French Riviera

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The "Promenade des Anglais" in Nice on the French Riviera at night.

The French Riviera (French: Côte d'Azur) is part of the South Eastern Mediterranean coast of France, reaching to the border with Italy.

1 Extent
2 History
3 Places
4 See also
5 External links

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Extent

One of the most famous resort areas in the world, it continues west from the Italian Riviera and Menton through Monaco, Nice, Antibes and Cannes along the Mediterranean coast of the Alpes-Maritimes département. After Cannes, there is some dispute regarding its extent, with some authorities (including the official tourist bodies for the Alpes-Maritimes) arguing that it stops at the border with the département of the Var, after Théoule-sur-Mer. Others suggest it extends further along the Var coastline, at least as far as Saint-Tropez, but possibly to Hyères or even the border with the Bouches-du-Rhône département.

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History

The French Rivieria became a fashionable resort in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was particularly popular with the British upper class. Winston Churchill was a regular visitor. Initially it was a winter resort, valued for its mild winter climate in comparison with that of northern Europe (though it is by no means actually warm in the winter). Later it became much more popular as a summer resort.

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