Seeing the best of Provence and the Riviera in .NET

Generating UPC-A in .NET Seeing the best of Provence and the Riviera

Provence and the Riviera are France s most popular regions That s because these areas are lovely places to visit, full of interesting sites, a grand cuisine, and people who have a bit of Italian joie de vivre mixed in with the classic French hauteur And of course there s the weather: marvelous sunny days with sea breezes year-round In Provence, you can visit the great French towns of Avignon, home of the Palais des Papes; Arles, with Roman ruins and memories of the artist Van Gogh; and Aix-enProvence, a beautiful city full of sparkling fountains You can also explore the quaint village of St-R my, with more Roman ruins and more memories of Van Gogh In 18, we also make a quick tour of Marseille, a bustling metropolis and a major transportation hub in the south The Riviera has so many intriguing and chic resorts that it s hard to choose which one to visit (see s 19, 20, and 21) We guide you through the ten top French towns to visit plus the tiny principality of Monaco Along the coast from west to east are St-Tropez, Cannes, Antibes, Nice, St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Beaulieu, and Monaco In the hills are Biot, Vence, and St-Paul-de-Vence You can hang out at the most fashionable beaches, stroll through cobblestone villages, see some of France s best modern art museums, and participate in the glamorous nightlife From the Monte Carlo Casino to the beaches of St-Tropez, this slice of France is a slice of heaven

When visiting France, a large country with so many diverse sights, the biggest challenge may be deciding what regions you want to visit You can t do it all, but you can see and do quite a bit in just a week Here are some things to keep in mind when planning your trip Make choices Choose one region or at most two adjoining regions to visit in addition to Paris, unless you re planning a long trip You ll get a much better feel for the region you visit, and you won t spend so much time en route to places Good regions to combine are Normandy and Brittany or Provence and the Riviera 4 has some good tips for combining these regions

Cole Porter wrote I love Paris in the springtime, and with good reason The parks and gardens of Paris (and those at Versailles, Fontainebleau, and Claude Monet s Giverny) are at their colorful, fragrant best in early May Spring is off season, so you ll be blessed with short lines for sights and museums You may also be able to get reservations in the country s top restaurants, which are fully booked come summer But keep in mind that April in Paris isn t as temperate as Porter would have you believe Nearly every Monday in May is a holiday in France, so stores may be closed and other venues affected Unless you re a racecar fanatic, don t go anywhere near Monaco during the Grand Prix in mid-May Hotel prices in Monaco and surrounding towns are at their highest and booked well in advance Count on the weather being very fickle, so pack for warm, cold, wet, dry, and every other eventuality (bring layers, and don t even think about coming without an umbrella)

High season in France can mean the best of worlds and the worst of worlds But the best are really great, making summer a fabulous time of year to visit France Wonderfully long and sultry days are summer s hallmark we re talking 6 am sunrises and 10 pm sunsets so you re afforded additional hours to wander and discover Historic sites, museums, and shops keep longer hours and usually are open during lunch, unlike the rest of the year You can find discounts of 30 percent to 50 percent in most stores during late June and early July, one of the two big months for shopping sales (Jan is the other) In areas such as Provence and the Riviera, cultural calendars are at their fullest, including Nice s Grand Parade du Jazz and the Festival d Avignon and Festival d Aix-en-Provence (Summer also is the time to attend cultural festivals through the rest of the country And the great bike race, Le Tour de France, takes place in July) Although the celebration of Bastille Day (July 14) through most of France means that stores and most attractions are closed, in Paris, festivals are held and panoramic fireworks take place at Tour Eiffel