If you are staying in one of our holiday rentals in Nice, Cannes or Antibes, then adventurous activities are not too far away. For general information on activities like canyoning, rafting, and climbing, try the web site of Bureau Des Moniteurs du Pays Nice.
Just west of Grasse in the village of Saint-Cezaire sur Siagne are Les Grottes de Saint-Cezaire. Discovered in 1890, you can tour the pretty formations here which are well lit and where you can take photographs. A must do trip from any of our holiday rentals in Cannes, and worthwhile even from our holiday apartments in Nice especially if you are taking children.
If you are staying in one of our rental apartments in Cannes or Antibes, then a 15 minute drive will get you to the go-kart race track. Here you can race karts on an 1800-meter long racetrack, the biggest on the Riviera. Fun Kart is open every day from 9:30 in the morning until the late evening. You will find them at Bar-sur-Loup just off the Route de Gourdon. There is a bar and restaurant on the premises.
Biking at every age and level is possible along the French Riviera. Most major towns have bike rental options from ordinary pushbikes to the more technical mountain bikes and, of course, bikes suitable for children. Some rental companies even offer racing bikes and tandem bikes too. It is also possible to hire roller blades and scooters from many of the same rental companies. The long car-free flat promenades and dedicated cycle lanes along the coastal towns are ideal for leisurely cycling and drivers tend to be very careful and respectful of cyclists in France.
A lot of guests in our holiday rentals in Nice will now choose to use the Velo Bleu bikes. You can obtain a monthly pass for 10 euros, a weekly pass for 5 euros or a daily subcription for 1 euro but you must have a Ligne d'Azur subcription. Our guests may prefer to pay per ride at rental costs of 1 euro for the first hour, and then 2 euros for every hour afterwards. If you just want to ride a short distance, the first half hour is free.
For serious mountain biking, the mountains inland provide perfect and testing terrain. Look for “VTT@” guides and information to find out the best places to ride. The booklets are free at tourist offices. Ask for the “Guide Rando VTT”, or the information may be downloaded directly.
For bike hire across the Riviera, try Holiday Bikes. They have branches in Cannes, Menton, Antibes, Nice, St-Tropez, and Villeneuve-Loubet.
There is also Energy Scoot in Antibes and Nice. For the Antibes branch call 04 93 61 83 98. For Nice call 04 97 07 12 64.
East of Antibes and just north of Marineland, close to the Biot train station, is Ecolook at 28 chemin des Groules, near Marineland in Antibes. Tel: 04 93 95 26 79 for the sale and short or long-term rental of electric bikes, mountain bikes, city bikes, and electric scooters.
There are several bike rental companies centrally based in Cannes. West of the city centre is Elite Rent A Bike at 32 avenue Marechal Juin with a branch also in Mandelieu. Tel: 04 93 94 30 34 or email.
Just to the east of the Port of Cannes, Mistral Location is open seven days a week all year round at 4 rue Georges Clemenceau. You can call them on 04 93 99 25 25.
West of Cannes in Mandelieu La Napoule is Location 2 Roues at 542 av Mer, Mandelieu la Napoule. Tel/fax: 04 92 97 27 37.
There are several bike rental companies in Nice. Close to the Old Town and handy for cycling the 3 miles of Promenade is Roller Station at 49 quai des Etats-Unis, Tel/fax: 04 93 62 99 05. Roller Station rents bikes, skates and scooters (trottoirs). Another branch of Roller Station is located at 10 Boulevard Risso near the Acropolis Exhibition Centre.
Those of our guests staying in our holiday rentals near the Nice main train station, or perhaps arriving in Nice by train, may hire bikes, motorbikes, and scooters close by at Nicea Location Rent, 9 avenue Thiers and 12 rue de Belgique, also by the train station. Telephone 04 93 82 42 71 or email.
Other places to hire bikes in Nice include Arnaud, 5 rue François 1er by Place Grimaldi, tel: 04 93 87 88 55 or fax 04 93 88 34 40.
If you fancy a glide along the Promenade des Anglais or want to hire a scooter try B Cyclette at 43 Promenade des Anglais, Nice. Tel: 04 93 82 31 52. If you want to hire close to the Port of Nice, try Fun n Roll at 13 rue Cassini, 06300, Nice. Tel: 04 93 55 12 32 or email.
From Juan-les-Pins, take the yellow boat from the seashore of Courbet to discover the fishes and underwater fauna along Cap d'Antibes. The hour-long excursion with Visobulle takes place daily from April to September. You can telephone them on 04.93.6.02.11
Cellular Abroad is the number one source for international cell phone rentals and prepaid SIM cards. They have been providing thousands of customers with quality products service for over 5 years. Having a SIM cell phone (GSM phone) is an essential tool for you to stay in touch with family and friends while you are abroad. Whether you are on vacation or a business trip, they can provide you with economical solutions for international cell phones, to rent or purchase.
Food writer, Cordon Bleu-trained cook and long-time French resident Rosa Jackson, invites you to join her for a market tour and a cooking class in her beautifully renovated 17th-century apartment, steps from the vibrant food market and the Quai des Etats-Unis. For those not wishing to cook, other tours are also available: a Market Tour with food walk, olive oil tasting, and tapas-style lunch; an Early Morning Market Tour and Tasting Breakfast; and, a Meet the Producers Tour. For more details, visit Rosa's website.
If you would like to see dolphins, then book on a boat trip with Acti Loisirs. Boats depart from Villefranche-sur-Mer from June to September. Please check their website for days of departure, usually Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
At Divazur you can take a full-day trip on a number of boats across the Riviera. When the dolphins come to the boat, you will be invited into the water to swim alongside them.
Airline weight restrictions can mean leaving some of your holiday reading back home. You don't need to be without the latest paperback when staying in one of our holiday rentals as several English bookshops are located along the French Riviera. In addition, English and international newspapers and magazines are easily available from tabacs (news agents) in all the main towns. Many of the English press will have been printed early in France and will be in on the same morning of printing.
Antibes' English bookshop, Antibes Books, is found between the market and the Port; 24 rue Aubernon, 06600 Antibes. Tel: 04 93 34 74 11, fax: 04 93 34 74 11 or email.
For visitors staying in Cannes, the Cannes English Bookshop is located about half way between the train station and the Palais des Festivals on the sea front at 11 rue Bivouac Napoleon. You can telephone them on 04 93 99 40 08 or email.
In Nice, the Cat's Whiskers Bookshop is centrally located behind the large shopping mall, Nice Etoile. The address is 30 rue Lamartine and the telephone number 04 93 80 02 66, or email.
In Nice there is the excellent English-American Library of Nice that offers full yearly membership for 25 euros and temporary membership starting at 5 euros for one week, very useful for short stays in Nice. A returnable 15 euros deposit is also required on registering. The library houses a large selection of English books, DVDs with a small collection for children. The address is 12 rue de France, through the courtyard and down the steps. The drawback is the limited opening times. It is open only between 10-11 a.m. every morning except Friday and 3-5 p.m. every day. Closed all day Sunday and Monday. Email.
Visitors to the French Riviera have a choice of 21 golf courses. The courses are spread across the coast from Monaco to Mandelieu and inland as far as the southern French Alps. Take a swing at one of twelve 18-hole courses, six 9-hole courses, two compact 9-hole courses, one Golfing Academy, and three training centres. A round of golf will cost anything from 20 euros to in excess of 200 euros; weekends are the most expensive.
Our holiday rentals are close to golf courses but even so, a car is essential for access to most of the courses and some courses require proof of golf handicap and may even set a maximum handicap to be able to play the course. For more information about golf on the French Riviera try this guide.
Here is a list of the twenty-one courses, and more courses in the nearby Var.
Golf courses close to the main towns along the coast include Golf de Villeneuve-Loubet at Route de Grasse about 2 kilometres from Villeneuve. Tel: 04 93 22 52 25 or email. This 9-hole Par 31 course is not far from Antibes.
Also handy for Antibes is the 18-hole, Par 67 Golf de Biot, one of the Riviera’s oldest courses. This course, with bar, tearoom, and restaurant is found at 1379 Route d’Antibes, La Bastide du Roy, 06410 Biot. Tel: 04 93 65 08 48, fax: 04 93 65 05 63 or email. Attached to this course is the golf school, Ecole de Golf de Biot, which offers two putting greens with bunkers, thirty-two places with fifteen covered, for swing practise.
Golfers staying in or near Cannes have two prestigious courses nearby. The closest is the Cannes-Mougins Golf Club that is about 5 kilometres north of Cannes. This 18-hole, Par 72 course which opened in 1923, rebuilt in 1977, has an international reputation and combines lengthy greens, open fairways, and several water hazards. The address is Golf Country Club Cannes-Mougins, 175 Avenue du Golf 06250 Mougins. Tel: 04 93 75 79 13, fax: 04 93 75 27 60 or email.
The second course, about 7 kilometres west of Cannes, is the Cannes-Mandelieu Golf Course (Old Course) at Route du Golf, 06210 Mandelieu La Napoule. This has an 18-hole, Par 71 course and a 9-hole course. It is a stunning links course, the oldest in the Riviera, first built in 1891 and features a river to cross to reach the third hole. Tel: 04 92 97 32 00.
The nearest 18-hole golf course to Monaco can be found about 12 kilometres north of Monaco at the Monte Carlo Golf Club, Route du Mont Agel, 06320 La Turbie. Tel: 04 93 41 09 11.
The nearest golf to Nice is the compact 9-hole course at The Golf Country Club of Nice which also offers a 32-place (covered) driving range, pro shop, and restaurant. The address is Golf Country Club de Nice, 698 Route de Grenoble. Tel: 04 93 29 82 00.
If you want to combine golf with a tour of Cannes, St-Tropez, Monte Carlo, and Mougins, and take in a wine tasting tour, look at France Golf Tours.
If you think you will still need a car, or want to explore some of the more remote parts of this beautiful region from your holiday rental apartment then we recommend using Hertz. As well as being based at Nice airport, they also have offices at the train station and next to the Le Meridien hotel. The Le Meridien is a particularly handy place to pick up a car for a couple of days if you are staying at a Riviera Pebbles or Nice Pebbles apartment. All their offices are open on Sunday morning, which is an unusual bonus for companies operating in France.
A well established and respected language school can be found at the Centre Internationalé Antibes. Here you can combine French language lessons with French cooking or wine tasting courses as well as taking the standard short or long-term courses. There are also family and teen courses so the adults can relax in their holidya apartment whilst the kids enjoy learning and making new friends.
Over at Villefranche is the famous Institut du Francais complete with language lab and its philosophy of total immersion, this is the course for those who need to quickly learn to speak French. Four weeks is the normal enrollment period. Ask us for discounted rates on our holiday rentals in low season if you are considering taking a course.
To obtain your very own personalised fragrance, then head from your holiday rental in Cannes or Nice to Eze or Grasse to Galimard Parfumeur. Take a tour of the workshop and learn about how perfumes are created.
Discover the underwater world of wrecks, caverns, and reefs on a full day trip, half day, or a night dive with Nice Diving. Located at the port at 14 Quai des Docks, there is a fully qualified English-speaking instructor available to cater for the needs of beginners, intermediates, and fully qualified PADI experienced divers. Book through their web site or send an email.
If Diamond Diving are fully booked, visit divazur.com where you can enroll on any number of diving lessons or group dives.
For private transfers between the airport and any of our holiday rentals we suggest using ATS. We have contacted several private hire firms in Nice, and ATS offers the cheapest one-way fare into Nice of € 36. ATS wait for you at the airport terminal with a card with your name on it. It’s a stress-free way to start your holiday. All their drivers speak a degree of English.
The main taxi service for Nice is Central Taxi Riviera. They speak English. Their phone number is 00 33 (0)4 93 13 78 78 and it operates around the clock. The cost of taxis increase at night starting from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
A bilingual taxi service for Cannes is Allo Taxi. You can book through the web site or by dialing 08.92.78.00.28.
At Monte Carlo, two main taxi stands are in operation round the clock at the Avenue de Monte-Carlo (near the Casino) and the railway station. You can order a taxi on 03.77.93.50.56.28 or 03.77.93.15.01.01.
In Antibes, Allo Taxis drivers speak both English and French and you can reserve a taxi on 08.25.5.07.07.
Zoo Frejus is a 20-hectare site with wild animals from all over the world including lions and tigers. The scenery is superb and you can watch the trainers with the animals. It is open every day from 10.30 a.m. until at least 5 p.m., later in summer months. You can call their international line on 04.98.11.37.37.
A huge butterfly sanctuary can be found near to Nice airport at Parc Phoenix, 405 Promenade des Anglais. They can be contacted by phone on 04.92.29.77.00 or email. Park Phoenix is a cross between a botanical garden and a theme park where you can see an array of flowers, birds, and iguanas. It's a great day out with children from any of our holiday rentals in Nice. Open every day from 9.30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. from April to September, and 9:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. October to March.
Marine Land in Antibes is open all year round. It claims to be the greatest marine show in Europe with dolphins, Orcas, and seals. In addition, there is a 30-metre long shark tunnel.
Nearby at Antibes Land, kids can enjoy all the fun at the fair with rides and shows. It is open from June to September, every day. Here you will also find La Petit Ferme, where young children can enjoy a puppet theatre, a children’s workshop, a magic tunnel, and mini-golf, as well as a host of farm animals.
If slides and adrenaline are for you, head to the outside water park in Frejus. It is open from mid-June to the beginning of September. If you want to find the location of the attractions mentioned above, and several more, you can click here for a map and more information on all of the parks on the Riviera.
Koaland at 5 Avenue de la Madone in Menton is a cute theme park for children. Set in woodland grounds there are rides and slides, inflatables, mini-golf and go-karting. It is open every day between 10 a.m. to 12 noon and then 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. (from 4 p.m. until midnight July and August). They can be contacted on 04.92.10.00.40.
Near to St-Tropez in Sainte Maxime is Aqualand, a water theme park that is open every day between June, July, and August. You can reach them on 04.94.55.54.54.
Just for the Christmas festivities, the new attraction in Nice is Luna Park. The only indoor attraction park in Europe, this park consists of fairground attractions and adrenalin pumping rides. You can find it at the Palais des Expositions, just behind the Acropolis.
Provence Riviera Tours offers full day, half-day, and night-time tours including tours around Monaco, Province, and the Italian Riviera. The professional drivers are fluent in English, French, Spanish, German, and Russian.
For information about public transport from the airport, you should look at the Nice Airport website which can be accessed in English.
The TAM network route has coaches and buses that link the main towns across the Riviera. The most popular ones are the 100 (Nice to Menton), 112 (Nice to Beausoleil), 200 (Nice to Cannes), 217 (Nice to Villeneuve-Loubet), 400 (Nice to Vence), and the 500 (Nice to Grasse), but there are over 30 good routes. There is a single price policy operated which is currently € 1,30 for any single journey. You cannot purchase a return ticket.
The service which operates outside the single price policy is the airport shuttle buses, numbers 98 and 99. These cost € 4 and entitle you to one-day unlimited travel on any bus across the network.
The local network for Nice and the surrounding areas is Linge d’Azur. The single price ticket of € 1,30 is in operation with Linge d’Azur buses.
The local network for Monaco is operated by CAM. This operates five routes.
The local network for Cannes is Bus Azur. Single fares are just 1 euro or 10 journey books for 10 euros and week passes can be bought on the bus. Return tickets are available.
The local train network can be accessed at the SNCF website.
If you are touring Europe, then we would recommend taking a look at the European Rail Guide. You can book France’s famous high-speed rail service, the TGV, which links over 60 destinations across the length of France here.
If you’re looking for travel cover, we suggest Globelink Travel Insurance. They offer competitive rates and a comprehensive range of policies from single trip to annual cover. We particularly like the different levels of cover they offer, such as backpacker cover, economy, and fully comprehensive.
Provencal vineyards are home to a unique array of wines that you will have difficulty finding outside the region. The vineyards are also some of the oldest in France and Bellet and Bandol have been household names for centuries.
France's smallest AOC (Appellation d’Origine Controlee) is the famous Chateau De Bellet, in Nice to be found on Chemin de Sanquier. You can call on 04.93.37.81.57 or email where local personality, Mr Ghislain de Charnace has been producing Bellet wines for over 30 years. He offers wine tastings by appointment.
Dutch billionaire Cornelis Kamerbeek, also produces Bellet at Chateau de Cremat. You can telephone them to make a reservation on 04.92.15.12.15. There is a small wine tour here where you can discover how the various wines are produced followed by wine-tasting accompanied with small canapés spread with regional specialties such as olive oil, anchoiade, and tapenade.
Off the Chemin de Saquier, a series of narrow rocky lanes leads to Clos St Vincent run by Roland Sicardi and Joseph Sergi whose wines are top notch, particularly the dry floral rosé ;, ideal for quaffing in the summer sun and a fantastic compliment to the local food.
Half way between Nice and St-Tropez moving inland will bring you to Chateau de Berne in Lorgues. Worth a visit from any of our holiday rentals in Nice or Cannes, here you can take part in tasting, guided tours, and technical tours. You can call them on 04.94.60.43.60
Moody Yachts France specialise in brokerage of Luxury Sailing Yachts & Luxury Motor Yachts as well as Luxury Yacht Charter, Mega Yacht Charter, Super Yacht Charter, Motor Boat Charter and Sailing Yacht Charter in the Mediterranean (Côte d’Azur, Monaco, Corsica, Sardinia, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Mallorca, Ibiza, Croatia), the Caribbean and worldwide yacht charter destinations.
Their Yacht Sales and Yacht Charter offices are located in Port Camille Rayon, Golfe-Juan, between Cannes and Antibes, 20 minutes from Nice Airport.
If you have a service that might be of interest to our visitors and would like to add a link to your site on this page, please . In most cases, we do require a reciprocal link and will only consider sites with a Google page rank of 4 or above. Thank you!
The links provided above are for information only. We are not affiliated with these sites, nor do we guarantee the quality of their content or any services provided.