Alpes-Maritimes is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France. It has 300 sunny days per year, making it an excellent tourist destination. It encompasses the French Riviera and neighbouring Var. Alpes-Maritimes feature renowned cities and towns, and numerous alpine ski resorts.

Cities

Absinthe Museum in Antibes

• 1 Antibes — known for its beautiful coastline, its old town, and its beach
• 2 Beaulieu-sur-Mer — a Mediterranean resort village with quality marina facilities
• 3 Cannes — a sea-side city known for hosting the Cannes Film Festival, la Croisette (its waterfront) and its luxury hotels.
• 4 Castillon — a pretty perched village with spectacular views
• 5 Èze — a small atmospheric perched medieval village with a great view on the coast, and also a sea resort in its lower portion.
• 6 Grasse — famous for its perfume industry — is inland but easily reached from the coast by train
• 7 Cagnes-sur-Mer — it has Auguste Renoir's estate, and a medieval castle
• 8 La Trinité — a working-class, industrial suburb of Nice known for its religious, architectural and scientific heritage
• 9 Monaco — a wealthy city-state on the Mediterranean Sea with entertainment for those with money to burn: think yachts and casinos, plus the annual Formula 1 Grand Prix
• 10 Menton — the Lemon Festival Capital of the World hosts the Jean Cocteau Museum
• 11 Mougins — a hilltop village with stunning views, and an international reputation for its gourmet cuisine and for its links with the art world
• 12 Nice — the largest city of the département, its famous promenade, its old town
• 13 Peillon — a picturesque hilltop village with cobbled alleyways, steep narrow steps and spectacular views of the surrounding landscape
• 14 Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat — this quiet village on a peninsula of lush vegetation and rocky beaches attracts aristocrats and other wealthy visitors
• 15 Saint-Paul de Vence — 30 minutes inland but well worth a visit, a delightful old village with narrow streets and picture postcard scenes
• 16 Sospel — architecture from Roman to Renaissance, and many Maginot Line forts to visit around the town
• 17 Tourrettes-sur-Loup — a medieval village perched on a rocky spine overlooking the French Riviera
• 18 Valbonne and Biot Biot is famous for its pottery and glass-blowing
• 19 Vence — famous for the Matisse Chapel
• 20 Villefranche-sur-Mer — a small beach resort with excellent restaurants and a coarse sandy beach

Other destinations

• 1 La Pointe de l'Aiguille — a departmental park with 4 beaches and an underwater discovery trail for snorkelling
• 2 Mercantour National Park — a good place for hiking and skiing

Understand

The beach of Nice on the Quai des États-Unis

The department can be divided into three parts:

• The coast area, which attracts lots of tourists
• The arrière-pays famous for its nice villages
• The mountain area, with its ski resorts

Get in

By plane

• 1 Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (Aéroport de Nice-Côte d'Azur) (6 km east from the centre of Nice; see Nice for details). (NCE ^IATA) This is the third airport of the country in term of traffic, though it is not the main hub of any company. It offers a good number of national and international destinations, some of them covered by low-cost company EasyJet. Flying may be a good option if you are not travelling along the Mediterranean coast in which case the train may be more convenient. (updated Mar 2015)

Get around

Menton

By train

The main lines run along the coast, and allow going either to Italy (east) or Marseille (west). The local trains are following the two following lines:

• Ventimiglia (Italy) - Menton - Monaco - Nice - Antibes - Cannes - Mandelieu-la-Napoule
• Ventimiglia (Italy) - Menton - Monaco - Nice - Antibes - Cannes - Grasse

Trains also stop in smaller cities (see time table).

From Nice, high-speed train TGV runs to Lyon or Paris, with a few stops in-between. The portion between Nice and Marseille (2 hr 40 min) is not operated at high-speed.

The SNCF, the national railway company, also operates the line train des Merveilles from Nice to the hinterland (Breil-sur-Roya, Tende). This train is often used by tourists.

The region also operated the line Chemin de fer de Provence between Nice and Digne-les-Bains in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence departments in the nord. This line is also often referred as Le train des Pignes. It's also serving many small villages as Puget-Théniers, Entrevaux or Annot. Interrail cards are not accepted. The trains are not equipped for disabled people.

By bus

The Conseil Général (local council) operates a bus network called TAM. It offers to route to almost every town and village within the département. The one-way ticket costs €1 whatever the destination.

The main routes are:

• 100: Nice - Monaco - Menton (every 15 minutes)
• 100X'press: Nice - Monaco, direct by motorway (every 60 minutes)
• 200: Nice - Cannes (every 15 minutes)
• 500: Nice - Grasse
• 600: Cannes - Grasse (every 20 to 30 minutes)

This network also operates (on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and the nights before a public holiday) a night service called NocTAM'bus. The three night routes are:

• NocTAM'bus 100: Nice Côte d'Azur Airport - Monaco - Menton
• NocTAM'bus 200: Nice Côte d'Azur Airport - Cannes
• NocTAM'bus 600: Cannes - Grasse

There are also two special airport routes:

• 110 Nice Côte d'Azur Airport - Monaco - Menton, direct by motorway
• 210 Nice Côte d'Azur Airport - Cannes, direct by motorway.

Special fares apply on the airport routes (110 and 210):

• Nice - Monaco: €16.10
• Nice - Menton: €18
• Nice - Cannes: €14.20

Time tables are available online (in French)

See

Socca, a Niçois speciality, being made in the old city of Nice (Vieux Nice)

Stay safe

The Alpes-Maritimes are moderately safe from a tourist standpoint. Rural areas are very safe for the most part, whereas Nice and its immediate suburbs have their share of crimes, both petty and serious. Being street-smart and avoiding areas off-the-beaten-track are enough to avoid trouble. If you ever feel unsafe, calling the police or seeking help from hotels will help.

Politically-speaking, the Alpes-Maritimes are one of France's most conservative regions, and far-right politicians perform exceptionally well here, among the young and elderly alike. People who lean left or are visibly non-white are much more likely to face resentment than in other parts of France, and anti-LGBTQ sentiments are not uncommon.