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The fairy tale of the Principality:
You can either choose to go by motorway (40 km. / 25 miles - about 45 min.) or
by the Grand Corniche scenic road which goes through Cap Martin and Roquebrune (about
1½ hour) down to Monaco.
Visit to the Exotic Gardens which host more than 6,000 species of plants and
cactuses coming from every part of the world.
Visit to the old town, from where you will be able to see the whole of the
Principality, and guided tour of the famous Oceanographic Museum; do not miss
the traditional changing of the guard right in front of the Prince’s Palace.
Guided tour of the Palace from June to September.
Visit to the Place du Casino, to the Casino itself, to the Café de Paris and the
American SunCasino where you will be able to enter their card rooms.
The Belle Époque Riviera:
You will reach Cannes by the motorway (80 km. / 50 miles - about 2 hours)
Stop at the Croisette for a visit to the Palace of Cinema and a walk along the
beautiful promenade, where you can find elegant hotels dating back to the Belle
Époque; do not miss the chance to go shopping in the old town.
Possible boat trip to the Lerins Isles which are part of a protected sea park.
Lunch break and then you will reach Nice by the coastal road which goes through
Juan les Pins and Antibes. (30 km. / 20 miles - about 40 min.)
Sightseeing tour of the town which includes the Russian Church, the historic
Negresco Hotel, and the Promenade des Anglais.
Stop at Place Massena; here you can spend your spare time walking through the
old town or going shopping. The Flower Market is on Tuesdays and Saturdays,
while the Flea Market is on Mondays.
Back to Monaco by the Grand Corniche and then back to San Remo by the motorway.
Stop at Eze where you will be able to visit a perfume factory.
Gardens of the Riviera:
You will reach Ventimiglia by motorway and from here you will reach La Mortola,
a place along the boarder with France. (22 km. / 13 miles - about 30 min.)
Visit to the Hanbury Gardens which is one the most important botanical gardens
in the world. They were established in 1867 by the Hanbury family and in 1983
the University of Genoa succeeded in restoring them to their original splendour.
The Gardens stretch over 18 hectares of land: 9 hectares are devoted to
spontaneous plants, while the remaining 9 hectares are devoted to exotic plants.
Australian forest plants, the Japanese Garden, and the cycads from the Far East
are worth mentioning.
Visit to the Balzi Rossi Prehistoric Caves and its nearby museum. Possible stop
at a charming pebbly beach at the bottom of the cliffs. Here you will be able to
find one of the most exciting view of Liguria.
Back to San Remo via the Aurelia road and possible stop at Bordighera to visit
the Pallanca Garden where you will be able to see plenty of cactuses coming from
the four corners of the world.
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 Sanremo has been known as a resort ever since Emperor Frederick William
wintered in a villa here. In time, Empress Maria Alexandrova, wife
of Czar Alexander II, showed up, trailed by a Russian colony that
included Tchaikovsky, who composed the Fourth Symphony here during a
stay in 1878. Alfred Nobel, the father of dynamite and the founder
of the famous prizes in Stockholm, died here in 1896.
The flower-filled resort is today something of a mini-Vegas by the
sea, complete with a casino, race track, 18-hole golf course and so
on. Its climate is the mildest on the western Riviera, and the town
offers mile after mile of well-maintained beaches. |
