albert I built this impressive cliff-hanging aquarium in 1910 as a monument to his enthusiasm for things from the sea. One wing features Mediterranean fish; tropical species swim around the other (all well-described in English). Overall, the aquarium has 2,000 different specimens and 250 species. Jacques Cousteau directed the aquarium for 17 years. The fancy Albert I Hall upstairs houses the museum (included in entry fee, little English information) and features models of Albert and his beachcombers hard at work (at opposite end of Monaco-Ville from palace, down the steps from Monaco-Ville bus stop, tel. 00-377/93 15 36 00).

Picasso Museum

The museum inside the Château Grimaldi features works from Picasso's prolific "Antibes period." Sitting serenely where the old town meets the sea, this small, three-floor museum offers a remarkable collection of Picasso's paintings, sketches, and ceramics. Picasso lived in the castle for four months in 1946, when he cranked out an amazing amount of art. The resulting collection (donated by Picasso) put Antibes on the tourist map. You'll see many of his ceramics: plates with faces, bird-shaped vases, woman-shaped bottles, bull-shaped statues, and colorful tiles. But the highlight is his lively, frolicking La Joie de Vivre painting. This large (4 feet by 8 feet) Greek bacchanal sums up the newfound freedom in a newly liberated France (1946) and sets the tone for the rest of the collection. You'll also see several Cubist-style nudes (nus couchés), plus the Antipolis Suite — a series of 25 (mostly reclining) nudes, very simplified and stripped-down in style, and works that demonstrate his cartoonist and caricaturist skills (tel. 04 92 90 54 20).

Bouillabaisse in Villefranche

La Mère Germaine
Quai Courbet
Villefranche sur Mer
Tel. 04 93 01 71 39

Updated for 2010.