Page 227 - (DK Eyewitness) Back Roads Travel Guide - France

DRIVE 21: Gardens and Glamour 225
Castillon
Col Segra
PLAN YOUR DRIVE
Mt Ours
1,239 m
Start/finish: Menton to Nice.
Number of days: 2–3, allowing
half a day to explore Cap-Martin
Col des
Banquettes and Promenade Le Corbusier.
Pic de Baudon Monti Castellar
1,264 m Carei Distance: 55 km (35 miles).
Ste-Agnès Road conditions: Generally good,
Col de la with clear signposting; some narrow
Madone roads with tight turns. Between July
Cabrolles
and August traffic is very heavy,
Garavan particu larly along the Basse Corniche,
Val Rahmeh
L'Annonciade
Gorbio the D6098.
ALPES- When to go: Between April and June,
MARITIMES MENTON before holiday-makers fill the French
Jardin du Riviera, or from September to October,
Mont Agel Palais Carnoles when rates drop but the weather is
1,109 m
Roquebrune still pleasant.
Cap-Martin Opening hours: Most shops are open
from 10am until around 7pm (some
with a lunch break between noon and
ROQUEBRUNE- 2pm), while major sights tend to close
GRANDE CORNICHE Cap-Martin CAP-MARTIN an hour or two earlier. Restaurants are
often closed one or two days a week,
MOYENNE CORNICHE MONACO usually Sunday and/or Monday. During
Beausoleil
the low season be sure to telephone
ahead for opening hours.
Monte-Carlo Main market days: Menton: daily
(antiques on Fri); Monaco: daily
(antiques on Sat); Beaulieu-sur-Mer:
Cap-d’Ail Fontvieille Mon–Sat (and Sun Easter–Sep);
BASSE CORNICHE 0 kilometres 2 Villefranche-sur-Mer: Sat, Sun; Nice:
Tue–Sun (antiques on Mon).
0 miles 2
Shopping: Shop for top designer
labels in Monaco and 1950s Italian
Below left Doorway in the Old Town in Villefranche-sur-Mer, see p229 Below right Cafés in a furniture at Nice’s Marché à la
crowded square in Nice, see p229 Brocante, an antiques and flea market
(Mondays), at the Cours Saleya.
Major festivals: Menton: Fête du
Citron, Feb; Monaco: Formula One
Grand Prix, May; Cap-Ferrat: Les
Azuriales Opera Festival, Aug; Nice:
Carnival, Feb–Mar; Jazz Festival, Jul.

DAYTRIP OPTIONS
Nature lovers can walk Cap-Ferrat’s
three-hour coastal path, while drivers
with a head for heights should head
to the Grande Corniche, which offers
stunning views over the Mediterranean
coastline. For details, see p229.