St Tropez - holiday - Nice for the night

Other France tourist attractions include nearby Nice, a more down-to-earth version of a St Tropez holiday. Nice has plentiful beaches, more artistic culture, and a vibrant, youthful crowd. Also nearby is Cannes, famous for the yearly film festival. Cannes also attracts a posh crowd with its exclusive beaches, shopping boutiques, and sparkling climate. Of course, a review of France tourist attractions wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Paris. Paris has an abundance of monuments, more museums than one can see in a month, and diverse nightlife.

St Tropez is a fantastic destination to live it up, party like a rock star, and sun on the beach. If you’re worried about money, spend the day on a St Tropez holiday, then move on to Nice for the night, or avoid the hotel–party all night and sleep on a train out of town. Any way you stay, St Tropez is a fun, sun swept destination on the French Riviera.

Saint Tropez

Those on a St Tropez holiday will want to spend some time at a nightclub. Les Caves du Roy is in the swanky Hotel Byblos, where high society sips. Like most joints in St Tropez, drinks are expensive. Bodega de Papagayo is an Asian influenced bar and restaurant, populated by a young crowd. For more salt of the earth drinking, try Kelly’s Irish Pub, featuring Guinness, live music, and Irish lovers.

St Tropez holiday lodging is expensive, however, some reasonable deals are possible. A good value is Lou Cagnard, a traditional farmhouse surrounded by plants. Le Baron is a calm, quiet hotel overlooking the citadel. If you want to rub noses with the elite, stay at Le Yaca, which has great views of the bay, a pool, and peacocks roaming about.

St Tropez

Saint Tropez, a beautiful and famed destination on the French Rivera, is surrounded by endless white sandy beaches and a sunny climate. Saint Tropez is known as a playground for the rich and Hollywood elite. More modest travelers come to work on their tan, or unload money on expensive drinks in any of the abundant and stylish nightclubs. Celebrity watching is also popular. On the whole, Saint Tropez is hip, upscale, and expensive, but never-the-less, a fun city to kick back in.

Usually France vacations include some time on the beach, and Saint Tropez offers miles of sand. The Plage de Tahiti, 2.5 miles southeast of town, is the best in the area. If swimwear is making you feel restricted, head east to La Moutte, a naturiste beach, and shed your cloths. Many of the beaches near Saint Tropez are nudist beaches.

Most France vacations in Saint Tropez are about the glitz and glamour of dinning like A-list stars, and sunning on the brilliant beaches. While monuments are usually secondary, if you crave a break from the sun there are a few worth checking out. Musee de l’Annonciade, located in an abandoned chapel, houses a rich collection of modern art, including works by Signac, Bonnard, and Matisse. The Citadella de Saint Tropez offers some of the best views of the bay, and a few peacocks wandering the grounds. Inside, the citadel recounts the maritime history of the area, and the allied landings of 1944.

Paris - attractions - walking

Other Paris tourist attractions worth checking out are Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise and le Catacombes. The cemetery includes the remains of Chopin, Moliere, Gertrude Stein, Jim Morrison, and the much kissed tomb of Oscar Wilde. For a darker side of Paris, some Paris tours descend Le Catacombes, an underground corridor made up of the stacked bones of millions of Parisians exhumed from their graves to solve a hygiene problem in Paris France in the late 18th century.

For tours in Paris, try a walking tour, focusing on the history, monuments, and museums of Paris. Some are self guided, while others provide guides. The obvious advantage to self guided tours in Paris is that you can move at your own pace. There are several companies that offer this service including Paris Walking Tours, Classic Walks, and French Adventures. There’s also biking tours in Paris which peddle past famous monuments and icons of the city. One could book a tour through a travel agency, before leaving. With enough to see and do for weeks, the heart of France has delights for young and old.

Paris - France museums

Of course Paris France museums are not to be missed. Many Paris vacations start at the world famous Louvre, home to the Mona Lisa, and 35,000 other pieces of art. Connoisseurs could spend several days covering the Louvre. Paris France has an extinsive modern art collection at the Pompidou National Center of Art & Culture. The building was designed with the pipes and duct work on the outside, and the glass escalator running up exterior of the building is an exciting ride. The Musée d’Orsay, in a former railway station, displays French art nouveau, impressionist, and postimpressionist works. The Musée de Cluny, contains works from the middle ages, and a former Roman bath house, dating back to around 200 AD. Those are only a sprinkling of the quality museums visited during Paris vacations.

Paris

Paris France, the city of lights, is home to one of Europe’s most recognized monuments, perhaps the world’s most renowned museum, and a cultural smorgasbord of food, drink, nightlife, and sights. There’s plenty to see and do in Paris, and a walking, biking, or bus tour is a great way to see the city, as there are many options for Paris tours all over town. You can also conduct your own tour, and this guide to Paris will highlight the best architecture, museums, and sights.

Good Paris tours include plenty of monuments, famous museums, and world renowned dinning. The iconic Eiffel Tower tops out at over 1,000 feet, and contains 2 restaurants, a souvenir shop, a post office (for that one of a kind postmark), snack bar, and a viewing area, all within its iron structure. The Panthéon is a monument dedicated to historical personages of France, housing a crypt containing over 70 people, including Votaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Marie Curie, and Alexandre Dumas. A popular stop on many Paris tours is Notre Dame cathedral, with its awe inspiring exterior and ornate interior. Pay homage to French author Victor Hugo, and ascend the bell tower for a look at the gargoyles from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The Arc de Triomphe is a great stop on Paris vacations. Located on the famed avenue Champs Élysées and centered in the world largest traffic roundabout, the Arc is a simple, yet daunting monument commissioned by Napoleon. The gothic Saint Chapelle, built in the 13th century, has 15 impressive stained glass windows depicting an entire biblical history.

Nice - walkway - hotels

Nice vacations are an excellent opportunity to check out the dynamic pedestrian walkway that parallels the promenade des Anglais. The walkway runs along the sunny waterfront where walkers, joggers, and inline skaters traverse beneath palm trees. Near the promenade, don’t miss the Albert I Garden. A multitude of flowers and palm trees grow here. Also near the promenade is an Italian style theater, home to the Opera de Nice.

There are several hostels, mid-ranged hotels, and plusher, luxury accommodations in Nice. The glorious waterfront is lined with a nice selection of hotels, and more budget oriented accommodations are found inland. The Windsor is a stylish hotel with art centered rooms, and the Felix is a small hotel owned and serviced by a couple, with balconies over the rue Masséna. Nice France is blessed with sunny weather, charming French atmosphere, and plenty to see and do while on holiday.