The Alpes-Maritimes is the department of sunshine and borders, situated between the Mediterranean and the Alps, between France and Italy, and between the Côte d'Azur and the Ligurian mountains. Nice, its capital, was only annexed to France in 1860 by the same treaty that ceded Savoy, and its architecture bears witness to this dual Franco-Italian cultural heritage, which gives the city and the department their unique character.
The French Riviera, from Menton to Cannes, is one of the world’s most famous tourist destinations, and its Belle Époque villas, legendary palaces and extraordinary botanical gardens bear witness to the attraction this sun-drenched coastline held for the European aristocracy of the 19th century. Queen Victoria in Menton, the Romanovs in Nice, the Prince of Wales in Cannes… Europe’s royalty came to spend the winter on this Riviera, which still bears their names in its promenades and hotels.
The châteaux of the hinterland — Gourdon, a hilltop village overlooking the Gorge du Loup, Èze and its impregnable medieval village, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin with its 11th-century keep and medieval alleyways — offer a fascinating alternative to the beaches and marinas of the coast.