The French Riviera, also known as the Cote d’Azur, is the famous coastline stretching along the Mediterranean Sea in the south-eastern corner of France. The nickname the Cote d’Azur or Azure Coast was created by the renowned poet Stéphen Liégeard. Take a look below for 30 fun and incredible facts about the French Riviera.
1. The French Riviera covers around 550 miles or 885 kilometres.
2. With its amazing beaches, private, pebbled coves, vast coastline the French Riviera is just perfect for a city-beach holiday.
3. Situated on the French Riviera, between Cap d’Ail and Menton, Monaco is the second smallest country in the world.
4. Monaco is home to the Monaco Grand Prix and enjoys a tax-free lifestyle since the 1870s.
5. The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the most famous formula one race circuits and races in the world of F1.
6. Since 1929, the Monaco Grand Prix has been organized every year.
7. Monaco citizens are forbidden to enter the iconic Monte Carlo Casino.
8. When the casino in Monaco was built, it was called a health spa, since gambling wasn’t allowed by the church.
9. The casino was built in the 1800s to save the country from bankruptcy.
10. Monaco welcomes a staggering 7.5 million visitors a year.
11. Nice is the biggest city on the French Riviera.
12. Nice airport is the 3rd largest airport in France after Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport and Paris-Orly.
13. One of the most celebrated carnivals in the world alongside Venice and Brazil is the carnival in Nice. It has become one of the most important events on the French Riviera.
14. In 2017, Marseille was awarded the title European Capital of Sport.
15. Cannes Film Festival, one of the most prestigious and oldest film festivals in the world is hosted every year in Cannes. The 2 km red carpet used for the festival is changed 40 times over 12 days.
16. Cannes film festival was first envisaged in the 1930s by Jean Jay.
17. Grasse is a commune in the French Riviera that has become better known as the world’s capital of the perfume industry since the Renaissance period.
18. Over 2 million people live on the French Riviera.
19. The seaside coasts in France are named after precious stones. Some examples are the mother of pearl coast, the jade coast, and the alabaster coast.
20. Close to $5 billion per year is the amount the tourist spend while visiting the French Riviera.
21. If you visit the prison on Île Sainte-Marguerite, an island located just right outside of Cannes you can see the cell where the “Man in the Iron Mask” spent 11 years of his life.
22. The oldest jazz festival in Europe is Jazz-à-Juan, set in Juan-les-Pins.
23. The French Riviera started off as a winter health resort for the British higher class in the late 18th.
24. In the mid-19th century, as the railway was built along the French Riviera, it became even more popular for British, Russian, and other aristocrats.
25. Today, the railway is located in the same place but it has been modernized for faster transportation.
26. Famous French artists and writers such as Picasso, Matisse, Edith Wharton, and Aldous Huxley frequently visited the French Riviera.
27. The French Riviera became a popular tourist destination and convention site after World War II.
28. Elton John bought a humungous luxury villa, located next to a castle, on the French Riviera.
29. There are about 300 days of sunshine per year on the French Riviera.
30. The region became a lot more popular after Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier III on the French Riviera.
