DAY ONE

10.00 - Fuel up with a pain au chocolat and café noisette, don your most comfortable flats, then head out for a walking tour of Nice Côte d’Azur, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a ‘Riviera Winter Resort City’. Start in the Old Town with its famous flower, fruit and vegetable markets on Cours Saleya. On Mondays, the colourful stands make way for the Cours Saleya flea market. More than 200 exhibitors set up their stalls, selling everything from fine lace and crockery, to jewellery, hats, bags and old paintings. It’s a haven for magpies where all sorts of hidden treasures can be uncovered. Once you’ve finished your rummage, take the ‘Ascensceur du Chateau’, to reach the top of the castle hill for a walk around its park. Then enjoy the beautiful panoramic views of the city from the rooftops of the baroque Old Town, stretching out to the beautiful bay of Nice.

12.30 - Reward all the walking with lunch at one of many local restaurants along Cours Saleya, or at Barba Blea, a beautiful Niçoise ‘Cuisine Nissarde Label’ restaurant, where you can sit on the terrace feasting on fritters, Barba tartare and ratatouille whilst watching the world go by.

14.00 - Time for another tour, but this time by bus! Hop aboard the Nice Le Grand Tour open-deck bus, that will take you through Nice Côte d’Azur to Villefranche-sur-Mer, another beautiful resort town. Make sure you visit the Saint Elme Citadel, which was built in 1557 to defend the medieval town. Listed as a historic monument, today the citadel houses the Town Hall, a convention centre, four museums, gardens and an open-air cinema.

17.00 - To whet your appetite before dinner, sip an espresso with a view, or perhaps an Amaretto Sunrise or Virgin Spritz at La Terrasse at Meridien Nice hotel, which has the city’s best address of 1 Promenade des Anglais.

20.00 - Finish your day with a little French finesse at one of Nice Côte d’Azur’s Grandes Tables (Top Table) restaurants, such as the two-Michelin-starred Restaurant Flaveur, which highlights local and regional cuisine, or the exquisitely located Seen Restaurant & Bar by Olivier at Anantara Plaza Nice Hotel.

DAY TWO

09.00 - A morning ripe for sightseeing... Choose your transport – either bus, train or car - and point yourself in the direction of Beaulieu-sur-Mer, to find the charming Villa Kerylos. Inspired by an ancient Greek Residence, the villa is built around an open-air courtyard and evokes the daily lives of the Greeks of the Hellenistic era. Before lunch, explore the coastline via a private tour with Seazen, aboard one of its unique solar-powered boats.

12.00 - Feeling peckish? If you want to stay in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, simply stroll along the Marina and take your pick of fabulous restaurants, such as L’Atelier d’Emile for its family-style Provençal classics or La Table at La Réserve, with its superb market-driven dishes and homemade ice cream. Or, wind your way to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat to feast at the gorgeous Le Cap, at The Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat or La Table du Royal-Riviera, at Royal-Riviera Hotel, with its elegant beachside dining.

14.00 - This afternoon is dedicated to culture and horticulture, with a visit to Villa et Jardins Ephrussi de Rothschild, which overlooks the bays of Villefranche and Beaulieu-sur-Mer. Spend time exploring the Belle Epoque palace with its remarkable collections, then slow things down with a stroll around one of the nine themed gardens, from the Spanish garden and Japanese garden to the rose garden.

17.00 - When you’re ready for some light refreshments, find the Restaurant & Beatrice Tea-Room at Villa, which is set in the very room that Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild’s used as a dining room. The terrace overlooks the Bay of Villefranche, and is a dreamy spot to sip afternoon tea and perhaps have a nibble on a little pâtisserie au choix.

18.30 - Once back in Nice Côte d’Azur, and if you’re staying before January 7, you must visit the Christmas market. Filled with stalls from local artists and artisanal producers, as well as food shops and entertainment, it’s a beautiful experience. Plus, there’s a huge ferris wheel, which will bring out the big kid in all of us.

20.00 - For dinner, it’s time try another of Nice Côte d’Azur’s Grandes Tables restaurants. There’s Aromate Restaurant near the legendary Place Massena, which serves up a one-Michelin-starred menu of modern, and highly creative cuisine under the helm of chef Mickaël Gracieux. Or book a table at Restaurant Pure & V, with its one-Michelin-star menu bringing creative Scandinavian cuisine to the French Riviera courtesy of Vanessa Masse.

22.00 - After you’ve filled yourself with some of the best food in the city, how about a little game at the Black Jack table or try your luck at the slots at either Casino du Palais de la Méditerranée or at Casino Ruhl Barrière. Or simply stroll along the Promenade des Anglais, perhaps with an ice cream, to soak up the Niçoise culture after dark.

DAY THREE

08.00 - Leave Nice Côte d’Azur behind with a trip to the enchanting hilltop village of Èze, which stretches out along the coast from Cap Roux to the Cabuel point. One of the best ways to make the journey is by car, as the road will wind you around the epic coastline. To gift yourself a cinematic moment, why not hire a classic car, from a Porsche 356 Speedster to a Lotus Seven or a Ford Mustang. In fact, a visit to Èze is worth the trip alone!

12.00 - Once you arrive in style, there’s plenty to do in beautiful Èze, with its stone walls, winding alleyways and colourful flowers. At the top of the hill in Eze is an exotic botanical garden, Jardin Exotique, which is set in the ruins of a medieval fortress. Wander through cacti and succulents whilst admiring the panoramas that extend as far as Saint-Tropez! There’s also the two-Michelin-starred restaurant, La Chèvre d’Or if you get hungry, or Èze’s famous Notre-Dame-de l’Assomption church – a neo-classical 18th-century building, with beautiful work by Italian architect Antoine Spinelli. It’s the perfect place to take a break from Èze’s busy streets and enjoy a little solitude.

13.00 - Another lovely thing to do in Èze is to visit the famous perfume factory, Usine-Laboratoire Fragonard. A huge contemporary space that opened in 1968, the perfume factory couples as a cosmetics laboratory, and offers exceptional views of the village’s baroque church and sea. Here, you can really get nosey and learn about the different stages of distillation, hot and cold enfleurage and modern techniques such as extraction by volatile solvents or supercritical carbon dioxide extraction. If that’s a little too scientific for you, you’ll enjoy discovering the secrets of the perfumer who, like a musician, composes his scents in front of an organ, because the perfumes are made up of a chord, which designates an association of several notes, such as woody chard, chypre chord, fruity notes or floral. There’s also a soap-making workshop or mini perfumer’s workshop, as well as a store, where you can purchase Parfumerie Fragonard products, from eaux de toilettes to soaps, candles and diffusers, to take home.

14.00 - You’ve been justly rewarded with lunch and a shopping spree, so head to CAP 3000 in Saint Laurent du Var, voted the world’s best shopping centre in 2022. It’s the biggest seaside shopping centre in Côte d’Azur, offering shopping with sea views, and plenty of high-end fashion, food and entertainment. Before you start raiding the rails, best to replenish your energy levels with lunch at Joseph, a beautiful brasserie that serves fish and seafood – think Gilardeau oysters and sea bass flamed in a salt crust – and incredible barbecued rib of beef. Or head to Edgar Gastronomic Burger if you’re after a quick bite. Try a gorgonzola burger with caramelised onions, a steak haché or beef carpaccio. Once you’re ready to shop, you can unleash yourself on the boutiques of CAP3000. There’s everything from Galeries Lafayette to Michael Kors and The Kooples. It’s also just opened a brand new Corso entirely dedicated to luxury brands, with Tommy Hilfiger, Gerard Darel, Maison Christian Dior and Mont Blanc. For children, there’s also La Tête dans les Nuages, which is a 1,600 square metre space dedicated to fun, with air-hockey, bowling and arcade games. CAP3000 is open seven days a week, so you can shop ’til you drop with no deadline!

20.00 - After such excitement, it’s high time you put your feet up again and enjoyed another spectacular dinner. Make a reservation at Restaurant Le Chantecler, a one-Michelin-starred French eaterie run by Normandy-born chef Virginie Basselot. Plumped pretty on the Promenade des Anglais, within the elegant walls of the 110-year-old Le Negresco hotel, Le Chantecler revisits the codes of great gastronomy, with simplicity and sincerity at its core, whilst spotlighting regional products against a backdrop of 18th-century decor. Try the poultry with white cabbage, kumquat and pistachio; the Mediterranean lobster with strawberry and lemon verbena; or Jersey beef with Nice Côte d’Azur olives, anchovies and artichokes.

22.00 - After dinner, if you’re in town between February 17 and March 3, you can witness the epic Nice Carnival. It’s been around since 1873 and takes place over two weeks each year, with the Carnival Parade of Lights during the day and night, as well as the elegant Flower Parade, street art troupes, musical groups,