With its 40km of beaches, the French Riviera provides an intense sea experience : Jet-skiing off the coast of Nice, a canoe treasure-hunt to the Lérins islands, scuba-diving in the harbour of Villefranche, a boat trip to meet the dolphins, big-game fishing, a speed-boat trip to Saint-Tropez, parascending in a way you have never done before !

After these sea-air sensations, head for the pure, fresh mountain air. Away with the blue, in with the green ! Set off for a hike to discover the rock-paintings of the Vallée des Merveilles. At one hour from Nice, the Southern Alps contrast gently with the fine Mediterranean. Ski, snow-surf, para-gliding with a view of the peaks, bungee jumping, the vertigo of a via ferrata, mountain-climbing, mushing with huskies, rafting, mountain-bike trails, nature-watching for wolves or chamois ... nature in excellence is all yours.

St Paul de Vence

Alpha Parc des Loups

La Vallée des Merveilles

Setting off from Nice, take the steep mountain roads or the mythical coast roads and admire the attractive coastal resorts, the charming perched villages, the valleys, the natural parks and the surrounding mountains. The area around Nice is rich in ideas for outings and original discoveries.

You are more of a country lover ? Take a walk along one of the many trails which wind their way through the hillside around Nice, at a short distance from the city. You will pass through the hamlets of Bellet and the neighbourhood of Bellet, with its vineyards, century-old olive-groves, flower and market-gardening, oak woods and always the Mediterranean as a back-drop.

You prefer culture? Follow the painters itinerary and follow in the steps of the Grand Masters who will lead you to natural settings and untouched villages where the painters set up their easels : Nice, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Vence, Menton....

You are a nature lover ? Don't miss the Mercantour nature reserve and the "Vallée des Merveilles", a listed and preserved site, where the exceptional wildlife made up of chamois, ibex, marmots, birds of prey will delight you. To get there, take the winding road of the perched villages aand admire the houses with their flagstone roves, trompe-l'oeil facades and the bell-towers of Baroque churches.

Nice is this wonderful contrast between the blue of the Mediterranean and the white of the mountain peaks ... Peaks which rise above 3000 m in altitude ! Fans of cross-country skiing can make the most of more than 700 km of trails across sun-lit landscapes offering a matchless variety of scenery. Snow and sun at less than 1 hour from the coast !

Spectacular sports, cultural activities, nature-watching... all this on Nice's doorstep.