A Local's Guide to the Côte d'Azur: Antibes to Cassis

In this episode, I'm taking you along the Côte d'Azur - the glittering coastal stretch of Provence that looks and feels completely different to the lavender fields and vineyards further inland. I start with the trip that first brought me here: an early train from a heatwave-stricken Paris, and my first lunch on Aunt Juliette's terrace above Antibes that I still think about years later.

From there, I work my way through some of my favourite spots along the coast - Nice, with its daily markets and (unmissable) Monday flea market; Menton, the lemon capital near the Italian border; Villefranche-sur-Mer and hilltop Saint-Paul-de-Vence; and Grasse, the perfume capital, where you can bring home a scent nobody else will have. Heading back toward Marseille, I cover Cannes and its quieter, sandier neighbour La Bocca (home to my all-time favourite Le Cabanon), the beach clubs near Saint-Tropez worth actually stopping for, and Cassis, the fishing village that might be the most underrated base on the whole coast.

If you're planning time on the Côte d'Azur, or just dreaming of it from somewhere much hotter or much colder, I hope this gives you a proper feel for the place and a few new spots to add to the list. I'd love to hear which one you visit first...