Visiting the Cote d'Azur in Winter

The French Riviera, or, more glamorously known as, The Cote d’Azur, stretches across the south eastern coastline of France. Endlessly beautiful, famously exclusive, and horrifically expensive, the Cote D’Azur is generally off limits for most travelers (outside of the super rich). I’m here to tell you that it’s not; you just need to visit in Winter.

The Cote d’Azur

**WHERE**: South-Eastern France
**WHY**: Just look at the photos.
**TIME**: 3-4 nights

Unrivalled for glitz and glamour pretty well anywhere else on earth, the Cote d’Azur has a well earned reputation for attracting thousands upon thousands of well-heeled visitors every summer. Imagine it now; the towns of Cannes, Nice and Menton full to the brim with tourists all too eager to hand over hard-earned (or not hard earned, as the case may be) cash. The weather is warm, the aquiline water of the Mediterranean a gorgeous temperature. Above, the sun is shining. However, for most of us, visiting during the summer is simply unaffordable. During summer, the prices for accomodation, food and activities skyrocket. To make matters worse, the central towns are absolutely teeming with other tourists; making the idea of visiting somewhat disagreeable.

However, as I write this very post, sitting in a bar in Menton (a town on the eastern-most edge of the French Riviera), in the middle of December, the sun is also shining, the water is still easily swum in; and yet, there are no other tourists here. To my left, there are locals. To my right, an old French man is sipping on a Rosé with his wife. I’m paying less than 5 euros for a carafe of wine, and I’m damn sure that I’ll be paying less than 15 for dinner. This, then, surely is the time to visit the Cote D’Azur.

The temperature here; I am told, ranges between 13° and 3° all winter. The rainiest time of the year has already passed (October-November), and the sea temperature is around 13° all winter. All winter the sun is expected to shine, yet, the tourist numbers drop by more than half, especially in the main hubs of Cannes and Nice. In fact, the levels of tourists drop so dramatically that many of the pricier restaurants in the towns we’ve visited thus far (Nice, Cannes, Menton) have closed up shop for the year, leaving the local brasseries open for business.

Each day that I’ve spent on the French Riviera this winter has been magical; whether it was driving the campervan along the highway, watching the radiant sunlight illuminate the red cliffs above, or whether it was swimming in the (surprisingly) pleasant Mediterranean sea. I’ve drunk the best rosé that I’ve ever tasted in my life, and have paid less than 10 euros a bottle for it. In the summer, I’m told, the price for wine will increase by double for tourists.

The people too, seem to be relaxed. For all the warnings I’ve been given about the people of southern France, the locals here are some of the loveliest I’ve yet met. Maybe the off-season gives them a welcome chance to relax and decompress; another heavy tourist season now behind them? Whatever it is, I’m feeling welcome here, in this most gorgeous region of France.

Tomorrow, I’ll be leaving for the Italian side to the Riviera. Yet, it is with some sadness that I’m leaving the Cote d’Azur. I know that, should I ever return in summer, the place will be completely full of tourists, and the magic will have worn off. It won’t be the same. I won’t enjoy it. Yet, i suppose I have the consolation that things seem likely to continue this way for the time being; the Riviera remaining bucolic and seemingly untouched by tourists after September. My advice; don’t come any other time than winter.