Movie stars step confidently on the red carpet at the Film Festival. Music stars and fans crowd up at the NRJ Music Awards. Luxurious hotels and trendy boutiques, side by side, quietly along the sea, waiting patiently for a tourist invasion. On the beach, the sandcastle master builders carve their amazing Egyptian Sphinx replicas or medieval fortresses. This is glamorous Cannes.

Along the coast, and home to many SKEMA students at the Sophia Antipolis campus, Juan-les-Pins enchants with its fine sandy beaches and stylish restaurants. Sipping on a refreshing drink at an outside café table while being caressed by the bright sun and a cool winter breeze can never be more pleasant.

A chic town off the Mediterranean coast, Grasse, is the perfume capital of the world. Not only do the multitudes of stores sell a wide variety of smooth-shaped, colourful bottles of perfumes, but the French dream too, captured in a custom-made eau de toilette. Walking through the narrow streets of Grasse, you can almost hear an old gramophone playing quietly in the background.

In Antibes, the great “Fort Carré” stands majestically over the promenade filled with swarming tourists, rushing toward the old town. It is here where most locals and internationals gather to enjoy exquisite French cuisine, or a pint of Guinness at a cheerful Irish pub.

In Nice, the French Riviera’s gate to the world, every street is a monument, and the classical mixes perfectly with the modern. You can never go wrong here, whether you want to go shopping in the city centre, or enjoy the lapping waves along the kilometres of pebble beach.

Monaco stands for royalty, culture, sports, and luxury. The streets take pride in the skid marks left behind by the fast and the furious Formula 1 cars, while the Casino is renowned in the gamblers’ world. The Oceanographic Museum brings a touch of science, and the Royal Palace, with its fully white-dressed guards, comes to complete the mystique of the Principality.
This is but a taste of the region’s delights.