Provence-Alps-French Riviera - Provenza-Alpes-Costa Azul

The region of Provence-Alps-French Riviera (in French: Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur) is one of the most popular regions of France. It is located in the south of the country, bordering the east with Italy (with the regions of Liguria Y Piedmont), to the south with the small principality of Monaco and with the Mediterranean Sea, to the west with the region of Languedoc-Roussillon and to the north with Rhône-Alpes. The capital of the region is the city of Marseilles Department of Bouches of the Rhône.

Understand

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur covers the entire original territory of Provence, along with what used to be the county of Nice, controlled by Italy. The term "Provence" comes from the fact that this area - "Transalpine Gaul" - was the first part of what is now France to become a Roman province; It was from here that Julius Caesar launched his famous conquest of Gaul. The identity of the region is closely related to its history and culture. Though a bit stereotypical now (those lavender fields and hill towns that plastered postcards and guidebooks), contemporary Provençal life is rooted in a long heritage of lively regional culture and language.

This is a vast and beautiful region, and it deserves a long journey, not just a few days or a week. To truly appreciate this region, you have to be the type of traveler who loves local food, wine, and crafts. It is recommended that you plan your own itinerary and that it be flexible enough so that you can linger in an outdoor café or appreciate a historical sight when the moment calls for it. There is an attitude of joy to live in the whole region that is contagious, especially after a picnic of cheese and cold cuts bought directly from local farmers and two glasses of a good rosé.

Weather

The lower parts of this region have a Mediterranean climate, so they are generally dry and warm for most of the year, with more rain and wind during the generally short winters. Summers here are long and hot, and the number of hours of sunshine is very high throughout the year. The higher areas that extend into the Alps have a mountain climate which, although still dry in summer, can be quite cool. This southernmost part of the Alps is the sunniest of the range, although winter snow is still common.

Read

Those interested in literary interpretations of Provençal life should seek out the works of Marcel pagnol Y Peter mayle , the latter only if wealthy British expats are your cup of tea. Specifically, french lessons by Mayle : adventures with knife, fork and corkscrew It also provides plenty of practical advice and recommendations for each district of Provence, as well as which areas to visit for their gastronomy.

Departments

Cities

• MarseillesWith around one million inhabitants, it is the second largest city in France.
• Cannes, glamorous and expensive seaside city that hosts the Film Festival
• Toulon (in French: Toulon)
• Nice, major beach resort along the Côte d'Azur, with its famous Victorian promenade, Promenade des Anglais (literally, Promenade des Anglais)
• Aix-en-Provence
• Avignon
• Orange

Other destinations

• Blue CoastIt is one of the most popular places for visitors.
• Mont Ventoux, the largest mountain in the region and has been given the name "Giant of Provence".
• Gorges du Verdon It is a deep canyon of the river Verdon, it is a popular place for tourists ideal to rent kayaks for traveling on the river, hiking, rock climbing or simply driving around the limestone cliffs.
• Hyères Islands, Mediterranean islands off Hyères in the Var department.

To get

By plane

The two main airports in the region are the Marseille-Provence Airport Y Nice Côte d'Azur International Airport that have national and continental flights. Most transatlantic flights arriving in France, they only arrive at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport and to get to Provence-Alps-French Riviera You must take a connecting flight, the TGV high-speed train, or rent a car and drive south.

The two main airports in the region are Nice-Côte d'Azur and Marseille-Provence. Most transatlantic flights to France land at Paris Charles de Gaulle, from where it is possible to travel to Provence by taking a connecting flight, using a high-speed train, or by renting a car and driving.

1 Nice Côte d'Azur airport (NCE^IATA). France's third busiest airport after the two in Paris receives flights from almost all major European airports and a handful of further afield, such as Beirut (summer only), Doha, Dubai, Montreal Trudeau (summer only), New York JFK (in summer). only) and Tel Aviv Ben Gurion. (updated December 2017 | edit)

2 Marseille-Provence Airport (MS ^IATA). It has services throughout the year from European cities such as Amsterdam Schiphol, Berlin Schönefeld, Brussels Capital, Frankfurt, London (Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted), IST Istanbul, Madrid Barajas, Paris (Charles de Gaulle and Orly), Rome Fiumicino and Stockholm. Arlanda. There are also flights throughout the year from French-speaking African cities such as Agadir, Algiers, Constantine, Dakar, Oran and Tunis. Edit

3 Toulon-Hyères Airport (TLN^IATA). The only flights throughout the year arrive from Brest, Charleroi, Paris Orly and CDG. There are summer connections from Copenhagen, Rotterdam and Southampton. Edit

4 Avignon-Provence Airport (AVN^IATA). It has no scheduled flights since the Flybe collapse.

By train

The rail connections are excellent. The TGV ( train à grande vitesse , high-speed train) takes you to the Mediterranean sun in about three hours from Paris and just over an hour from Lyon. There are also high-speed connections from Spain operated jointly by the SNCF and the Spanish company Renfe; this allows you to reach Marseille from Barcelona Sants in 4 hours 41 minutes, and from Madrid Atocha in 8 hours. Rail connections from the east (i.e. Italy) and west (i.e. Occitan cities like Montpellier and Toulouse) are somewhat slower, but SNCF Intercités (within France) and Thello offer regular connections, from Milan and Genoa to Nice and Marseille.

Also from northern Europe there are many possible routes. The TGV has connections as far away as Brussels Midi / Zuid and Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, while Eurostar operates direct services from London Saint Pancras to Avignon TGV (5 hr 49 min) and Marseille Saint Charles (6 hr 27 min), via Lyon. In July and August, trains leave five times a week from the British capital; From April to June and from September to October, the service operates three times a week, and from November to March it operates once a week (Saturdays). At other times, travelers from the UK can take the Eurostar to Lille or Paris and connect to the national TGV network.

Typical railway walkways include Aix-en-Provence, Avignon, Marseille, and Nice. You can easily use one of these cities as a base to explore the region.

By car

France it has an extensive and complete network of highways; which is well maintained and frequently free from congestion. If you are traveling from other parts of the country, or from Italy or Spain, driving may be for the best.

France has an extensive and comprehensive motorway network that is well maintained and often free of congestion. Enter PACA from Lyon and the north on the A7, from Liguria and the rest of Italy on the A8, and from the west (Montpellier, Toulouse, Spain) on the A9.

If you are traveling from elsewhere in the country, or from nearby Italy or Spain, driving may be the way to go. However, due to the price of gasoline and most motorways are toll roads, visitors from the UK and Northern Europe may think twice about getting behind the wheel. In any case, given that typical (nonstop) driving times from the Eurotunnel terminal and the English Channel ports are around 10 hours, the journey is long but doable. Some Northerners who plan to tour the region by car or camper choose to make the initial trip part of their journey, making stops on the way down.

Travel

The best way to explore the region is by car or bicycle. The network of rural roads and highways are easy to navigate. With a town every ten minutes by car, and something interesting on every corner.

By car and bicycle

The region can be easily explored by car or bicycle, using the dense network of country lanes and easily navigable highways. With a town every ten minutes by car and something interesting around every corner, Provence is one of those places where getting lost can work in your favor.

Still, for longer trips, you'll want to know where you are going. Main autoroutes (highways) in the region are:

• A7 : Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, from Lyon , Orange (A9), Avignon, Alpilles / Luberon, Salon-de-Provence (A54), A8 for Aix-en-Provence, A51, Marseille (A50, A55)
• A8 : A7, Aix-en-Provence (A51), A52, Brignoles, A57, Draguignan, Fréjus, Cannes, Nice, Monaco, Menton, Italy, towards Imperia and Genoa
• A9 : Orange (A7), Occitanie, towards Nîmes and Montpellier
• A50 : Marseille (A7, A55), Aubagne (A52), La Ciotat, Toulon (A57)
• A51 : A7 from Marseille, Aix-en-Provence (A8), Manosque for Luberon / Verdon, Gap, Hautes-Alpes, continue as N85 in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, towards Grenoble
• A52 : A8 near Aix, Aubagne, A50 towards La Ciotat
• A54 : A7 / Salon-de-Provence, Arles, Occitanie, towards Nîmes
• A55 : Marseille (A7, A50), Martigues, Camargue
• A57 : Toulon (A50), A570 towards Hyères, inland Var, A8

By train

The main lines operated by the national company SNCF are:

• Along the coast between Marseille and the Italian border, with local trains and TGV, although all trains run at normal speed.
• From Marseille and Aix to the Alps: Digne-les-Bains, Gap.
• From Marseille westward to Avignon and southwestern France along the Rhone River.

A full map of services in the region can be downloaded from the SNCF website.

Local trains are prone to delays, so plan ahead if you have to change to a TGV or flight. This region is one of the most affected in the country by rail strikes when they occur. Long-distance trains are generally unaffected and strikes rarely last more than a day, but the few trains that do run are packed with commuters.

There is also a "small" line (meter gauge), the Chemins de Fer de Provence, which connects Nice with Dinge-les-Bains.

Talk

Most speak French although Provençal is also frequently spoken.

The French is of course the official language of this region, but you will find that many locals have regional accent . The and at the end of words it is often pronounced softly in Provence, whereas in standard French it is not pronounced at all. For example, the word "Provence" in standard French ends with an "s" sound, such as "proh-VAHNSS", whereas in Provence itself, it often ends with a sound that resembles a brief "eh" in English. , like "proh- COME-seh". Many vowels are also changed, so that they are pronounced somewhat closer to the English pronunciation of written vowels. However, the locals understand standard French.

This accent is largely due to the fact that several generations ago a different language, the occitan or the langue d'Oc , was the dominant local language, so most of the locals only learned French in school. The dialect of Occitan spoken in Avignon is Provençal, and was the subject of strong conservation attempts in the early 20th century by a group of writers and artists known as Felibrige . The most famous of them was Frédéric Mistral, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1908. Despite the efforts of the Felibrige, the language has largely disappeared, although it is still spoken by a minority of the local population. It is also taught at some regional universities and courses run by non-profit groups. In certain areas, road signs are bilingual, with place names and some local information printed in both Standard French and Occitan.

Travelers interested in speaking some French or Occitan can check out Wikivoyage's French and Provençal phrasebooks.

Learn

Watch

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur is a region of artists , and many of the greats have been inspired by the vibrant colors and excellent quality of light that the landscape offers. Nice has museums dedicated to Marc Chagall and Henri Matisse, while Vence has the impressive Chapel of the Rosary by Matisse. Tragically, there are no Vincent van Gogh paintings left anywhere in Provence, but the city where he was most productive, Arles, draws a crowd because it still has many of the sights that the great artist described as no one else. For something a little different, you can't go wrong with Le Corbusier's monument to brutalism, the Unité d'Habitation tower in Marseille. Avignon has a large museum of contemporary art, the Lambert Collection, with a variety of works, all produced since the 1960s. The city also has a must-see summer theater festival for three and a half weeks every July.

The region is known on the world stage for its glitter and glamor , none more than on the Riviera. Whether you're drawn to seeing millionaire yachts in Saint-Tropez, rubbing shoulders with movie stars in Cannes, hitting the pools in Monaco, or just soaking up the atmosphere on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, there are plenty of ways to get a taste of it. of the lifestyle of celebrities. The Riviera is also known for its luxury homes, and some of the most famous open their doors to tourists. For example, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat has the incredibly opulent Villa Kérylos, and the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, which is surrounded by nine spectacular themed gardens.

Lovers historic buildings You can't go wrong at PACA, and there are examples from all ages to see. The Romans left their mark here in spades, and Arles is the most blessed, with sights including a very well-preserved amphitheater still used for festivities, the underground cryptoporticus, and Roman baths. For a piece of living Roman history, the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Théâtre Antique d 'Orange is an impressive 1st-century open-air theater if you visit in summer (late June to early August), you can go see the opera there! A more understated, but still impressive offering from ancient times is the Roman bridge at Vaison-la-Romaine .. The 14th century brought a crisis to the Roman Catholic Church, and the Western Popes raised sticks and built a huge Gothic palace, the largest building of its kind, in Avignon. The building is still standing in all its majesty, although the interior is now quite sparse due to a point of discomfort in the French Revolution. Provence is also known for its medieval hill towns; one of the best known is Gordes, all made of golden stone and cypress trees, while Les Baux-de-Provence, much rockier, is dominated by the ruins of its castle.

• Le Pont du Gard : Less than an hour by car from Nîmes this Roman aqueduct is accessible by the Autoroute française A9. Parking has a cost.

Do

What is the most Provençal sport you can think of? Go to any city square or public park in the region and you are likely to see groups of older men playing tag. petanque . The aim of this variation of petanque in the south of France is to roll the metal balls themselves as close to the cochonnet (a small wooden ball known in English as "jack", although cochonnet in reality means " piglet "!) players ball in the process; the player whose ball is closest to the cochonnetin the end you win the game. Visitors who want to give it a try can usually find a cheap game for sale in supermarkets, and the larger cities even have their own boules courts. The more adventurous travelers can even volunteer to join the locals' game. If you are friendly and polite, the other players will probably take the opportunity to share their sport with a foreigner and this can be a great way to test your French with the locals. But be warned, despite the game's laid-back reputation, the competition can get quite fierce among more experienced players.

To eat

After centuries of intense study of the culinary arts he has produced a country where the food is almost always excellent. It is difficult to have a bad meal due to high French standards. However for tourists they should avoid places where they do not meet the standards. To avoid this classic, choose the places that are busiest and most frequented by the local population.

Every town in the region has a market day. You can buy local food, such as breads, cheeses, sausages, olives among others directly from the farmers and take the opportunity to eat a picnic while exploring the countryside and its surroundings.

Centuries of intense study of the culinary arts have produced a country where the food is almost always excellent. It's hard to have a bad meal because French standards are so high. However, in tourist traps there are places where standards slip, but to avoid this the classic advice is to choose restaurants that are full of people.

Every town in the region has a market day. You can buy local food like breads, cheeses, sausages, olives, and preserves directly from the farmers and take them (the food, not the farmers) for a picnic while exploring the countryside.

If you are going out to dinner, there are three main types of dining experiences to choose from. The restaurants They are more formal in France, serving full menus for dinner and at a slower pace than in, say, North America. You are expected to enjoy the food and should be the main reason for going out. It is considered inappropriate to request that a dish be prepared in a way other than that indicated on the menu. Restaurants typically have a selection of set menus, each with a different price range. You can also choose from a list of à la carte dishes. A bistro is more informal and has more individual items, while a coffee shop is even more casual, serving press coffee, drinks, sandwiches (like the ubiquitous croque monsieur) or pizzas.

Provence has a unique cuisine that reflects its Mediterranean history and the frequent exchange of cultures. This is an olive growing region, and there are many varieties, ranging from tiny peanut-sized Niçois olives to large Bouteillan or Aups olives. In addition to oil, olives are also enjoyed as a spread on their own ( Olivade ) or mixed with capers ( tapenade ). Many growers offer guided tours of their groves; They may be plots the size of a small property, but some are located on royal castle grounds.

While many products are found throughout the region, some are best sampled in certain areas. Let it be known that despite the abundance of native food in the region, Provence has a very popular pizza culture. Okay, now that ad is out of the way, let's move on to true Provençal cuisineǃ

On the coast Most of the cuisine is based on fish, with sardines and anchovies being the most popular. For English speakers, the two plates best known in the region are, of course, the bouillabaisse , a fish stew rich in herbs and spices, and the famous Nicoise salad , a tuna salad made with eggs, anchovies, tomatoes, green beans, and black olives. While trying both is a must, other lesser known but equally tasty dishes include the anchovy , which is an anchovy-based spreadable appetizer, aioli with garlic and a specialty of Marseilleː grilled sardines. Another wonderful Provencal specialty is the tasty soupe de poissons., which is made with a base of tomatoes, onion, garlic and herbs and is often served with croutons, grated Gruyère cheese and a very spicy aioli.

In the hills , the most famous and beloved dish is ratatouille , which in real life is even better than a certain Pixar movie shows. Although it is no more than a simple vegetable stew and a peasant dish, the ratatouille It is a very special blend of fresh zucchini (USː zucchini), mushrooms, aubergine (USː aubergine), bell peppers, tomatoes and onion, as well as garlic and Provencal. herbs. In season, you can also enjoy stuffed vegetables ( farcis ) typical of rustic cuisine. If the thought of all those veggies makes you nauseous, here's one for carnivores. Daube It is a delicious beef stew that is often mixed with olives.

Of dessert , you can't miss the cake tropézienne . This fluffy sponge cake will cool you down really well in the hell of summer. At the other end of the year, you can experience a unique Christmas ritual that will make pudding lovers salivate ː At the end of the Christmas meal, no less than thirteen desserts are servedǃ Which of the thirteen in particular is a hotly debated question (the debate It is one of the favorite activities of the Provençal people). Despite the disagreement, an official list has been drawn up that includes: pompe à huile , the so-called "four beggars" (walnuts, dried figs, almonds and raisins), dates, apples, pears, watermelon, grapes, both black. and white nougat and sorbet.

Drink and go out

Most of the came in this region it is of very high quality and must be tastedǃ If this seems like a ridiculous and impractical task for the average tourist, then why not try the locals' favorite? A good rosé. Unlike the sweet, cheap junk many of us remember from the 1970s, traditional Provencal rosé is dry, light, and acts as a perfect accompaniment to an afternoon bread and cheese picnic.

Viticulture aside, the drink most appreciated by the Provençal psyche is the pastis , an aperitif liqueur made with anise. The many brands may be indistinguishable to outsiders, but each has a devoted local following, akin to sports teams and their fans. With an average alcohol content of 40-45%, this is a strong thing and will likely lead to some memorable nights (or not, depending on how much you like yourself).

Fancy being a super spy at heart? Taking a Martini ("shaken, not stirred" or whatever you like) during a night out on the Riviera? When ordering a Martini in France, you need to be very specific. Don't just say "Martini", as for many French waiters, this means sweet vermouth appetizer with ice, as in a Martini and Rossi red or white. Instead, order a 'Gin Martini', 'Vodka Martini' or 'American Martini', and specify your preferred style as scrambled, lemon zest, dry, etc.

If alcohol isn't your thing, or if you just fancy a break from all that Pastis, the region's excellent variety of fruit trees yields a healthy harvest of fruit juices , and the coffee culture French is ubiquitous.

Respect

In an emergency, dial the 112 .

If you decide that Provence is your place to stay, you can stay safe too. The last 10 years have seen a sharp increase in the crime rate on the Côte d'Azur, with many houses being burglarized. Help and information for victims of theft and those who wish to verify or improve the security of their property is best done with the help of the local police chief. If you decide to make Provence your base and are looking to buy a property, you should be as cautious as anywhere else. Don't buy your property without doing the necessary research. Make sure you purchase your property through a listed agent who is in possession of a "permit."

Next destination

• Monaco, a small country completely surrounded by the region of Provence-Alps-French Riviera. It can be visited on a day trip.
• Italy, Go east in Italy, where the regions of Liguria Y Piedmont await you. They are very beautiful places where they can be in contact with nature.