Road trip along the Côte d'Azur
A destination for artists and bon vivants in the 1950s, this small region (Var) in the south of France has managed to preserve its bohemian and luxurious character over the years, and he still has everything to become the perfect summer perfect road trip . A average temperature of 25 degrees , aroma of pine, turquoise coves, a rosé wine to lose your mind and the soundtrack of cicadas. We won't even ask: no one gives more.
land on Nice , take the rental car and roll down the windows: these are going to be the 100 most delicious kilometers that can make these vacations the summer of your life. What you need is 5 days, 7 nights and this guide with the classic, the new and the coolest.
Nice
DAYS 1 AND 2: SAINT TROPEZ
A small fishing village converted into the quintessential riviera chic . But the Saint Tropez that we want you to see is not that of the millionaire oligarchs and bling-bling, but that of relaxed luxury , without ostentation, that luxury of bare feet and with a certain simplicity.
Where to sleep
The coolest hotel of the moment is right in front of Saint Tropez, in Saint-Raphael . Opened this same 2017 and on a rocky beach it is Les Roches Rouges , a modernist jewel inspired by the aesthetics of the villas that began to be built here in the fifties devised by the duo of festen architects (Charlotte de Tonnac and Hugo Sauzay).
50 spacious, hyper-luminous rooms, with natural materials and soft tones that have already become a retreat full of style for Instagram icons like Camille Charrière. The sculptures that we find around the hotel are the work of local artists, such as Guy Barref . Before making this trip you have to take into account that the Côte d'Azur is not a cheap destination, and if you have already assumed it, this is one of the best expenses you can make.
A modernist jewel with the pool... perfect
The other hotel we need to talk about is called The Byblos and is located in Saint Tropez itself. It is shaped like a mini town within the town , with low buildings in shades of pink and yellow. And his story is possibly the most romantic you'll ever hear about a hotel.
Le Byblos rose out of love. Not a summer love, not a crush, not a whim, but a love so great, so powerful and so platonic that it completely upset a man after seeing the movie And God created woman . He was a millionaire named Jean-Prosper Gay-Para, and she, Brigitte Bardot at the height of her fame , in the 60s. “A hotel worthy of Brigitte” said the owner upon opening it. With an intimate atmosphere, full of works of art, and again without ostentation, looks more like a private club than a 91-room hotel . The last straw? In the interior garden, next to the pool, there is a restaurant and bar that is open until late at night called ' Le B'.
And if what you want is a wild night tropézien style , in Byblos you will find The Cave du Roi, the club where (here yes) the rich come and let themselves be seen.
'And God created woman'
What to do, where to eat, what to buy
The plan in Saint Tropez is basically to be in Saint Tropez. Park the car as soon as you find a free space because here it is best to move on foot. Start your walk in Place des Lices , where typical brasseries coexist with luxury shops and where during the week you can see the local gentlemen play petanque.
Every Tuesday and Sunday, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. you will see how it transforms into a fabulous market : Here you can buy authentic Provençal herbs, all kinds of cheeses, espadrilles, antiques and beautiful fresh flowers. Better than any souvenir are the tablecloths with the typical Provencal pattern.
Exit the square by rue Georges Clemenceau and if you feel like something sweet, on that same street you have to try the tarte tropezienne , cream and brioche, created in 1955.
You will immediately appear on the promenade: on one side, the most luxurious yachts and sailboats (in summer, a one-night mooring can reach 14,000 euros), on the other, the low, softly colored houses.
In the middle of the promenade you will find one of the most legendary cafes in Saint Tropez, where Picasso and Matisse used to come for breakfast , and more recently Karl Lagerfeld or Kate Moss. With its terrace of red chairs, it remained a family business for four generations, maintaining the essence of the fifties. They open from 7 in the morning to 2 in the morning and here you can eat entrecôte with fries or lobster. There is a large assortment of dessert patisseries and cocktail service as well. Of course, the dishes start at 28 euros.
Senequier
If you continue, you will soon reach the Saint Tropez lighthouse : to your right you will see a lot of cobbled streets where luxury shops coexist with other more mundane ones, such as greengrocers or pharmacies. You will also come across the small church Notre Dame de l'Assomption , on the rue Gambetta. You may have heard that in 1971 Mick and Bianca Jagger They said yes I do in Saint Tropez, but it was not in this temple but in the st anne chapel, two kilometers up the hill.
DAY 3: RAMATUELLE
the beach club
In the Gulf of Saint Tropez there are two large beaches ( Pampelonne and Tahiti ) and innumerable coves. But our destiny today will be the most legendary beach club that ever existed : so we take the car towards ** Club 55 , located in Pampelonne**. Created in the year that gives it its name, Brigitte Bardot comes out again in this story. There she came to have a refreshing drink on the set of the legendary film by her husband Roger Vadim. It maintains the bamboo roof of its origins, it is a restaurant and a bar, and it preserves that carefree luxury of its beginnings. Here you can eat grilled fish, steak tartare and filet de boeuf , and prices start at 28 euros.
The most legendary beach club that ever existed
The essential town
After a day at the beach nothing like resting in one of the best kept gems in the gulf . a little town of 2,000 inhabitants in winter , on top of a hill, just 10 kilometers from Saint Tropez and called Ramatuelle . Here you can find everything you expect from a Provencal town and the corners where you can take those Instagram photos: low stone buildings, bougainvillea, the smell of lavender, cobbled streets and a delicious square with a delicious coffee under a vine, L'Ormeau . The plan? Take a vin rosé at sunset (not far from here Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie maintain their vineyards and produce their award-winning Miraval) on its terrace, much quieter than the cafes in Saint Tropez.
If you are looking for a place to dine, in the adjoining Victor Leon Street , you will find ** La Forge ,** the best Italian restaurant in town.
sleep on a budget
Going just 10 kilometers away from Saint Tropez has the advantage of finding more options. On the one hand we have the **five stars La Réserve , an oasis in the middle of the hills, but also Design Bed&Breakfast with rooms for less than 200 euros (**Leï Souco, Campagne les Jumeaux or Les Oliviers ) .
DAY 4: THE CROIX VALMER
The most beautiful coves
We continue another 10 kilometers to the south in search of the perfect Mediterranean postcard.
You cannot travel to the Côte d'Azur without bathing in the most beautiful coves on its coast. They are three: Cap Taillat, Gigaro and L'Escalet. They are small beaches, a bit inaccessible and without beach bars: you will have to leave the car parked (in each one you will see an esplanade) and walk 15 minutes. For all these reasons, they are the most authentically Tropezienne experience you can find. Brigitte Bardot used to bathe here and nothing has changed here. The waters are still the same turquoise color, the sand and the stones are still in the same place and the smell of pine trees remains unchanged. These are one of the few corners where the world seems to have stopped the moment Bardot stepped foot in these waters.
Cap Taillat
DAY 5: SAINT PAUL DE VENCE
We return in the direction of Nice retracing the path for one last stop: if until then you thought that you had already understood the fascination of the world for the Côte d'Azur, We have one last surprise for you.
The place to find inspiration
Saint Paul de Vence , 11 kilometers from Nice airport, is one of the best preserved refuges on the Côte d'Azur. A walled town on top of the Plateau du Puy of cobbled streets, bougainvillea and that maintains traditions such as the petanque competition in August or the chestnut festival in October.
The plan in Saint Paul de Vence is once again to park the car and walk. It is fascinating that in such a small place there are so many art galleries. Go through Porte de Vence, rue Saint Paul and up to Porte de Nice : The views, 800 meters above sea level, are something moving. You will see the immensity of the Mediterranean in front of you and if you turn west, the hills of Provençal vineyards.
Saint Paul de Vence
The restaurant of Picasso, Chagall… and Quentin Tarantino
Downstairs, at the entrance to the town, is La Colombe d'Or . A restaurant, bar and hotel with a history so fascinating that it could only be found here. It first opened in 1920 as a café-bar with three guest rooms. Paul Rioux, the owner, who was passionate about art, was also an extremely welcoming man. His fame spread little by little in a France between two wars. But in 1940 the Côte d'Azur began to attract more and more foreigners, as well as many artists. Some were already successful, others were fleeing fame, and all were enjoying the pleasures of the area. Chagall, Picasso, Calder, Braque, Miro … Legend has it that when they did not have liquidity to pay for their stay, they donated one of his works. And this is how today it is possible to dine at La Colombo d'Or under the watchful eye of his impressive works.
The restaurant (from €25 for midday dishes, from €30 for dinner) also has a terrace under a vine and the specialty is the starters: a huge tasting of Provencal cuisine that remains from the founder's original menu (roasted peppers with olive oil, candied onions, stuffed Provencal tomatoes, anchovies, baked aubergines). His fame has reached today and it is not difficult to find Hollywood stars dining on the days of the Cannes Festival, away from the paparazzi. Madonna, Quentin Tarantino, Jane Fonda…
La Colombe d'Or