The Côte d'Azur, or French Riviera as we usually call the area in Sweden, was on a Scandinavian tour this week. After quick visits to Copenhagen and Oslo, they organised an event at Fotografiska museet last Thursday. And FREEDOMtravel was of course there!
Table of contents
What happens at an event?
This type of event usually involves a country or destination presenting its favourite places and hoping that the invitees (tour operators and travel bloggers) will bite. They usually include information, film screenings, the opportunity to talk directly with destinations and hotels, pleasant mingling and, of course, something good to eat and drink.
What does the Côte d'Azur have to offer?
We have been travelling along the French Riviera and fell in love with this beautiful city. Cannes. At the event, we also heard some things that made us curious, and that we had missed before:
- Off the coast of Cannes, there are two islands with crystal clear green waters.
- There is a lot of adventure in the area: skiing, hiking and ziplining.
- The snail-shaped village of Mougins is not only famous for its snail shape but also for the annual gastronomic festival.
French food
We really love French food, so when we heard that the event team was bringing a star-studded chef directly from France, it wasn't hard to entice us. We were served foie gras, fish and shrimp risotto, as well as very, very good rosé wines.
Have you been to the French Riviera?
Have you been to the French Riviera and what are your experiences? Would you like to go there, and if so, what is the attraction?
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Anette says:
We love both the French and Italian Riviera. Since our Italian summer house is only a few hundred metres from the French border, we spend as much time there as we do in Italy.
We visited Mougins last summer. Our daughter lived in Nice for a year and told us about this fantastic village with wonderful food.
30 April 2017 - 9:03
Helena says:
Great to have a holiday home in this area!!! And glad you found Mougains. It looked incredibly charming!
30 April 2017 - 9:42
Alexandra says:
Love the French Riviera ? Been there once in the middle of summer though, it wasn't great... way too crowded, but spring and autumn!
My mother and I are keen to go to Juan-Les-Pins this autumn, we were there in March but the sea is so cold.
30 April 2017 - 9:11
Helena says:
I can imagine that there are too many people in the middle of summer, at least in August when the southern Europeans are on holiday... We were there at the end of May and it was super nice! 🙂
30 April 2017 - 9:43
LinizTravel says:
Oh what a nice picture of
Me 😉 what an awesome
Photographer 😉 can I borrow? Pleasant Valborg hugs you
30 April 2017 - 9:19
Helena says:
Wasn't it nice? 🙂 Of course you can borrow!
30 April 2017 - 9:43
Ama de casa says:
I have spent a lot of time on the French Riviera. The first time was on a train trip with my cousin in 1979. We ended up in Nice and wandered around and failed to find a hotel. So it was neither fully booked nor too expensive - we simply did not find any hotels. Haha! How did we manage that? Well, it worked out in the end. Did not stay so long there on the Riviera as it did not really fit so well for our budget.
I can still think that it is unnecessarily expensive there, but of course I understand that supply and demand can raise prices. Then I think it's nicer a mile or so in from the sea in those areas 🙂.
Have a wonderful May Day!
30 April 2017 - 9:26
Helena says:
Haha, yes it actually sounds a bit bizarre not to find any hotels!!!! 😉 I can imagine that the prices are high in the area, but we managed quite easily actually, The central campsite is connected to ACSI (ie discount system) and in the restaurants in the Old Town we managed to eat moules frites without being ruined 🙂 Should perhaps add that we were there at the end of May and not in August ...
30 April 2017 - 9:47
Matts Torebring says:
Of course there are wonderful places on the French Riviera. But preferably in the early or late season. We have stayed a few weeks in a couple of places. Instead, we are more impressed by the French Alps. The nature, the mighty mountains, the people and the food have made us love it there. It's nice that we're spreading out. Imagine if everyone went to the same place. That would be terrible.
30 April 2017 - 10:05
Helena says:
Agree that pre and post season is the best! And yes, it's probably lucky that not everyone is crowded in the same place... 😉.
30 April 2017 - 14:16
Elisabeth says:
We borrowed a house in stunningly beautiful Mougins a number of years ago and while it is cinematically stunning, it is no longer authentically French. Galleries, estate agents and gourmet restaurants crowd the alleys while the typical village life is more absent. However, the village is a really nice place to go and get some exercise!
30 April 2017 - 11:14
Helena says:
That's true for many beautiful places, unfortunately. That the genuine disappears in favour of the more touristy ... But I would still love to hear about a visit there! 🙂
30 April 2017 - 18:21
Monet says:
I live down here and now feel like a living encyclopaedia of all the incredible things this region has to offer. However, in my opinion, it is most beautiful and interesting in Provence itself, which is a pity because so many people focus on the touristy beach towns with high prices, bling-bling and lack of the genuine French that is found in tourist areas. But of course it's nice there too with many little gems. As many have said: come here in May or September. Warm enough, the tourists and holidaying French people have gone home.
30 April 2017 - 12:13
Helena says:
It's probably easy to find the touristy places. Sometimes it takes a little more time to find the real thing... I agree that early and late season is best!
30 April 2017 - 18:23
Across the board says:
France is a fantastic country and has so much to offer. The food that you got can be imagined to taste 😀.
30 April 2017 - 13:30
Helena says:
The food was not bad! In general, we think the food is usually good in France! 🙂
30 April 2017 - 18:23
Biggeros says:
I have been to Cannes, Nice and Grasse. I enjoyed them to the fullest. Both good food, bus tours and the beach. When we were there in May a number of years ago, it was unfortunately not possible to swim but to just walk along the beach strip and enjoy the waves.
My mum and I also took the bus to Monte Carlo as they prepared for the upcoming Formula 1. Very powerful?
30 April 2017 - 14:09
Helena says:
It sounds like you had some great trips to the French Riviera! We actually went swimming when we were there in May 2015, but that was probably at the end of May anyway....
30 April 2017 - 18:24
Mr Steve says:
FRENCH RIVIERAN VISITS STOCKHOLM - a fine visit indeed.
About 40 years ago, I "did" the French Riviera pretty thoroughly with some friends. It seems no less festive down there these days.
30 April 2017 - 14:31
Helena says:
Yes, it felt like a nice visit 🙂 Glad to hear that you "did" the French Riviera once upon a time! 🙂
30 April 2017 - 18:26
Ulrika says:
Love France, and the French Riviera and haven't been there much/often enough yet. For me there are an infinite amount of places left to discover so I have a lot to look forward to. ?
30 April 2017 - 14:42
Helena says:
That's the best thing about not having been everywhere yet - you have a lot of places to dream about and look forward to! 🙂
30 April 2017 - 18:26
Husis blog says:
I have never been to France but know what the future holds. My male owner has been to the Riviera a couple of times when he was driving a bus. It was in the off-season and it was very quiet and pleasant.
30 April 2017 - 16:52
Helena says:
The post-season is probably a good time! Hope you also get the chance to get there at some point! 🙂
30 April 2017 - 18:27
Lena - good for the soul says:
No, never been there, but would love to. Have no idea why really :-). Have heard so much good about it just.
Hug Lena
30 April 2017 - 18:58
Helena says:
It's always good to have something positive left to look forward to 🙂.
30 April 2017 - 20:28
Solan says:
We are Riviera lovers. Best in low season (like most things) and preferably in November/December/January. Cagnes - sur - Mer is a pleasant suburb of Nice. A myth that the Riviera is expensive, there is something for everyone there. Next year it will probably be a turn there as a conclusion to the "winter storage" ...
30 April 2017 - 19:12
Helena says:
Yes, it is best in the low season! Interesting that you like the Riviera as late in the year as December/January! We also thought we got away in terms of price quite ok, which may be partly due to the low season (May) and partly because we camped (found a central ACSI campsite). Glad you also experienced that there is something for everyone!
30 April 2017 - 20:31
Solan says:
Mougins. Tore Wretman's home for many years...he if anyone could both cook and appreciate French cuisine.
30 April 2017 - 21:53
Emma, sun like sun? says:
When I was little, there were many car holidays to the Riviera. I love France and had it not been for my husband I would probably have moved there. But the heart is probably more towards the Camargue in that case.
30 April 2017 - 19:16
Helena says:
Glad that you have been so much at the Riviera! We didn't see so much of the Camargue perhaps, but we did see the white horses 🙂.
30 April 2017 - 20:32
BP says:
There is nothing wrong with being a travel blogger, I can say. Yummy for that food I just say. Not wrong at all!
Yes, I've visited the French Riviera a number of times, though strangely I've never been to Cannes or Nice, but I have been to Mougins. This sweet village is not only known for its food festival but also for its lavender patch and the incredibly strong scent of the flower throughout the town. Plus, the crickets are very active there during the summer.
30 April 2017 - 21:23
Helena says:
Sometimes it's nice to be a travel blogger! 🙂 Interesting that you (and several others) have been in Mougains. I had never heard of the place before, but now you get a little curious 😉.
01 May 2017 - 22:42
Ditte says:
I have visited the French Riviera many times over the years and found many gems. During my youth I spent a number of summers here on language courses and my interest in France has always been great.
Mougins as many mention is a nice destination, Antibes another, the villages above Nice such as Saint Paul de Vence are very nice. I think the whole coastal area is nice and like both Nice and Cannes and many resorts along the coast.
Fun with this event and very good food.
The photo from the late evening in Stockholm along the quayside at Fotografiska is really cool.
30 April 2017 - 22:12
Helena says:
Certainly the Riviera is nice, and thanks for the tips! 🙂 Funny that you like the photo too!
01 May 2017 - 22:43
Britt-Marie Lundgren says:
The French Riviera is not exactly something that appeals to us. We spent a week in San Remo a few years ago and made the obligatory trips to Nice and Monte Carlo. Feels like we are quite happy with that. Provence with its lovely nature and cosy villages is much more appealing!
30 April 2017 - 22:17
Helena says:
Provence probably has a lot to offer! I can imagine that you can find a lot of the genuine France there! 🙂
01 May 2017 - 22:44