Excursions & Sightseeing Tours
Our tours capture both the natural beauty and the fantastic glamour of the South of France. From Monaco to the Mountains, we will provide you with both the memories and the photo opportunities that will make your time with us unforgettable.
Our planned tours take in all of the highlights of the region, though if there is a place of interest to you that you cannot find on this page, please don't hesitate to contact us and we will price an itinerary especially for you.
Full Day Tours from €65 per person
- Tour #1
- Monaco
- Eze
- Nice
- Cap Ferrat
- Tour #2
- Antibes
- St Paul de Vence
- Gorges du Loup
- Gourdon
- Tour #3
- Mercantour
- Tour #4
- Gorges du Verdon
Italian Markets
- Tour #5
- San Remo
(Tues/Sat Only)
- Tour #6
- Ventimiglia
(Friday Only)
Half Day Tours from €40 per person
- Tour #8
- Nice
- St Paul de Vence
- Tour #10
- St Paul de Vence
- Maeght Musee
Nice Museums
Monaco
What fantastic images of glamour and wealth Monaco conjures up, high rollers winning and losing fortunes in the Casino, beautiful people lounging in the Café de Paris, watching the world go by and of course the Monaco Grand Prix, surely the most famous grand prix of all! So let us show you what it’s all about, you too can drive the Grand Prix circuit and take your chances in the Casino, but that’s not all. We’ll show you the palace and the cathedral where Princess Grace is buried, you’ll see the incredible suburb of Fontvieille, totally reclaimed from the sea and of course the yachts of the rich and famous in the harbour.
Eze
Between Nice and Monaco along the moyenne corniche, this picturesque village, 1410 feet above sea level, is the highest perched village in Provence. You enter the village through its 14th century gateway and find yourself in a maze of narrow streets and stone staircases, built that way so as to be easily defended. You can visit the exotic garden (small entrance fee) and the Chapelle des Pénitants blancs, which houses a 13th century Catalan crucifix with Christ smiling down from the cross.
If you wish to visit a parfumerie a visit to Eze offers the ideal opportunity to see the Fragonard laboratory and boutique, where we will be happy to stop off. Fragonard offer free tours around their facility and the opportunity to purchase fragrances at factory prices.
Nice
The capital of the Cote d’Azur, Nice is the 5th largest city in France with near on 500,000 residents. Nikaia, as it was then called, was founded by the Greeks from Phocaea between the 5th and 4th centuries BC and has since been ruled, among others, by the Romans, Saracens, the counts of Toulouse and Barcelona and as late as the 1st part of the 19th century by Italians from Sardinia. Nice took off as a holiday destination in the latter part of the 19th century, when the British aristocracy, led by Queen Victoria, started holidaying here during the winter months. Now of course, Nice is very much an all year round destination.
The old town of Nice is particularly attractive with its narrow streets full of the hustle and bustle of local life. The Cours Salaya, which houses ‘the Flower Market’ is very popular with tourists and locals alike.
Cap Ferrat & Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild
Baroness Beatrice de Rothschild built this beautiful villa after marrying wealthy banker, Baron Ephrussi. The villa took 7 years to build and a total of 40 architects were employed, some only for a matter of hours, as the Baroness would dismiss them on a whim. She furnished the villa with around 5000 works of art from all over the world, frescos, paintings, Chinese chests and vases, tapestries, porcelain and Renaissance furniture. An endless list. For many, however the main attraction of the villa is its beautiful gardens, Japanese, Spanish, Florentine, Provençal, all surrounding the main Ile de France garden, shaped like a boat and adorned with musical fountains. We highly recommend this delightful visit.
There is a small entrance fee to the villa, which is not included in our price.
Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild | St Jean Cap Ferrat on Wikipedia
Antibes
Popular with the locals because of its Tuesday to Sunday Provencal market, in the cobbled cours Masséna, this is where our tour starts. Visit the ramparts of the old town and the Picasso museum housed in the Chateau Grimaldi, the narrow bustling streets and in stark contrast, the purpose built port, where you can often see some of the largest private yachts in the world. Paul Allen’s Octopus, the largest of all, was here during the summer of 2004. Afterwards, we’ll take a tour of Cap d’Antibes and show you the Hotel du Cap, frequented by Fitzgerald and Hemingway, among others. Scott Fitzgerald immortalised the hotel in ‘Tender is the Night’, as the Hotel des Etranger.
St Paul de Vence
Built on a rocky outcrop and surrounded by the beautiful countryside of Vence, St Paul is one of France’s most visited medieval villages and it’s not hard to understand why. Home to contemporary art and artists, the village is a labyrinth of narrow streets and stone stairways, with fountains and 17th century wash houses in attractive squares.
Feel free to visit the many art galleries and boutiques, there’s no hard sell here. Enjoy a coffee in the 19th century Café de la Place and watch the locals play boules or have a go yourselves.
We operate a half day tour to St Paul, which is especially for lovers of modern art, where we allow time for a visit to the renowned Foundation & Musée Maeght, housing galleries, sculptures and a library devoted to fine art.
Maeght Foundation (English Guide) on AMB Côte d'Azur | Musee Maeght | Nice-Panorama Gallery | Official Site
Gorges du Loup
From St Paul we continue upwards through Vence until we reach the river Loup, where we turn right and follow the dramatic canyons towards Gourdon. Here you will have the chance to see some of the stunning countryside of the ‘arriere pays’, beautiful foliage and wild flowers, waterfalls, including the listed site of the ‘Cascade du Cormes’ and much more. We will stop for photos on the way.
Gourdon
More than 2000 feet above sea level and 1600 feet above the river Loup, A fort was 1st built on this site in the 9th century as a defence against Saracen invaders. Known as the eagle’s nest, Gourdon is only accessible from the North, as there is a sheer drop on the 3 remaining sides, commanding superb views over the Mediterranean from Nice to Cap Esterel, west of Cannes. There is a small admission fee to the 17th century chateau, which stands at the heart of the village and is an optional visit or you can just enjoy the arts and crafts and souvenir shops of this attractive village.
Mercantour National Park & Gorges de Daluis
For nature lovers young and old, this really is a marvellous sightseeing tour. Our journey will pass through some of the most beautiful natural canyons of the region and will take us as high as 5000 feet into the Southern Alps. We will visit the medieval village of Entrevaux (one of the 1000 most beautiful villages in France) and the charming village of Guillaume, named after its 10th century founder.
Gorges du Verdon
Although nowhere near as large as the Grand Canyon of Arizona, the Grand Canyon of the Verdon, as it is sometimes called, is over 2000 feet deep in places and just as beautiful. During our circuit of the gorges, we will visit the village of Moustiers-Ste-Marie, famous for its faience pottery.
Gorges de Verdon on Wikipedia | Moustiers St Marie Office de Tourisme
Italian Markets of San Remo & Ventimiglia
We’ll set off nice and early to get the best from one of these morning markets and take you along the beautiful moyenne cornice between Nice and Cap d’Ail, before picking up the autoroute above Monaco to arrive at either of these market towns no later than 10am. You’ll be able to buy leather goods and pashminas at great prices and you’ll have ample time to visit the local shops and famous flower and food markets. We will show you where you can enjoy a good pasta lunch, before returning you to your hotel in plenty of time for you to relax and freshen up for your night time entertainment.
San Remo open air market opens on Tuesdays & Saturdays until around 1pm.
Ventimiglia market opens on a Friday and closing time varies from about 2pm.
Nice Museums
First you’ll visit the Marc Chagall museum, which houses many of the artist’s biblical works and you’ll have around an hour to visit. Afterwards we’ll take you to the Roman arenas and Matisse museum in Cimiez and you’ll see the Hotel Regina, where Matisse lived. You will also be able to visit the Franciscan monastery nearby, with its Italianate gardens.