Between Marseille and the Italian border, the azure blue backdrop of the Mediterranean is a breathtaking sight that beckons you to hang your boots up and set your bags down for a day that you wish would never end.

Sunny skies and balmy waters beckon even the most travel weary soul to the sun-soaked beaches of Cote d’Azur. Miles of Mediterranean coastline stretch all along the shipping port of Marseille, the former fishing hamlet of St. Tropez, the stopover for the international jet-set that is Cannes and Nice, the unofficial chic capital of the Riviera.

The coast was the retreat of the rich and famous in its heyday and continues to attract wealthy tourists today. Unfortunately, it is the same fame that has also made the French Riviera the hunting ground of big business. The people along the French Riviera are a cosmopolitan and even international lot, but scratch the surface and you will find relatively untarnished folk in the countryside. The weather here is almost always pleasant, having been blessed by Mediterranean climate. Mild winters, long summers and sunshine most of the year is the norm.

For more detailed country and visitor information, see France.