Ways to Be a Local

• Shop in local markets and sample the food before you buy.
• Try your hand at boules in a shady village square.
• While away the hours in the local village bar.
• Develop a taste for local wines and pastis.
• Chat to locals about culinary delights, sport and politics.
• Remember to address people as monsieur, madame or mademoiselle.
• Sunbathe topless (but don't walk around town in beachwear afterwards)!
• Relish the local cuisine and enjoy leisurely meals.
• Relax, be idle, unwind and settle into the Provençal pace of life.
• Take a siesta.

Top Beaches

• Cap d'Antibes, Plage de la Garoupe - best alternative to your own private stretch of beach on the Cap.
• Cannes - best for star-spotting.
• Esterel Massif - plenty of sandy coves with a backdrop of red porphyry rock, particularly east of Le Trayas.
• Fréjus-Plage - best for families.
• Îles de Lérins - best island beaches.
• Juan-les-Pins - best sandy beach.
• Menton - best sunshine record.
• Nice (Ruhl-Plage) - best watersports and the first beach on the coast to be on the Internet. Surf under the shade of beach umbrellas!
• St-Tropez (La Voile Rouge) - the trendiest and the most frivolous.
• St-Tropez (Plage de la Briande) - the most deserted.

Top View Points

• The summit of Mont Vinaigre in the Massif de l'Esterel.
• The Exotic Gardens in Èze - across to Corsica.
• Frequent viewpoints along the Grande Corniche.
• The highest point of the village of Gourdon.
• The D53 road looking down over Monaco.
• The Colline du Château in Nice.
• The church tower in Port-Grimaud.
• The outdoor lift at La Vista Palace hotel, Roquebrune, behind Monte-Carlo. Go in for dinner or a drink!
• The Chemin des Collines, La Californie, in Super-Cannes, where the wealthiest of Cannes' residents live.
• Les Moulins de Paillas on the St-Tropez peninsula.

Top Parks and Gardens

• Beaulieu-sur-Mer - Villa Kérylos.
• Biot - Bonsaï Arboretum of the Côte d'Azur ADDRESS: 299 chemin du Val de Pôme.
• Cagnes-sur-Mer - Renoir's Garden.
• Èze - Jardin Exotique.
• Mandelieu-la Napoule - Gardens of the Château-Musée Henri Clews.
• Menton - Citrus Garden, Palais Carnolès.
• Monaco - Jardin Exotique.
• Nice - Phoenix Parc Floral.
• St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat - Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild.
• St-Paul-de-Vence - gardens of Fondation Maeght.

Top Activities

• Go fishing and cook your catch on board (Sea Cruises Golfe-Juan PHONE: 04 93 42 08 45).
• Take a boat trip to Corsica from Nice's old port (SNCM PHONE: 04 93 13 66 66).
• Visit the Îles de Lérins (Compagnie Maritime Cannoise PHONE: 04 93 38 66 33).
• Hire a Harley-Davidson and cruise the streets of St-Tropez (Espace 83 PHONE: 04 94 55 80 00).
• Take a helicopter from Nice airport to Monte-Carlo (Héli Inter Riviera PHONE: 04 93 21 46 46).

Top Ice-cream Parlours

• Antibes - Galateria Italiana ADDRESS: 20 place Nationale.
• Juan-les-Pins - Café de la Plage ADDRESS: 1 boulevard Edouard Baudoin.
• Nice - Fenocchio ADDRESS: place Rossetti.
• St-Raphael - Baudeno ADDRESS: Vieux Port.
• St-Tropez - Sénéquier ADDRESS: quai Jean Jaurès.