Alpes-Maritimes is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France. It has 300 sunny days per year, making it an excellent tourist destination. It encompasses the French Riviera and neighbouring Var. Alpes-Maritimes feature renowned cities and towns, and numerous alpine ski resorts.
Cities
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- 1 Antibes — known for its beautiful coastline, its old town, and its beach
- 2 Beaulieu-sur-Mer
— a Mediterranean resort village with quality marina facilities - 3 Cannes — a sea-side city known for hosting the Cannes Film Festival, la Croisette (its waterfront) and its luxury hotels.
- 4 Castillon — a pretty perched village with spectacular views
- 5 Èze — a small atmospheric perched medieval village with a great view on the coast, and also a sea resort in its lower portion.
- 6 Grasse — famous for its perfume industry — is inland but easily reached from the coast by train
- 7 Cagnes-sur-Mer — it has Auguste Renoir's estate, and a medieval castle
- 8 La Trinité — a working-class, industrial suburb of Nice known for its religious, architectural and scientific heritage
- 9 Monaco — a wealthy city-state on the Mediterranean Sea with entertainment for those with money to burn: think yachts and casinos, plus the annual Formula 1 Grand Prix
- 10 Menton — the Lemon Festival Capital of the World hosts the Jean Cocteau Museum
- 11 Mougins — a hilltop village with stunning views, and an international reputation for its gourmet cuisine and for its links with the art world
- 12 Nice — the largest city of the département, its famous promenade, its old town
- 13 Peillon — a picturesque hilltop village with cobbled alleyways, steep narrow steps and spectacular views of the surrounding landscape
- 14 Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat — this quiet village on a peninsula of lush vegetation and rocky beaches attracts aristocrats and other wealthy visitors
- 15 Saint-Paul de Vence — 30 minutes inland but well worth a visit, a delightful old village with narrow streets and picture postcard scenes
- 16 Sospel — architecture from Roman to Renaissance, and many Maginot Line forts to visit around the town
- 17 Tourrettes-sur-Loup — a medieval village perched on a rocky spine overlooking the French Riviera
- 18 Valbonne and Biot Biot is famous for its pottery and glass-blowing
- 19 Vence — famous for the Matisse Chapel
- 20 Villefranche-sur-Mer — a small beach resort with excellent restaurants and a coarse sandy beach
Other destinations
[edit]- 1 La Pointe de l'Aiguille — a departmental park with 4 beaches and an underwater discovery trail for snorkelling
- 2 Mercantour National Park — a good place for hiking and skiing
Understand
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The department can be divided into three parts:
- The coast area, which attracts lots of tourists
- The arrière-pays famous for its nice villages
- The mountain area, with its ski resorts
Get in
[edit]By plane
[edit]- 1 Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (Aéroport de Nice-Côte d'Azur) (6 km east from the centre of Nice; see Nice for details). (NCE IATA) This is the third airport of the country in term of traffic, though it is not the main hub of any company. It offers a good number of national and international destinations, some of them covered by low-cost company EasyJet. Flying may be a good option if you are not travelling along the Mediterranean coast in which case the train may be more convenient.
Get around
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By train
[edit]The main lines run along the coast, and allow going either to Italy (east) or Marseille (west). The local trains are following the two following lines:
- Ventimiglia (Italy) - Menton - Monaco - Nice - Antibes - Cannes - Mandelieu-la-Napoule
- Ventimiglia (Italy) - Menton - Monaco - Nice - Antibes - Cannes - Grasse
Trains also stop in smaller cities (see time table).
From Nice, high-speed train TGV runs to Lyon or Paris, with a few stops in-between. The portion between Nice and Marseille (2 hr 40 min) is not operated at high-speed.
The SNCF, the national railway company, also operates the line train des Merveilles from Nice to the hinterland (Breil-sur-Roya, Tende). This train is often used by tourists.
The region also operated the line Chemin de fer de Provence between Nice and Digne-les-Bains in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence departments in the nord. This line is also often referred as Le train des Pignes. It's also serving many small villages as Puget-Théniers, Entrevaux or Annot. Interrail cards are not accepted. The trains are not equipped for disabled people.
By bus
[edit]The Conseil Général (local council) operates a bus network called TAM. It offers to route to almost every town and village within the département. The one-way ticket costs €1 whatever the destination.
The main routes are:
- 100: Nice - Monaco - Menton (every 15 minutes)
- 100X'press: Nice - Monaco, direct by motorway (every 60 minutes)
- 200: Nice - Cannes (every 15 minutes)
- 500: Nice - Grasse
- 600: Cannes - Grasse (every 20 to 30 minutes)
This network also operates (on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and the nights before a public holiday) a night service called NocTAM'bus. The three night routes are:
- NocTAM'bus 100: Nice Côte d'Azur Airport - Monaco - Menton
- NocTAM'bus 200: Nice Côte d'Azur Airport - Cannes
- NocTAM'bus 600: Cannes - Grasse
There are also two special airport routes:
- 110 Nice Côte d'Azur Airport - Monaco - Menton, direct by motorway
- 210 Nice Côte d'Azur Airport - Cannes, direct by motorway.
Special fares apply on the airport routes (110 and 210):
- Nice - Monaco: €16.10
- Nice - Menton: €18
- Nice - Cannes: €14.20
Time tables are available online [1] (in French)
See
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Do
[edit]Eat
[edit]Drink
[edit]Stay safe
[edit]The Alpes-Maritimes are moderately safe from a tourist standpoint. Rural areas are very safe for the most part, whereas Nice and its immediate suburbs have their share of crimes, both petty and serious. Being street-smart and avoiding areas off-the-beaten-track are enough to avoid trouble. If you ever feel unsafe, calling the police or seeking help from hotels will help.
Politically-speaking, the Alpes-Maritimes are one of France's most conservative regions, and far-right politicians perform exceptionally well here, among the young and elderly alike. People who lean left or are visibly non-white are much more likely to face resentment than in other parts of France, and anti-LGBTQ sentiments are not uncommon.
Go next
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