I was lucky to spend Thanksgiving week in the French Riviera or Côte d’Azur with some of my family this year – and it was such a magical time! Here’s a quick post to share some photographic highlights and quick tips from the region:
Nice, France
Enjoying le Promenade des Anglais in Nice on a sunny day!
| asos jumpsuit, soldout (similar) | westward leaning sunglasses | club monaco cardigan, soldout (similar) | black on black birkenstocks | everlane petra crossbody |
Gorgeous beaches like this line the coast, steps from the Promenade des Anglais (above); here’s my father enjoying the lovely Mediterranean Sea.
Everyone in France seems to have a scooter – it sure made me miss mine.
Le Negresco is a lovely hotel situated right on the Promenade des Anglais – common to spot celebrities like Madonna, Julien Lennon, Prince Albert, Elton John here. I really loved their holiday décor!
| minnie rose fringe poncho | boots from italian shoemaker in venice (similar) |
Le Chantecler is “worth a detour” per Michelin review sites; I’d especially recommend it though if you get excited about food adventures and gastronomic experimentation. My wonderful parents took me to a belated birthday dinner here – such a treat!
The Musée Massena is located on the Promenade des Anglais – right next to Le Negresco, actually. It’s filled with ornate art and artifacts of the French Riviera and houses Napoleon’s death mask.
The Musée Matisse was one of my favorites in France. Not only do they have a great exhibition of every imaginable media of Mr. Matisse’s work, but the building’s façade and grounds are a beautiful site to admire as well.
The Musée d’archéologique de Nice-Cimiez is a a nice stop after the Matisse Museum – after being indoors enjoying artwork, it’s a nice break to explore the archaeological site outside! By the way, it’s definitely worth getting the French Riviera pass if you’re into site and museum hopping around the region – it grants you access to a lot of these cool places (kids are free, students discounted).
Saint Paul de Vence
One of the oldest towns on the French Riviera, Saint Paul de Vence is a must-see for art-lovers. It is full of history and seemingly endless art galleries. Many well-known artists – including Marc Chagall, Jacques Raverat, and Gwen Raverat – spent parts of their lives and are buried in the local cemetery here.
Here’s a photo of my father with our friend Stephane outside of a gallery. Stephane who is from Saint Paul de Vence & showed us around the area. He runs a private car service across the Côte d’Azur, and I’d highly suggest booking his services if you’re in the area; he’s extremely knowledgeable, honest, kind, and accommodating.
It’s easy to get lost along the cute cobblestone streets here!
| everlane anorak | citizen of humanity rocket | adidas stan smiths black leather + leopard sold out (similar) |
This beautiful “bonsai” iron sculpture was actually created by Stephane’s friend and is exhibited outside of a historic church on the street in Saint Paul de Vence.
Monaco
Wondrous and opulent Monaco features many of the lavish experiences one stereotypically expects – luxury boutiques, incredible cars, beautiful casinos (below is a photo of the world-famous Monte Carlo casino).
What’s also rather amazing – and family-friendly – about Monaco are the many sites to visit, including the Musée Oceanographique de Monaco (below) where you can get lost among the large aquariums and learn some cool things about marine life for a few hours 🙂
Struggling against the wind with a map outside of le Cathédrale Notre-Dame-Immaculée or Saint Nicholas Cathedral of Monaco.
karen walker harvest with mirrored lenses, soldout (similar with regular lenses)
There are beautiful views along the walk up to the Place du Palais where you can go see the royal guards.
The family was actually in Monaco for american Thanksgiving, so we celebrated a French brasserie-styled Thanksgiving with a feast at the Cafe de Paris on the Place du Casino.
Cannes & Iles de Lérins
I snapped this shot of my parents at sunset in Cannes after we returned from the touring Lérins Island off the coast. They’re hands-down the best people I know. Their love inspires me. And they are just so adorable. I love them to pieces.
Sunset in Cannes
It’s only a short ferry ride from Cannes to visit Île Sainte-Marguerite and Île Saint-Honorat – the first on which there is a huge fortress prison you can tour (where The Man in the Iron Mask with Leo DiCaprio was filmed).
Getting the kids into Céline early 😉 special edition navy/tortoise color (similar)
By the way, if you enjoy seafood, it’s AMAZING on the French Riviera. I had so much fresh, tasty sea urchin.
Cap Ferret
Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild: OMG this gorgeous pink mansion seems unreal and gave me a whole new appreciation for the color pink. Definitely a place one should stop for a few hours to tour the extravagant history and take in the beautifully manicured gardens whilst listening to beautiful symphonies timed to the water fountains in the courtyard.
Ok guys, I’m exhausted for now.
Tell me: have you been to any of these places on the French Riviera? Let me know what you think! I’m definitely going back to the Côte d’Azur sometime soon and am open to more recommendations <3
xx, Huckleberry Kim
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