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Summary

Written specifically for families to help all the family make the most of your vacation. The best things to do and see for all the family - visited, reviewed and assessed for child-friendliness by our expert writers. Dozens of the most family friendly hotels and restaurants carefully selected, visited and reviewed - we did the leg work so you don't need to. Includes sections on Monaco & the French Riviera, The Riviera's Arriere-Pays, The Western Cote & Inland Var, Marseille & the Cote Bleue, Nimes & the Carmargue, Avignon & the Vaucluse and Alpes de Haute-Provence. Exploring the region from remote lavender fields of Haute Provence to the golden beaches bordering the dazzling-blue Mediterranean sea. Try activities from tree climbing to sailing, canyoning and white-water rafting. Gourmands will delight in pancake-like Socca in Nice, almond-tasting Calissons in Aix-en-Provence, goat's cheese wrapped in chesnut leaves form Banon; and truffles from Richerenches market and red wine from Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Family-friendly festivals form Nice carnival to fete du Citron with its lemon floats in Menton to the Riviera's Jazz festivals. Follow in the artistic shoes of Matisse, Picasso, Chagall, Cezanne and Renoir in the art galleries around the region. See stunning natural attractions from the white fjords of Les Calanques to the Ile Saint Marguerite made famous in the Leonardo DiCaprio film Man in the Iron Mask. Find out about the vibrant Marseille and Nice, glitzy St-Tropez and Monaco, beach resorts of Frejus, Antibes and Saint Maxime, inland arty Aix-en-provence, Roman Arles and beautiful Avignon. Be enticed by the picturesque hill-top villages of cabris, Colmars, Gordes, Mons, Mougins and Roussillon. Discover a variety of beaches from the windswept coastline of Carmargue to tiny secluded beaches along Les Calanques With 34 million visitors in 2006, the Provence and Cote D'Azur region was the second most popular tourist destination for foreign tourists in France, behind Paris. The European Travel Commission also reports an increase in travel to European destinations; they estimate that for 2006, Europe could receive more American travelers than the record 13.12 million set in 2000. US arrivals in Europe climbed to 12.6 million in 2005 -- up 4%.

Author Biography

Lead author Louise Simpson is a travel writer based in Southern France. Having studied French and Spanish at Cambridge University, she worked for a decade in London as a PR director for two leading travel PR agencies and as a writer for numerous UK newspapers and magazines including The Independent on Sunday, Vogue, and Financial Times. She moved to Provence five years ago, where she lives with her husband and daughter. She has co-written this book with Robin Gauldie and Victoria Trott.
Robin first visited Southern France in 1972 and has returned almost every year since then, exploring every corner of the region. As a result, he could now drive most of Provence’s winding mountain roads blindfold, but prefers not to. He spends part of each year in a ramshackle house in a tiny mountain village, from which he makes frequent forays in search of great places to eat and drink and things to do. A regular contributor to many British newspapers and magazines, Robin is the author of more than 20 guidebooks to destinations around the world, including France.
A travel writer and personal coach, Victoria studied French and Spanish at the universities of Leeds, Lyon and Granada. Having worked as an au pair in the Camargue, this surprisingly remains her favourite region of France. She has travelled extensively in France, where her adventures have included running a chalet company in Courchevel, working as PA to an American billionaire in St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and house-sitting for a film director in Paris.

About the Authors	p. v
An Additional Note	p. vii
Family Highlights of Provence & the Cote d'Azur	p. 1
Best Accommodation	p. 11
Best Dining Options	p. 14
Planning a Family Trip to Provence & the Cote d'Azur	p. 17
Visitor Information	p. 20
Essentials	p. 31
Accommodation & Eating Out	p. 44
Getting Children Interested in Provence	p. 52
Fast Facts: Provence	p. 53
Monaco & the French Riviera Coastline	p. 57
Essentials	p. 59
Visitor Information	p. 59
What to See & Do	p. 62
Family-friendly Accommodation	p. 79
Family-friendly Dining	p. 83
The French Riviera's Arriere-Pays	p. 89
Essentials	p. 91
Visitor Information	p. 91
What to See & Do	p. 93
Family-friendly Accommodation	p. 107
Family-friendly Dining	p. 112
The Western Cote & Inland Var	p. 117
Essentials	p. 119
Visitor Information	p. 119
What to See & Do	p. 121
Family-friendly Accommodation	p. 133
Family-friendly Dining	p. 137
Marseille & Aix-en-Provence	p. 141
Essentials	p. 143
Visitor Information	p. 143
What to See & Do	p. 144
Family-friendly Accommodation	p. 156
Family-friendly Dining	p. 160
Nimes & the Camargue	p. 163
Essentials	p. 165
Visitor Information	p. 165
What to See & Do	p. 167
Shopping	p. 178
Family-friendly Accommodation	p. 179
Family-friendly Dining	p. 183
Avignon & the Vaucluse	p. 187
Essentials	p. 189
Visitor Information	p. 189
What to See & Do	p. 190
Family-friendly Accommodation	p. 208
Family-friendly Dining	p. 212
Alpes de Haute-Provence	p. 215
Essentials	p. 217
Visitor Information	p. 217
What to See & Do	p. 218
Family-friendly Accommodation	p. 231
Family-friendly Dining	p. 233
The Insider	p. 235
Useful Terms & Phrases	p. 237
In Provence	p. 244
Index	p. 257
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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